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Permeability Test Laboratory

This document provides an overview of permeability testing procedures for geotechnical engineering laboratory class. It discusses the importance of permeability in soils and defines hydraulic conductivity. It describes Darcy's Law and the two main permeability test methods: the constant head test and falling head test. The constant head test applies a constant head of water to measure permeability, while the falling head test allows the water head to fall over time. Calculations of hydraulic conductivity are presented for both test methods.

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Filipe Martins
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84 views18 pages

Permeability Test Laboratory

This document provides an overview of permeability testing procedures for geotechnical engineering laboratory class. It discusses the importance of permeability in soils and defines hydraulic conductivity. It describes Darcy's Law and the two main permeability test methods: the constant head test and falling head test. The constant head test applies a constant head of water to measure permeability, while the falling head test allows the water head to fall over time. Calculations of hydraulic conductivity are presented for both test methods.

Uploaded by

Filipe Martins
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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CE 3121: Geotechnical Engineering Laboratory

Class 5

Permeability Test

Sources:

Soil Mechanics – Laboratory Manual,B.M. DAS (Chapters 10, 11)


Soil Properties, Testing, Measurement, and Evaluation, C. Liu, J. Evett

Civil Engineering - Texas Tech University


Class Outlines
 Permeability in Soils
 Hydraulic Conductivity
 Darcy’s Law
 Permeability Tests
 Constant-Head Test
 Falling-Head Test

Civil Engineering - Texas Tech University


Soil Permeability
Soil Properties

Physical Mechanical
(Soil Characteristics)

Specific Atterberg Strength


Gradation Compaction Permeability Compressibility
Gravity Limits (Shear)

Moisture Content
Unit Weight

1 – Constant-Head Test
2 – Falling-Head Test

Civil Engineering - Texas Tech University


Permeability in Soils
 Permeability is the measure of the soil’s
ability to permit water to flow through its pores
or voids
 It is one of the most important soil properties
of interest to geotechnical engineers

Civil Engineering - Texas Tech University


Importance of permeability
 The following applications illustrate the importance of
permeability in geotechnical design:
 Permeability influences the rate of settlement of a
saturated soil under load.
 The design of earth dams is very much based upon the
permeability of the soils used.
 The stability of slopes and retaining structures can be
greatly affected by the permeability of the soils
involved.
 Filters made of soils are designed based upon their
permeability.

Civil Engineering - Texas Tech University


Use of Permeability
 Knowledge of the permeability properties of
soil is necessary to:
 Estimating the quantity of underground
seepage
 Solving problems involving pumping seepage
water from construction excavation
 Stability analyses of earth structures and earth
retaining walls subjected to seepage forces

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Hydraulic Conductivity

 Hydraulic Conductivity, k, is a measure of soil


permeability
 k is determined in the lab using two methods:
 Constant-Head Test
 Falling-Head Test
 K is usually expressed in cm/sec
 Hydraulic conductivity is also known as the
coefficient or permeability

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Hydraulic Conductivity (Cont.)
 Hydraulic conductivity of soils depends on
several factors:
 Fluid viscosity
 Pore size distribution
 Grain size distribution
 Void ratio
 Degree of soil saturation

Civil Engineering - Texas Tech University


Darcy’s Law
 The hydraulic conductivity, k, is a product of Darcy’s
Law.
 In 1856, Darcy established an empirical relationship
for the flow of water through porous media known as
Darcy’s Law, which states: q = kiA

q = flow rate (cm3/s)


k = coefficient of permeability (cm/s)
A = cross-sectional Area (cm2)
i = hydraulic gradient
h
where; i
L

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Constant Head Test
 The constant head test is used primarily for
coarse-grained soils
 This test is based on the assumption of
laminar flow where k is independent of i (low
values of i)
 ASTM D 2434
 This test applies a constant head of water to
each end of a soil in a “permeameter”

Civil Engineering - Texas Tech University


Permeameter

Civil Engineering - Texas Tech University


Procedure (Constant head)
1. Setup screens on the permeameter
2. Measurements for permeameter, (D), (L), H1
3. Take 1000 g passing No.4 soil (M1)
4. Take a sample for M.C.
5. Assemble the permeameter – make sure seals are air-tight
6. Fill the mold in several layers and compact it as prescribed.
7. Put top porous stone and measure H2
8. Weigh remainder of soil (M2)
9. Complete assembling the permeameter. (keep outlet valve closed)
10. Connect Manometer tubes, but keep the valves closed.
11. Apply vacuum to remove air for 15 minutes (through inlet tube at top)
12. Run the Test (follow instructions in the lab manual) …..
13. Take readings
 Manometer heads h1 & h2
 Collect water at the outlet, Q ml at time t  60 sec.

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Calculation (Constant head)
 Determine the unit weight
 Calculate the void ratio of the compacted specimen
QL
 Calculate k as k
Aht
 T0 C
 Calculate k 200 C  k T 0C
 200 C

Civil Engineering - Texas Tech University


Falling Head Test
 The falling head test is used both for coarse-
grained soils as well as fine-grained soils
 Same procedure in constant head test
except:
 Record initial head difference, h1 at t = 0
 Allow water to flow through the soil specimen
 Record the final head difference, h2 at time
t = t2
 Collect water at the outlet, Q ml at time t  60
sec
Civil Engineering - Texas Tech University
Calculation (Falling head)
aL h1
 Calculate k as k  ln
At h2
 Where;
a = inside cross sectional area of the water tank
h1 = distance to bottom of the beaker before the test
h2 = distance to bottom of the beaker after the test
 T0 C
 Calculate k 200 C  k T 0C
 200 C

Civil Engineering - Texas Tech University


Civil Engineering - Texas Tech University
Civil Engineering - Texas Tech University
Typical Values of k

Civil Engineering - Texas Tech University

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