Faculty of Engineering Technology Civil Engineering Department Soil Laboratory
Faculty of Engineering Technology Civil Engineering Department Soil Laboratory
Soil Laboratory
ENCE 311
Experiment #8
“Permeability Test”
Instructors :
Done By Group C
Section :2
Background information:
Permeability can be defined as the property of the soil which enables the flow of water
through it. There are voids in the soil, which if are interconnected to each other, provides
the path for the flow of water through it. It is very important to study the permeability of
(1) Almost all civil engineering structures are constructed on soil and if the soil below
them is pervious, this may result in the percolation of the water, and may also result in
piping action ,which will reduce the strength of the soil to handle structural weight.
(2) Soil embankments are likely to fail if the soil used to construct them is of high
permeability, because it will reduce the soil shear strength. So it is important to study the
(3) The canals are likely to fail if there is any leakage from the embankments, so it is
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The coefficient of permeability, k is defined as the rate of flow of water under laminar
flow conditions through a porous medium area of unit cross section under unit hydraulic
gradient.
Clay <0.00001
The constant head permeability test is a common laboratory testing method used to
determine the permeability of granular soils like sands and gravels containing little or no
silt. This testing method is made for testing reconstituted or disturbed granular soil
samples.
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Fig (1) constant head permeability test
𝑸𝒍
Κ= 𝑨𝒉𝒕where:
The falling head permeability test is a common laboratory testing method used to
determine the permeability of fine grained soils with intermediate and low permeability
such as silts and clays. This testing method can be applied to an undisturbed sample.
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the falling head permeability test involves flow of water through a relatively short soil
sample connected to a standpipe which provides the water head and also allows
𝟐.𝟑𝟎𝟑𝒂𝑳 𝑯𝟏
K= Log 𝑯𝟐
𝑨𝒕
where:
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A number of factors affect the permeability of soils:
• particle size .
• absorbed water
• impurities in water
• degree of saturation
𝐾𝑇∗𝜂𝑇
K20 = Where ηT: the viscosity at the temperature T
𝜂20
objectives:
1- The constant head method is used to find the permeability of high permeability
soil.
2- The falling head method is used to find the permeability For soils of intermediate
to low permeability.
Hypothesis:
The granular soil is more permeable than the clayey soil, so the coefficient of
permeability (k) for the granular will be larger than it for the clayey soil. Moreover , k is
the average value in the constant head and falling head ,because the change of cross-
section area leads to different losses due to friction and different values of k
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Instruments:
water supplier
Graduated cylinder
pipes
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Procedure:
1. The sample was prepared and the device was also prepared (fine sample)by the
instructor.
2. The valve was opened.
3. In the first trial with diameter =1.5, when the reading approves 100cm the stop watch
time starts counting till the reading be 90cm.
4. We repeated this step from (90cm-80cm) and (80cm-70cm) with cumulative time.
5. The second trial with diameter =3cm and when the reading approves 100cm the stop
watch time starts counting, but the decrease in the head is 5cm.
6. The step 3 was repeated from (100-95) cm, (95-90) cm and (90-85) cm.
7. The final trial with diameter =4.5cm and when the reading approves 100cm the stop
watch time starts counting, the decrease in the head is 2.5cm.
8. The step 3 was repeated from (100-97.5) cm, (97.5-95) cm and (95-92.5) cm.
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Data and Calculation:
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Sample of calculations:
𝑉∗𝑙 30 ∗ 9 𝑐𝑚
𝐾= = = 0.2034803 ( )
𝑡 ∗ ℎ ∗ 𝐴 10 ∗ 1.3 ∗ 102.07 𝑠
Trial number 1 2 3
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Result and conclusion:
The passage of water through porous material is called seepage. A material with
porous material which permits passage of fluids through inter connecting conditions.
The permeability test on soil is a test conducts in laboratory in order to evaluate the
permeability (imperviousness) of the tested sample, which is an important variable to
consider. The permeability is indicated by permeability coefficient of soil.
During test there should be no volume change in the soil, there should be no compressible
air present in the voids of soil and soil should be completely saturated. The flow should
For the constant head test it was noticed that the flow is very low at the beginning,
gradually increases and then stands constant. Constant head permeability test is suitable
for cohesion less soils. But for cohesive soils falling head method is suitable.
The values for coefficient of permeability for tested sample was 0.2034803 𝑐𝑚/𝑠
for coarse sample and6.175E − 06.which gives an indication about the amount of voids
in the sample for both types of soil (coarse and fine), for a specimen that has a high void's
ratio the value of coefficient of permeability will be high which means that the water will
flow through it easily and faster than a specimen that has a low permeability coefficient.
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According to USCS classification, soil may be classified based on permeability
Table (5): Typical Values of permeability coefficient for different type of soil.
So, the tested soil in constant head part can be classified as coarse soil and has a high
permeability, whereas the soil used in variable head test was silty soil and has a very low
permeability.
There was some source of error that affect the previous results for example inaccurate
reading for water volume and time (since non accurate steady state case). Also, if the
sample wasn’t saturated to the required amount it may affect the results.
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Reference:
• Das, Braja M., Soil Mechanics Laboratory Manual, 6th edition, University of
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