The main items in this lecture are:

SOIL PERMEBILITY

Factors
Factors
Soil
Soil affecting the Tests
Tests of
of Stratified
Permeability
Permeability Bernoulli's
Bernoulli's Hydraulic
Hydraulic Darcy’s
Darcy’s affecting the
Coefficient Coefficient
Coefficient
Stratified
Soil
Gradient Coefficient Soil and
and
importance
importance Equation
Equation Gradient Law
Law of
of
of
of Permeability
Permeability
and
and use
use Permeability Permeability
Permeability
Permeability

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INTRODUCTION

 Due to the existence of the inter-connected voids, soils

are permeable. The permeable soils will allow water flow
from points of high energy to points of low energy.
 Permeability is the parameter to characterize the ability of
soil to transport water.

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 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

 SOIL MECHANICS
SOIL PERMEABILITY

IMPORTANCE OF PERMEABILITY
 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.

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USE OF PERMEABILITY

 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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 SOIL MECHANICS-
SOIL PERMEABILITY
BERNOULLI’S EQUATION

 The total pressure in terms of water head is formed from 3

parts: 1), pressure head; 2), dynamic head; and 3),
elevation head. This is known as the Bernoulli’s equation:

◦ h:total head in m, or ft;

◦ P:water pressure in Pa, or psi;
◦ γw: unit weight of water, in kN/m 3, or lb/(ft3);
◦ v:velocity of water, in m/s, or ft/s;
◦ g: gravity acceleration m/s2 or ft/s2;
◦ Z:elevation head in m, or ft.
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SOIL PERMEABILITY
BERNOULLI’S EQUATION

 since the seepage flow velocity in soil is

small, the dynamic head (velocity head) can
be neglected, so that the total head at any
points is

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 SOIL MECHANICS- KCE3241
SOIL PERMEABILITY

 HYDRAULIC GRADIENT

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SOIL PERMEABILITY
Darcy's law
 The rate of flow of water q
(volume/time) through cross-
sectional area A is found to be
proportional to hydraulic gradient
i according to Darcy's law: -
 
 From many tests,
V proportional to (a) Dh/DL (=Dh/L)
Dh = h1-h2 = h, So,

◦ v - is flow velocity and

◦ k - is coefficient of
permeability with dimensions of
velocity (length/time).
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SOIL PERMEABILITY

 Insteady-state flow, the pressures

and flow rates remain constant over
time. In transient flow, the pressures
and flow rates are time-dependent.

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 SOIL MECHANICS- KCE3241
SOIL PERMEABILITY
SEEPAGE VELOCITY
 Darcy's Law relates flow velocity (v) to hydraulic gradient (i). The volume flow
rate q is calculated as the product of flow velocity v and total cross sectional
area:
q = v.A

 At the particulate level the water follows a twisting path through the pores.
The average velocity at which the water flows through the pores is the ratio of
volume flow rate to the average area of voids A v on a cross section normal to
the macroscopic direction of flow. This is the seepage velocity vS.
 Porosity of soil is related to the volume fraction of voids

OR

 Seepage velocity can be measured in laboratory models by injecting dye into

the seeping pore water and timing its progress through the soil.
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SOIL PERMEABILITY

FACTORS AFFECTING THE COEFFICIENT OF PERMEABILITY

 particle size,
 gradation,
 porosity,
 composition (mineral content),
 orientation (dispersed or

flocculated),
 degree of saturation, and
 viscosity, which affected by

density and temperature.

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SOIL PERMEABILITY

ONE-DIMENSIONAL FLOW
Steady one-dimensional flow is the simplest case, to which
Darcy's law can be applied. This can be extended to cases of
variable aquifer thickness and radial flow. The analysis of steady
two-dimensional flow is more complex and results in flow nets.
In steady-state flow, the pressures and flow rates remain
constant over time. In transient flow, the pressures and flow
rates are time-dependent.

