CE 240

Soil Mechanics & Foundations

Lecture 4.3
Permeability I
(Das, Ch. 6)
Outline of this Lecture
1. Permeability in Soils
2. Bernoullis Equation
3. Darcys Law
4. Hydraulic Conductivity
5. Hydraulic Conductivity Tests
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.
Permeability in Soils
Permeability is the measure of the soils
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 Permeability
Physical
(Soil Characteristics)
Mechanical
Moisture Content
Unit Weight
Compressibility Permeability
Specific
Gravity
Gradation
Atterberg
Limits
Strength
(Shear)
Soil Properties
Compaction
1 Constant-Head Test
2 Falling-Head Test
Importance of permeability
The following applications illustrate the
importance of permeability in geotechnical
design:
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.
Use of Permeability
Knowledge of the permeability properties
of soil is necessary to:
Estimating the quantity of underground
seepage (Chapter 7);
Solving problems involving pumping seepage
water from construction excavation;
Stability analyses of earth structures and
earth retaining walls subjected to seepage
forces.
Bernoullis 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 Bernoullis equation:
2
2
w
P v
h Z
g
= + +
h: total head in m, or ft;
P: water pressure in Pa, or psi;

w
: unit weight of water, in kg/(s
2
m
2
), or lb/(ft
3
);
v: velocity of water, in m/s, or ft/s;
g: gravity acceleration m/s
2
or ft/s
2
;
Z: elevation head in m, or ft.
The surface of the water column (the head)
is the water table. Water Table in an
Unconfined Aquifer is the surface along
which the hydrostatic pressure is equal to
the atmospheric pressure.
Atmospheric pressure
Confined Aquifer:
Water in confined aquifer is separated from air by
impermeable layers known as aquiclude. This type
of aquifer forms an artesian system;
The well drilling into confined aquifer then could be
an artesian well (the water level in the well is above
the height of the ceiling aquiclude).
Piezometric surface
Ceiling aquiclude
Floor aquiclude
The dynamic head is usually negligible since
the water flow velocity is usually small. The
elevation head is accounted from the datum
to the elevation of the bottom of the well, and
the pressure head is the portion above the
well bottom to the water table.
Piezometric surface
Elevation head Z
Pressure head P/
w
datum
Again, 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
h
i
L

=
w
P
h Z

= +
Hydraulic gradient:
in most soil we found the
following relation, i.e., the water
flow velocity in the soil is proportional
to the hydraulic gradient
v i
may exist in fractured rock, stones,
gravels, and very coarse sands
Darcys Law
The coefficient of permeability, or hydraulic
conductivity, k, is a product of Darcys Law.
In 1856, Darcy established an empirical
relationship for the flow of water through porous
media known as Darcys Law, which states: v =
v = -ki or q = -kiA
q = flow rate (cm
3
/s)
k = coefficient of permeability (cm/s)
A = cross-sectional Area (cm
2
)
i = hydraulic gradient
The parameter q in Darcys law is called the
flow rate or simply the flow (flux). It describes
in a unit time, over a unit cross-section area,
how much water in terms of volume has been
flowed through.
, ( )
volume length
q vA area
time time
= =
v
A
The flow rate q is in the unit of velocity (L/t).
Examination of the Darcys law make us be
aware that the permeability k is also in the unit
of velocity.
Velocity and seepage velocity
in the field, the gradient of the head is the
head difference over the distance
separating the 2 wells.
2 1
H H dH
v k k
dx x

= =

x
H
1
H
2
Water flow
Darcys law states that how fast the
groundwater flow in the aquifer depends on two
parameters:
1, how large is the hydraulic gradient of the
water head (i=dH/dx); and
2, the parameter describing how permeable the
aquifer porous medium the coefficient of
permeability (hydraulic conductivity) k.
The minus sign in the equation denotes that the
direction of flow is opposite to the positive
direction of the gradient of the head.
The physical description of groundwater
flow in soil is the Darcys law. The
fundamental premise for Darcys law to work
are:
1, the flow is laminar, no turbulent flows;
2, fully saturated;
3, the flow is in steady state, no temporal
variation.
Hydraulic conductivity k and
absolute permeability
The absolute permeability is in the unite of LL
(length square); and the expression for the
relation is
w
k K

=
K
Units of the coefficient of Permeability k
The permeability k is in the dimension of velocity.
However, in deferent field people prefer use different
units for permeability simply because different fields
deal different scales of subsurface fluid flow. In
hydrogeology a used to be popular unit is meinzer; in
geotechnical world is cm/sec; and in petroleum
engineering people just use the unit of darcy. Here are
the conversions:
1 cm/sec = 864 m/day
1 darcy = 1 cm
3
of fluid with viscosity of 1 centipose
in 1 sec, under a pressure change of 1 atm. over a
length of 1 cm through a porous medium of 1 cm
2
in
cross-sectional area.
1 Meinzer = 1gal/day/ft
2
(West, 1995)
Hydraulic Conductivity
The coefficient or permeability is also
known as hydraulic conductivity;
Hydraulic Conductivity, k, is a measure
of soil permeability;
k is determined in the lab using two
methods:
Constant-Head Test
Falling-Head Test
Hydraulic Conductivity
(Cont.)
Hydraulic conductivity of soils depends on
several factors:
Fluid viscosity
Pore size distribution
Grain size distribution
Void ratio
Degree of soil saturation
Constant Head Test
The constant head test is used primarily
for coarse-grained soils;
This test is based on the assumption of
laminar flow where k is independent of i
(low values of i);
ASTM D 2434;
This test applies a constant head of water
to each end of a soil in a permeameter.
Permeameter
Constant-head hydraulic
conductivity test with permeameter
( ) Q Avt A ki t = =
Procedure (Constant
head)
1. Setup screens on the permeameter
2. Measurements for permeameter, (D), (L), H1
3. Take 1000 g passing No.4 soil (M1)
4. Take a sample for M.C.
5. Assemble the permeameter make sure seals are air-tight
6. Fill the mold in several layers and compact it as prescribed.
7. Put top porous stone and measure H2
8. Weigh remainder of soil (M2)
9. Complete assembling the permeameter. (keep outlet valve closed)
10.Connect Manometer tubes, but keep the valves closed.
11.Apply vacuum to remove air for 15 minutes (through inlet tube at
top)
12.Run the Test (follow instructions in the lab manual) ..
13.Take readings
Manometer heads h1 & h2
Collect water at the outlet, Q ml at time t 60 sec.
Calculation (Constant head)
Determine the unit weight;
Calculate the void ratio of the compacted
specimen;
Calculate k as:
Calculate
( )
h
from Q Akit A k t
L
QL
get k
Aht
= =
=
C
C T
C T
k k
C
0
20
0
0 0
20

=
Falling Head Test
The falling head test is used both for
coarse-grained soils as well as fine-
grained soils;
Same procedure in constant head test
except:
Record initial head difference, h
1
at t = 0
Allow water to flow through the soil specimen
Record the final head difference, h
2
at time
t = t
2
Collect water at the outlet, Q (in ml) at time t
60 sec
Calculation (Falling head)
Calculate k as
Where:
A = inside cross sectional area of the water tank
a = inside cross sectional area of the standing pipe
h
1
= distance to bottom of the beaker before the test
h
2
= distance to bottom of the beaker after the test
Calculate
2
1
ln
h
h
At
aL
k =
C
C T
C T
k k
C
0
20
0
0 0
20

=
Falling Head Test
Example 6.4
Figure 6.7
Example 6.5
Figure 6.8
Reading Assignment:
Das, Ch. 6
Homework:
6.3, 6.4, 6.7, 6.8, 6.12