Lab. Report NO.

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PERMEABILITY OF SOILS

DEFINITION

Permeability is the property of soil which permits flow of water through it from
points of high energy to points of low energy, due to existence of interconnected
voids.
INTRODUCTION

• The degree of permeability is characterized by the permeability coefficient k. Two

general laboratory methods are available for determining the coefficient of
permeability of a soil directly. These are the constant head method for soils of high
permeability (e.g. gravel & sand) and the falling head method for soils of
intermediate and low permeable (e.g. silts and clays).

• A soil is highly pervious when water can flow through it easily. In an impervious
soil, the permeability is very low and water cannot easily flows through it.
DARCY’S LAW

In 1856 Darcy defined a coefficient of permeability, from a study of water

passing through a saturated porous medium. He demonstrated experimentally that
for laminar flow in a homogeneous soil, the velocity of flow (v) is given by:

v=ki

If the quantity of water (discharge) flowing through the soil in unit times is q,
then:

q=vA=kiA

Where:

q = quantity of fluid flowing through the soil in unit time (volume/ time).

k = coefficient of permeability (length/ time).

i = hydraulic gradient.

A = cross sectional area of soil mass includes both the solids and the voids.

• Coefficient of permeability is generally expressed in cm/sec or m/sec in SI units

and in ft/min or ft/ day in English units.

• The value of (k) varies widely for different soils. Some typical values for saturated
soils are given in table (1). The coefficient of permeability for unsaturated soils is
lower and increases rapidly with the degree of saturation.

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Table (1): gives the typical values of the coefficient of permeability of different soils.

Soil type k (cm/s) Degree of permeability

Gravel Over 10-1 High

Sandy gravel, clean sand, fine sand 10-1 to 10-3 Medium

Sand, dirty sand, silty sand 10-3 to 10-5 Low

Silt, silty clay 10-5 to 10-7 Very low

Clay Less than 10-7 Practically Impermeable

FACTORS AFFECTING PERMEABILITY OF SOILS

1. Particle size: Coefficient of permeability of a soil is proportional to the square of the

particle size. The permeability of coarse-grained soils is very large as compared to that
of fine-grained soils.

2. Structure of soil mass: For the same void ratio, the permeability is more in the case of
flocculated structure as compared to that in the dispersed structure.

3. Shape of particle: Angular particles have greater specific surface area as compared
with the rounded particles., For same void ratio, the soils with angular particles are
less permeable than those with rounded particles.

4. Void ratio: Fore a given soil, the greater the void ratio, the higher is the value of the
coefficient of permeability. Paradoxically, the soils with larger void ratio (i.e. clays) are
the least pervious. This is due the fact that the individual void passages in clays are
extremely small through which water cannot flow easily.
5. Degree of saturation: If the soil is not fully saturated, it contains air pockets formed
due to entrapped air. The permeability is reduced due to presence of air which causes
blockage of passage. Consequently, the permeability of a partially saturated soil is
considerably smaller than that of a fully saturated soil. In fact, Darcy’s low is not
strictly applicable for partially saturated soil. The flow through the medium can only be
measured by considering the quantity going into and coming out of the soil mass.

6. Fluid viscosity: As the temperature increases, the viscosity of water decreases and
the coefficient of permeability increases (the flow rate increases). The coefficient of
permeability is standardized at 20°C, and the coefficient of permeability at any
temperature T is related to k20:

T 
k20 = kT . (The variation of T with the test temperature is given in table (2).
 20  20

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
Table (2): Variation of T .
 20

Temperature, T T Temperature, T T
(°C)  20 (°C)  20
10 1.301 21 0.976
11 1.265 22 0.953
12 1.230 23 0.931
13 1.197 24 0.910
14 1.165 25 0.889
15 1.135 26 0.869
16 1.106 27 0.850
17 1.077 28 0.832
18 1.051 29 0.814
19 1.025 30 0.797
20 1.000

PERMEABILITY TEST
DEFINITION

Permeability is defined as the rate of flow of water under laminar conditions

through a unit cross-sectional area perpendicular to the direction of flow through a
porous medium under unit hydraulic gradient and under standard temperature
conditions.
PURPOSES

Permeability is a very important engineering property of soils. Knowledge of

permeability is essential in a number of soil engineering problems:-

- To determine the amount of seepage through and beneath earth structures.