SOIL MECHANICS LECTURES by Dr. Mohammed Sh. M. Al Shakerchy 13

 SOIL MECHANICS- KCE3241
SOIL PERMEABILITY

TESTS OF PERMEABILITY COEFFICIENT

Permeability Tests

Laboratory Tests Field Tests

Unconfined Confined
Permeameter Oedometer
Aquifer Aquifer

Falling Constant
Head Test Head Test

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SOIL PERMEABILITY

TESTS OF PERMEABILITY COEFFICIENT - LABORATORY

 Constant head test

Recommended for coarse-
grained soils.
Steady total head drop Dh is
measured across gauge length
L, as water flows through a
sample of cross-section area A.
Two conditions are required to
start the test: -
◦ 1- reduce the air in the
sample by applying a vacuum,
◦ 2- ensure the steady state of
seepage by running the test
overnight.
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SOIL PERMEABILITY

TESTS OF PERMEABILITY COEFFICIENT - LABORATORY

CONSTANT HEAD TEST

v = k.i … Darcy’s law

Q = q/t = k.A.i

I = h/L
q L
So, k 
A h t
… (equation of coefficient of permeability)

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SOIL PERMEABILITY

TESTS OF PERMEABILITY COEFFICIENT - LABORATORY

 Falling head test
Recommended for fine-grained soils.
Total head h in standpipe of area a is allowed
to fall; heads h1 and h2 are measured at times
t1 and t2.
Hydraulic gradient Dh/L varies with time.
dh
v
dt

a.dh
Q ...quantity of water
dt
h
 A.k . ... Darcy' slaw
L

a.dh h
  A.k .
dt L SOIL MECHANICS LECTURES by Dr. Mohammed Sh. M. Al Shakerchy 17
 SOIL MECHANICS- KCE3241
SOIL PERMEABILITY

TESTS OF PERMEABILITY COEFFICIENT - LABORATORY

Falling head test

h2 dh A  k t 2
by integration,  a      dt
h1 h L t1

aL
k    ln(h2)  ln(h1)
A( t2  t1)

a L h1
Or, k  . . ln
A (t 2  t1 ) h2
…(equation of coefficient of permeability)

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SOIL PERMEABILITY

TESTS OF PERMEABILITY COEFFICIENT - LABORATORY

Oedometer
 Indirect measurement
Transient consolidation phenomena are controlled by the coefficient of
consolidation Cv. With knowledge of one-dimensional compliance mv,
coefficient of permeability k can be estimated from

 
 Direct measurement
direct measurement of permeability in oedometers is preferable. Flow
pumps can be used to maintain a constant flow rate q across the sample
and to measure the resultant constant head h. The coefficient of
permeability is then given by: -

k = Q.L / A.h
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SOIL PERMEABILITY

TESTS OF PERMEABILITY COEFFICIENT - FIELD

 Pumping test - Unconfined Flow

 In a well-pumping test, the steady-state
heads h1 and h2 in observation boreholes
at radii r1 and r2 are monitored at flow
rate q. If the pumping causes a
drawdown in an unconfined flow (i.e.
open surface) soil stratum then: -
Darcy’s law:
V = k.i …
Q = A.v
Q = A.k.i
cross-sectional area of flow:
A = 2.r.h …
i = dh/dr
dr 2 .k
So, Q =  .h.dh
r Q

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SOIL PERMEABILITY

TESTS OF PERMEABILITY COEFFICIENT - FIELD

Pumping test - Unconfined Flow
by integration:

r2 2 .k h2 2 h12
ln  .(  )
r1 Q 2 2

Q  ln r2 / r1  
So, k   2 2 
  (h2  h1 ) 
…(equation of coefficient of
permeability)

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SOIL PERMEABILITY

TESTS OF PERMEABILITY COEFFICIENT - FIELD

 Pumping test- confined

Flow: -
 If the soil stratum is
confined aquifer and of
thickness t and remains
saturated then:
Q = A.k.i = 2.-
r.t.k.(dh/dr)
t aquifer
r2
dr h22 .k .t
 r   Q .dh
r1 h1

r 2 .k .t
ln 2   .(h2  h1 )
 r1  Q
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 SOIL MECHANICS- KCE3241
SOIL PERMEABILITY

