FACULTY : ENGINEERING

EDITION: 02
TECHNOLOGY
LABORATORY: CIVIL
REVISION NO: 02
ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGY
EXPERIMENT: FALLING HEAD EFFECTIVE DATE: SEPT. 2016
PERMEABILITY TEST AMENDMENT DATE: JAN. 2018

FACULTY OF ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGY

DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGY

ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGY GEOTECHNIC LABORATORY

(MAKMAL TEKNOLOGI KEJURUTERAAN GEOTEKNIK)

LABORATORY INSTRUCTION SHEETS

COURSE CODE AND NAMA
BNP 20903 / SOIL MECHANIC AND FOUNDATION
KOD DAN NAMA KURSUS
EXPERIMENT NO.
EXP 5(b)
NO. UJIKAJI
EXPERIMENT TITLE
FALLING HEAD PERMEABILITY TEST
TAJUK UJIKAJI
DATE OF EXPERIMENT
TARIKH UJIKAJI
NAME MATRIX NO.
NAMA NO. MATRIK
GROUP NO. 1.
NO. KUMPULAN
2.

1 3.

4.

5.

LECTURER / INSTRUCTOR 1.
PENSYARAH / INSTRUKTOR 2.

RECEIVED DATE AND STAMP

TOTAL MARK (FROM RUBRIC

ASSESSMENT)
JUMLAH MARKAH (DARI RUBRIK
PENILAIAN) 1
 FACULTY : ENGINEERING
EDITION: 02
TECHNOLOGY
LABORATORY: CIVIL
REVISION NO: 02
ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGY
EXPERIMENT: FALLING HEAD EFFECTIVE DATE: SEPT. 2016
PERMEABILITY TEST AMENDMENT DATE: JAN. 2018

STUDENT CODE OF ETHICS

DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGY

FACULTY OF ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGY

I hereby declare that I have prepared this report with my own efforts. I also admit to not accept or

provide any assistance in preparing this report and anything that is in it is true.

1) Group Leader __________________________________ (Signature)

Name : __________________________________
Matrix No. : __________________________________

2) Group Member 1 ___________________________________ (Signature)

Name : ___________________________________
Matrix No : ___________________________________

3) Group Member 2 __________________________________ (Signature)

Name : __________________________________
Matrix No. : __________________________________

4) Group Member 3 __________________________________ (Signature)

Name : __________________________________
Matrix No. : __________________________________

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 FACULTY : ENGINEERING
EDITION: 02
TECHNOLOGY
LABORATORY: CIVIL
REVISION NO: 02
ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGY
EXPERIMENT: FALLING HEAD EFFECTIVE DATE: SEPT. 2016
PERMEABILITY TEST AMENDMENT DATE: JAN. 2018

1.0 OBJECTIVES

To determine permeability of soils of intermediate and low permeability (less than 10-4 m/s), i.e.
silts and clays.

2.0 LEARNING OUTCOMES

At the end of this experiment, students are able to:

 Describe the general accepted practice to determine the coefficient of permeability of silts
and clays.
 Identify the relationship between permeability and pore size of the fine grained soils.
 Measure the coefficient of permeability of silts and clays.

3.0 INTRODUCTION
The falling head permeability test is another experiment to determine the coefficient of
permeability of soil. In the falling head test a relatively short sample is connected to a standpipe
which provides both the head of water and the means of measuring the quantity of water
flowing through the sample. Several standpipes of different diameters are normally available
from which can be selected the diameter most suitable for the type of material being tested.

In permeability tests on clays, much higher hydraulic gradients than are normally used with
sands can be applied, and are often necessary to induce any measurable flow. The cohesion of
clays provides resistance to failure by piping at gradients of up to several hundred, even under
quite low confining or surcharge pressures. Dispersive clays however are very susceptible to
erosion at much lower gradient.

The falling head principle can be applied to an undisturbed sample in a sampling tube and to a
sample in an oedometer consolidation cell. The equations used in determine the permeability of
fine grained soils is given in Eq. (1).

aL h 
Permeability , k  log e  1  ………..Eq. (1)
A(t 2  t1 )  h2 

The time difference (t2-t1) can be expressed as the elapsed time, t (minutes). The heights h 1
and h2 and the length, L are expressed in millimetres, and the areas A are in square
millimetres. Eq. (1) then becomes Eq. (2).

aL h 
Permeability , k  log e  1 (mm / s ) ………..Eq. (2)
Ax 60t  h2 

To convert natural logarithms to ordinary (base 10) logarithms, multiply by 2.303. If k is

expressed in m/s, the above equation becomes Eq. (3).

2.303aL h 
Permeability , k  log10  1 (m / s ) ………..Eq. (3)
1000 xAx 60t  h2 

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 FACULTY : ENGINEERING
EDITION: 02
TECHNOLOGY
LABORATORY: CIVIL
REVISION NO: 02
ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGY
EXPERIMENT: FALLING HEAD EFFECTIVE DATE: SEPT. 2016
PERMEABILITY TEST AMENDMENT DATE: JAN. 2018

Where: a = area of cross-section of standpipe tube,

A = area of cross section of sample

h1 = heights of water above datum in standpipe at time t1

h2 = heights of water above datum in standpipe at time t2

L = heights of sample

t = elapsed time in minutes

4.0 EQUIPMENT

1. Permeameter cell, comprising:

Cell body, with cutting edge (core cutter), 100 mm diameter and 140 mm long.

