Definition: Permeability & Seepage What is permeability?

A measure of how easily a fluid (e.g., water)

• The word Permeability means the capacity of Soil can pass through a porous medium (e.g.,
media to allow water (fluid) to pass through it. soils)
Permeability & Seepage of Soils Permeability depends upon the amount of voids
in it thereby permeability is affected by porosity
and void ratio.
150604–Geotechnical Engineering • While Seepage is the similar term but more water

Dr. Siddharth G. Shah technically used for water flowing out of the
Head & Associate Professor
engineering structures through soil media under
Faculty of PG studies & Research
the action of gravity (dam reservoir, canal,
MEFGI-Rajkot
retaining wall etc ) and causing water loss of Loose soil Dense soil
stored water.
- easy to flow - difficult to flow
2 - high permeability - low permeability

Permeability: Significance Large Earth Dam Bernoulli’s Equation

crest
• Suitability of soil for recharge well ; high permeability is required to filter
free board
discharge more water in ground water The energy of a fluid particle is
• Suitability of soil for reservoir; low permeability of soil is required riprap made of:
to store water for longer duration and avoid seepage losses. CORE 1. Kinetic energy fluid particle
• Stability of Hydraulic structure; if soil gradation is not maintained SHELL
SHELL - due to velocity
then due to water flow stability may distrube ; piping failure,
erosion, landslides etc z
blanket 2. Strain energy
• Design of the soil filters for water treatment plant, dam filters,
recharge wells - due to pressure
FOUNDATION datum
• The determination of geostatic stresses and the effect of water cutoff
pressure on structures like retaining wall. 3. Potential energy
• Settlement of a foundation and volumetric changes in soil layers - due to elevation (z) with respect to a datum
when subjected to compressive load and this compression is
dependent upon speed of water removal i.e. primary consolidation
4

Bernoulli’s Equation Bernoulli’s Equation

For flow through soils, velocity (and thus
Expressing energy in unit of length: velocity head) is very small. Therefore,

fluid particle
0 fluid particle
Velocity head Velocity head
+ +
z z
Total head = Pressure head Total head = Pressure head
+ datum
+ datum
Elevation head Elevation head
Total head = Pressure head + Elevation head

1
 Some Notes Some Notes Some Notes
If flow is from A to B, total head is higher at A Hydraulic gradient (i) between A and B is the
At any point within the flow regime:
than at B. total head loss per unit length.
Pressure head = pore water pressure/w
TH A  TH B
Energy is dissipated in
water
Elevation head = height above the selected datum i water
overcoming the soil l AB
resistance and hence B B
A A
is the head loss.
length AB, along the
stream line

Darcy’s Law: Permeability Values (cm/s) Stresses due to Flow

Velocity (v) of flow is proportional to the 10-6 10-3 Static Situation (No flow)
100
hydraulic gradient (i) – Darcy (1856) clays silts sands gravels

v=ki Coarse
Fines
hw
Q = k iA
Permeability For coarse grain soils, k = f(e or D10) At X,
z
Velocity of water passing through given soil mass
L
X v = whw + satz
under unit hydraulic gradient is defined as soil
permeability u = w (hw + z)
• Permeability or hydraulic conductivity
v ' = ' z
• unit of velocity (cm/s)

Stresses due to Flow Stresses due to Flow Quick Condition in Granular Soils
Downward Flow Upward Flow
During upward flow, at X:
flow flow
At X, At X,
v ' = ' z - wiz
v = whw + satz flow v = whw + satz hL hL
… as for static case … as for static case ' 
u = w hw
  wz  i
u = w hw + w(L-hL)(z/L) hL hw u = w hw + w(L+hL)(z/L)
hw u = w hw  w  hw

= w hw + w(z-iz) = w hw + w(z+iz) Critical hydraulic gradient (ic)

z z z
L L L
= w (hw+z) - wiz X = w (hw+z) + wiz X
If i > ic, the effective stresses is negative.
X
soil soil soil
Reduction due to flow Increase due to flow i.e., no inter-granular contact & thus failure.
v ' = ' z + wiz v ' = ' z - wiz u = w (hw+L+hL) - Quick condition
u = w (hw+L-hL)
Increase due to flow Reduction due to flow