TESTS OF PERMEABILITY COEFFICIENT - FIELD

Pumping test - Confined Flow

t aquifer

Q ln(r2 / r1 )
k .
2 .t h2  h1
…(equation of coefficient of permeability)

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SOIL PERMEABILITY

 Additional Methods to Determine the (k)

The auger-hole method

is a rapid, simple and reliable method
for measuring hydraulic
conductivity of soil below a water
table. It is mostly used in connection
with the design
of drainage systems in waterlogged
land ánd in canal seepage
investigations.

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SOIL PERMEABILITY

 Additional Methods to Determine the (k)

 Inversed Auger hole method
 The inversed auger hole
method, described in French
literature as the Porchet
 method, consists of boring a

hole to a given depth, filling it

with water,
 and measuring the rate of fall

of the water level.

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SOIL PERMEABILITY

 Additional Methods to Determine the (k)

 Infiltrometer method
 When wanting to determine the
hydraulic conductivity of the various
layers.
 of a soil profile, one often
encounters a situation where the
groundwater
 table is say 2 to 3 m below surface,
i.e. too deep to use the auger hole
 and piezometer methods for the
measurements. In such cases the
infiltrometer
 method can provide a solution.
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SOIL PERMEABILITY

EMPIRICAL EQUATION OF COEFFICIENT OF

PERMEABILITY: -
 k = C . (D10)2 …For D = (0.1 – 0.3) mm, and Cu 5
Soil Type k (m/sec)
Gravel 10-2 >
Sand 10-5 – 10-2
Silt 10-8 – 10-5
Clay 10-8 <
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SOIL PERMEABILITY

Q1: A canal and a river run parallel an average of average of 250 feet apart.
The elevation of the water surface in the canal is at +1050 feet and in the river
at +1021 feet. A stratum of sand intersects both the river and the canal below
their water levels. The sand is 6 feet thick, and is sandwiched between strata
of impervious clay. Compute the seepage loss q from the canal in ft3/(day-mile)
if the permeability of the sand is 2x10-3 ft/sec.

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SOIL PERMEABILITY
Q2: The soil below is a dense well-
graded clayey sand with gd=112 pct
and Gs=2.63, a permeability k=240
mm/min at a voids ratio of e=0.85,
the cross-sectional area of the tank
is 36 ft2. Find:
A.The seepage rate q in ft3/min.,
and
B.The direction of the flow.
Knowing that (k=1.4 . e2 . k0.85) Casagrande formula

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SOIL PERMEABILITY

STRATIFIED SOIL AND PERMEABILITY

 Vertical Flow
 Consider a stratified soil having
horizontal layers of thickness
t1, t2, t3, etc. with coefficients of
permeability k1, k2 k3, etc.

 For vertical flow, the flow rate q

through area A of each layer is
the same. Hence the head drop
across a series of layers is: -

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SOIL PERMEABILITY

STRATIFIED SOIL AND PERMEABILITY

Vertical Flow
q1=q2=q3= …=qn

The average coefficient of permeability is

t
So, kv 
 t / k 
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SOIL PERMEABILITY

STRATIFIED SOIL AND PERMEABILITY

 Horizontal Flow
 For horizontal flow, the
head drop Dh over the
same flow path length Ds
will be the same for each
layer. So i1 = i2 = i3 etc.
The flow rate through a
layered block of soil of
breadth (thickness) B is
therefore

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 SOIL MECHANICS- KCE3241
SOIL PERMEABILITY

The average coefficient of permeability is: -

 k .t
So, k h 
t

.Note: the ratio (kh/kv) range from (2) to (10) or more

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SOIL PERMEABILITY

- :EXAMPLE

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