- To control seepage velocities such that fine particles of soil mass not eroded.

- Rate of settlement (consolidation) studies.

- The permeability of soils is also required in design of filter used to prevent

piping in hydraulic structures.

-
STANDARD LABORATORY TESTS

Two standard laboratory tests are used to determine the coefficient of permeability
of soil:

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CONSTANT HEAD TEST DATA SHEET

Name: Class: Group No.

Weight of the sample = 1500 gm

Specimen height H = cm

Specimen diameter D = cm

Height above Datum: Piezometer a ……………cm

b …………… cm
c …………… cm

Hydraulic gradient between a and b =

a and c =

Time for each

Test Measured flow Temperature
No.
mesured flow cm3 (Co )
min

QL
kT =
Aht
T
k20 = kT
 20

Signature:
Date: / / 20

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II- FALLING HEAD TEST
It also called variable-head test. For relatively less permeable soils, the quantity of
water collected in the graduated cylinder of the constant-head permeability test is
very small and cannot be measured accurately. For such soils, the falling head
permeability test is used.

APPARATUS

1- Permeameter device as shown in figure (3).

2- Standpipe with ring stand and clamp.

3- Distilled water.

4- Timer.

5- Thermometer.

6- Graduated cylinder. 7- Ruler (scale).

PROCEDURE
1- Measure the inside diameter and height of the permeameter cell. Determine the
standpipe area (a) by measuring the volume of water contained in a standpipe
section of given height.

2- Put the soil sample on the filter paper in the permeameter (for coarse soil by
placing a known weight of the sample to determine its unit weight and for fine
soil by compaction inside the pemeameter cell (compaction mold), or using
undisturbed sample).

3- Put the filter paper on the top of the soil sample and assembly the top part of
the peameameter device.

4- Saturated the specimen by immersing in water for several days (15 min). It is
important that the specimen be fully saturated, otherwise, the falling head test
will give erroneous results. Then apply a vacuum to remove an entrapped air in
the specimen. Prevent to re-enter air to the specimen before testing by closing
the clamp.

5- Locate h1 and h2 on the standpipe, then fill it with distilled water.

6- Commence the flow of water and simultaneously start timing the test. Allow
water to flow through the sample until the standpipe is almost empty or to a
convenient mark. Simultaneously stop the flow and timing. Obtain the head h 2.
Take the temperature of the test.

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7- Refill the standpipe and repeat the test two additional times. Use the same h 1
and h2 values and obtain the corresponding elapsed times. Take the
temperature for each run.

Standpipe

Ring stand

Clamp to
connect
standpipe to
sample

Graduated cylinder
to see if Qin = Qout

Soil sample

Fig (1): Principle of falling head test.

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CALCULATION

aL h
kT = ln 1 ……… cm/sec
At h2

T
k20 = kT
 20

 2
a= .d is the inside area of the standpipe.
4


A= . D2 is the inside area of the specimen.
4

L = Length of the sample (cm). t = elapsed time of test (sec).

h1 = the elevation of water in the standpipe above discharge level at time t=0.

h2 = the elevation of water in the standpipe above discharge level at time t.

Important Notes:

1- The coefficient of permeability k of a soils can be determined by indirect methods

(Empirical Equations) such as:

Hazn’s equation: k = 0.01 (D10)2 it is essential to determine particle size

distribution curve to find D10.

2- The coefficient of permeability k for fine grained soils can be determined by

oedometer consolidation cell (by direct and indirect methods).

3- In the field, the coefficient of permeability k of a soil can be determined by

performing pumping tests from wells.

DISCUSSION

1- A permeability of 10-4 cm/sec may be considered borderline between pervious

and impervious soils. Give example for k (less and more) than 10 -4 cm/sec that
might be considered for engineering projects.

2- Under which condition, Qin is not equal to Qout??

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COFFICIENT OF PERMEABILITY

FALLING HEAD TEST

Name:

Section:

Specimen height H = 13 cm

Specimen diameter D = 10 cm

Area of standpipe a = cm2.

h1 h2 t Qin Qout T
No. (cm) (cm) (sec) (cm3) (cm3) oC

aL h
kT = ln 1 ……… cm/sec
At h2

T
k20 = kT
 20

Signature: ………………………………

Date: / / 20

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