Perforated base plate with straining rods and wing nuts.

Top clamping plate.

Connecting tube and fittings.

2. Balance, sensitive up to 0.1g

3. Stopwatch
4. Measuring cylinder (0.5L or 1.0L)

Figure 1: Compaction permeameter

(Courtesy of ELE International, 2007)

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 FACULTY : ENGINEERING
EDITION: 02
TECHNOLOGY
LABORATORY: CIVIL
REVISION NO: 02
ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGY
EXPERIMENT: FALLING HEAD EFFECTIVE DATE: SEPT. 2016
PERMEABILITY TEST AMENDMENT DATE: JAN. 2018

5 PROCEDURE
1. Assemble apparatus,
a. The apparatus is set up as shown in Figure 2. The volume of water passing through
a sample of low permeability is quite small and a continuous supply of de-aired water
is not necessary, but the reservoir supplying the de-airing tank should be filled with
distilled or de-ionised water
2. Calibrate manometer tubes,
a. The areas of cross-section of the three manometer tubes should be determined as
follows for each tube:
i. Fill the tube with water up to a known mark near the top of the scale,
observed to the nearest mm,
ii. Run off water from the tube into a weighted beaker, until the level in the tube
has fallen by about 500mm or more,
iii. Read the new water level on the scale, to the nearest mm,
iv. Weigh the beaker containing water from the tube (weighings should be to the
nearest 0.01g)
v. The diameter of the manometer can be calculated as follows:

1000 m w
diameter, a  mm2
h1  h2

If mw = mass of water (g),

h1 = initial level in tube (mm),
h2 = final level in tube (mm),
A = area of cross-section of tube (mm2)
vi. Repeat the measurements two or three times for each tube, and average the

results.

3. Prepare cell,
a. Dismantle the cell,
b. Check the cell body is clean and dry, and weigh it to the nearest 0.1g,
c. Measure the mean internal diameter (D) and length (L) to the nearest 0.5mm
4. Prepare sample,
a. Undisturbed sample can be taken by means of core cutter.
b. Make sure that the sample is a tight fit in the body and there are no cavities around
the perimeter through which water could pass,
5. Assemble cell
6. Connect cell
7. Saturate and de-air sample
8. Fill manometer system
9. Run test
a. Open screw clip at inlet to allow water to flow down through the sample and observe
the water level in the standpipe.
b. As soon as it reaches the level h1, start the timer clock,
c. Observe and record the time when the level reaches h 3, and when it reaches h2, then
stop the clock,
d. Close screw clip at inlet
10. Repeat test
11. Calculate permeability
12. Report result

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 FACULTY : ENGINEERING
EDITION: 02
TECHNOLOGY
LABORATORY: CIVIL
REVISION NO: 02
ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGY
EXPERIMENT: FALLING HEAD EFFECTIVE DATE: SEPT. 2016
PERMEABILITY TEST AMENDMENT DATE: JAN. 2018

Figure 2: Falling head permeability cell with manometer tubes

(Courtesy of ELE International, 2007)

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 FACULTY : ENGINEERING
EDITION: 02
TECHNOLOGY
LABORATORY: CIVIL
REVISION NO: 02
ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGY
EXPERIMENT: FALLING HEAD EFFECTIVE DATE: SEPT. 2016
PERMEABILITY TEST AMENDMENT DATE: JAN. 2018

6 DATA SHEET

Falling Head Permeability test

Location: Sample no:

Operator: Date:

Soil description:
Method of
preparation:

Sample diameter, D: mm Sample length, L: mm

Sample area, A: mm2 Sample volume, V: cm3
Mass of mould: 2200 g Mass of sample + mould: 3700 g
Mass of sample: 1500 g

S.G. measured/assumed: 2.68 Voids ratio:

Bulk density, : kN/m 3
Dry density, : kN/m3
Mositure content: % Test temperature: c

Standpipe diameter: mm Standpipe area, a: mm2

Reading:

Height above Height above Test

Reference
datum, y outlet, h Time, t
point No. Height ratios
(mm) (mm) (min)

Calculations:

2.303aL h 
Permeability , k  log10  1 (m / s ) =
1000 xAx 60t  h2 

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 FACULTY : ENGINEERING
EDITION: 02
TECHNOLOGY
LABORATORY: CIVIL
REVISION NO: 02
ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGY
EXPERIMENT: FALLING HEAD EFFECTIVE DATE: SEPT. 2016
PERMEABILITY TEST AMENDMENT DATE: JAN. 2018

7 DATA ANALYSIS (result and show all calculation)

.............................................................................................................................
.............................................................................................................................

8 DISCUSSION (discuss the results obtained from this testing and contains a comprehensive
discussion of error or confounding variables and what can be done to improve the accuracy of
the lab)
.............................................................................................................................
.............................................................................................................................

9 QUESTIONS

1. What is the application of permeability of soils?

2. What difference between falling head permeability test and constant head permeability
test?
3. How permeability test is done in the field?.

Prepared by/Disediakan oleh : Approved by/Disahkan oleh :

Signature/Tandatangan : Signature/Tandatangan :
Name/Nama : DR. TUAN NOOR HASANAH BT Name/Nama : ASSOC. PROF DR.
TUAN ISMAIL SURAYA HANI ADNAN

Date/Tarikh : FEBRUARY 2018 Date/ Date/Tarikh : FEBRUARY 2018