Nile Institute For Engineering and Technology

Construction and Building Engineering Department

Soil Mechanics – Sheet ( 4 )
2016/2017

Permeability of soil
Question No.1
a) Briefly explain the factors that influence permeability of soil.
b) Define what the meant by critical hydraulic gradient.
c) Calculate the critical hydraulic gradient for a soil with porosity (n=0.4) and GS =2.7.
d) Explain why the field permeability test are more reliable for determenation soil
permeability.

Question No. 2
A cylindrical soil sample, 7.3 cm in diameter and 16.8 cm long, is tested in a constant head
permeability apparatus. A constant head of 75 cm is maintained during the test. After 1
minute of testing , a total of 945.7 gm3 of water was collected. The void ratio of the soil was
0.43. Compute the following:
i) The hydraulic gradient. ii) The flow rate in cm3/sec.
iii) The discharge velocity in cm/sec. iv) The seepage velocity in cm/sec.
v) The coefficient of permeability in cm/sec.

Question No. 3
a) In a falling head permeability test on a silty clay sample, the following results were
obtained :
sample length 120 mm, sample diameter 80 mm,
initial head 1100 mm, final head 420 mm,
time for fall in head 6 minutes, stand pipe diameter 4 mm.
Determine the coefficient of permeability.
b) On close investigation of the sample, it was found to be in 3 layers 20 mm , 60 mm 40 mm
thick. Each of permeability 0.003 mm/sec., 0.0005 mm/sec., 0.0017 mm/sec. respectively.
Find the ratio ( Kh/Kf )

Question No. 4
a) A layer of sand 6 m thick lies beneath a clay stratum 5.0 m thickness above a bed of thick
shale, in order to determine the permeability of the sand a well was driven to the top of shall
and the water was pumped out at rate of 0.001 m3/sec. Tow observation boreholes were
 Nile Institute For Engineering and Technology
Construction and Building Engineering Department
Soil Mechanics – Sheet ( 4 )
2016/2017
driven through the clay at 15.0 and 30.0 m from the pumpwell and the water was found to rise
to levels of 3.0 m and 2.5 m below the ground surface respectively.
Calculate the coefficient of permeability of the soil .

Question No. 5
a) For the Fig. (1) calculate the coefficient of permeability for soil (A) where :
Q = 260 mm3 at 130 sec. KB = 7*10 -4 mm /sec. Cross section area of sample = 2000 mm2
.

50 cm Fig. (1 )

Soil (A) Soil (B)

10 cm 15 cm

b) For the Fig. (2) calculate the coefficient of permeability for soil (A) where :
h1 = 30 cm , h2 = 25 cm at t = 160 sec. KB = 8*10 -4 mm /sec.
Cross section area of sample = 2200 mm2 , Cross section area of pipe = 0.78 cm2

30 cm
25 cm

5 3 cm
Fig. (2 )
Soil (A)

Soil (B)

40 cm

GOOD LUCK
Associate Prof. Dr / Waseim R Azzam