Soil Mechanics Lecture 09

SOIL PERMEABILITY
Soil Mechanics Lecture 09
WHAT IS PERMEABILITY?
Permeability: is facility with which water
flows through soil.
Soil is permeable due to the existence
of voids between soil grains that are
interconnected and allow flow from
points of higher potentials towards
points of lower potentials (energy).
Soil Mechanics Lecture 09
APPLICATIONS
Design of pumping systems for dewatering of
excavations.
Design of infiltration and detention basins.
Estimating of seepage losses thru and under
earth dams.
Stability analyses of earth dams and earth
retaining structures.
Design of clay liners and cut off walls.
Soil Mechanics Lecture 09
HYDRAULIC GRADIENT
Bernoullis equation for total head




In soils, where velocity of flow is low
H Z
u v
g
w
= + +

2
2
Elevation
head
Pressure
head
Velocity
head
H Z
u
w
= +

Soil Mechanics Lecture 09

HEAD DIFFERENCE AND FLOW
(from Murthy)
h H H Z
p v
g
Z
p v
g
A B A
A
w
A
B
B
w
B
= = + + + + ( ) ( )

2 2
2 2
h H H Z
p
Z
p
A B A
A
w
B
B
w
= ~ + + ( ) ( )

p=u
Soil Mechanics Lecture 09
HYDRAULIC GRADIENT AND
DARCYS LAW
Hydraulic gradient

Darcys law

* k is coefficient of permeability or hydraulic
conductivity (valid for laminar flow).
* v is discharge velocity.
* q is quantity of water flowing in unit time through a
unit gross cross-sectional area of soil at right angles
to the direction of flow.
i
h
L
=
q vA kiA v ki = = =
(ND)
Soil Mechanics Lecture 09
DISCHARGE AND SEEPAGE
VELOCITIES (from Murthy)
Soil Mechanics Lecture 09
DISCHARGE AND SEEPAGE
VELOCITIES (from Das)
q q q
A v Av v
A
A
v
A
A n
e
e
v
v
n
e
e
v
AA BB CC
v s s
v
v
s
= =
= =
= =
+
= =
+
|
\

|
.
|
1 1 1
Seepage Velocity
discharge
seepage
A B C
L=1
Soil Mechanics Lecture 09
SEEPAGE AND TRUE
VELOCITIES
Soil Mechanics Lecture 09
FLOW IN CLAYS (from Das)
v k i i i i
v ki i i
m
= >
= <
( ) '
'
0
Soil Mechanics Lecture 09
COEFFICIENT OF
PERMEABILITY
Depends on:
Fluid viscosity,
Pore-size distribution,
Grain-size distribution,
Void ratio,
Roughness of mineral particles,
Degree of soil saturation,
Temperature.
Soil Mechanics Lecture 09
TYPICAL VALUES OF k FOR
SATURATED SOILS
Clean gravel 100-1.0 cm/sec
Coarse sand 1.0-0.01 cm/sec
Fine sand 0.01-0.001 cm/sec
Silty clay 0.001-0.000,01 cm/sec
Clay <10
-6
cm/sec

k can be described as a velocity of flow for a
unit hydraulic gradient.
Soil Mechanics Lecture 09
HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY
OF SOILS
(after Casagrande and Fadum, 1939)
Soil Mechanics Lecture 09
TYPICAL VALUES OF
HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY
(from Das)
Soil Mechanics Lecture 09
EVALUATION OF COEFFICIENT
OF PERMEABILITY
From laboratory testing:
1. Constant-Head Test
2. Falling-Head Test
From field testing:
1. Pumping tests
2. Borehole tests
From empirical correlations
Soil Mechanics Lecture 09
CONSTANT-HEAD
PERMEABILITY TEST
(Murthy)
k
QL
hAt
=
Q Avt A ki t
A k
h
L
t
= =
=
( )
( )
Soil Mechanics Lecture 09
CONSTANT-
HEAD TEST
(from Das)
Soil Mechanics Lecture 09
CONSTANT-HEAD
PERMEAMETER
Soil Mechanics Lecture 09
CONSTANT-HEAD
PERMEAMETER
Soil Mechanics Lecture 09
CONSTANT-
HEAD TEST
Soil Mechanics Lecture 09
FLEXIBLE-WALL CONSTANT
HEAD TEST
Soil Mechanics Lecture 09
CONSTANT-HEAD
FIELD TEST
Soil Mechanics Lecture 09
CONSTANT-HEAD FIELD TEST
Soil Mechanics Lecture 09
FALLING-HEAD TEST
(from Murthy)
k
aL
A t t
h
h
=
( )
ln
1 0
0
1
Soil Mechanics Lecture 09
FALLING-
HEAD TEST
(from Das)
Soil Mechanics Lecture 09
FALLING-
HEAD TEST
Soil Mechanics Lecture 09
EXAMPLE 1
Soil Mechanics Lecture 09
EXAMPLE 1
Soil Mechanics Lecture 09
EXAMPLE 2
Soil Mechanics Lecture 09
EXAMPLE 2