Mendoza, Jean Clarice C.

CE-4101
CE 412
SUMMARY
Permeability is a measure of the ease in which water can flow through
a soil volume. It is
one of the most important geotechnical parameters. The constant head
permeability test involves flow of water through a column of cylindrical soil
sample under the constant pressure difference. The test is carried out in the
permeability cell, or permeameter, which can vary in size depending on the
grain size of the tested material. The soil sample has a cylindrical form with
its diameter being large enough in order to be representative of the tested
soil. The purpose of this test is to determine the permeability (hydraulic
conductivity) of a sandy soil. In conducting the experiment, first, the mass
of the plastic specimen tube, the porous stones, the spring, and the two
rubber stoppers were determined. The bottom porous stone is slipped into
the specimen. The oven-dry sand is placed in a container then it is poured
into the specimen tube in small layers using a spoon. The sand is compacted
by a tamping rod while the mass of the assembly of the specimen tube is
determined. After that, the length of the compacted specimen in the tube is
measured. A water tank is used as the source of water. The water will flow
through the specimen through a plastic tube to the constant head chamber
which is placed inside a pail. Then, after establishing a steady flow, the
water flowing out of the constant head chamber is collected in the pail while
the collection time is being recorded with a stop watch. The water collected
in the pail is then transferred into a graduated cylinder. The value of the
average flow Q was obtained and the process was repeated up to three
trials.