2
 Velocity v/s Seepage Velocity
Laboratory test to find
Velocity V/s Seepage Velocity
Permeability
• Constant Head Test
• Falling Head test

19 20 21

Constant Head Test Falling Head Test

22 23 24

Seepage Terminology Seepage Terminology Flownet

Stream line is simply the path of a water molecule. Equipotential line is simply a contour of constant A network of selected stream lines and equipotential
From upstream to downstream, total head steadily decreases total head. lines.
along the stream line.

hL hL

datum datum
concrete dam concrete dam concrete dam
TH = hL TH = 0 TH = hL TH = 0

curvilinear
square

TH=0.8 hL 90º
soil soil soil

impervious strata impervious strata impervious strata

3
 Quantity of Seepage (Q) Heads at a Point X Piping in Granular Soils
# of flow channels
Nf Total head = hL - # of drops from upstream x h At the downstream, near the dam,
Q  khL ….per unit length normal to the plane h
Nd Elevation head = -z

hL the exit hydraulic gradient iexit 
# of equipotential drops Pressure head = Total head – Elevation head Nd l
head loss from upstream to
downstream
hL hL
datum hL
concrete TH = hL concrete TH = 0
datum
dam dam concrete
dam l
z h = total head drop
h X

impervious strata impervious strata soil

impervious strata

Piping in Granular Soils Piping in Granular Soils Piping Failures

If iexit exceeds the critical hydraulic gradient (ic), firstly Piping is a very serious problem. It leads to downstream Baldwin Hills Dam after it failed by
the soil grains at exit get washed away. flooding which can result in loss of lives. piping in 1963. The failure occurred
when a concentrated leak developed
This phenomenon progresses towards the upstream, forming a Therefore, provide adequate safety factor against piping.
free passage of water (“pipe”). along a crack in the embankment,
ic eroding the embankment fill and
Fpiping  forming this crevasse. An alarm was
iexit raised about four hours before the
hL
datum failure and thousands of people were
concrete concrete typically 5-6 evacuated from the area below the
dam dam
no soil; all water dam. The flood that resulted when the
dam failed and the reservoir was
released caused several millions of
soil soil dollars in damage.
impervious strata impervious strata

Piping Failures
Flow Net Theory
1. Streamlines Y and Equip. lines  are .

Flow Nets
2. Streamlines Y are parallel to no flow
boundaries.
3. Grids are curvilinear squares, where diagonals
cross at right angles.
4. Each stream tube carries the same flow.

Fontenelle Dam, USA (1965) 36

4
 Flow Net Theory Flow Net in Isotropic Soil Flow Net in Isotropic Soil

Portion of a flow net is shown below • The equation for flow nets originates from
Darcy’s Law.
Y
• Flow Net solution is equivalent to solving the
governing equations of flow for a uniform
isotropic aquifer with well-defined boundary
conditions.
F

37 38 39

Flow Net in Isotropic Soil Flow Net in Isotropic Soil Flow Net in Isotropic Soil
• Flow through a channel between
equipotential lines 1 and 2 per unit • Flow through equipotential lines 2 and 3 is: • Substitution yields:
width is: ∆q = K(dm x 1)(∆h2/dl)
∆q = K(dm x 1)(∆h1/dl) – ∆q = K(dm x dl)(H/n)
• The flow net has square grids, so the head
drop is the same in each potential drop:
n ∆h1 = ∆h2 • This equation is for one flow channel. If there
F1
m q F2 • If there are nd such drops, then: are m such channels in the net, then total flow
F3
q  h1
∆h = (H/n) where H is per unit width is:
 h2 the total head loss between the first and last
dm
equipotential lines. – q = (m/n)K(dm/dl)H
dl

40 41 42

Flow Net in Isotropic Soil Drawing Method: Method:

3. Sketch intermediate flow lines and equipotential
• Since the flow net is drawn with squares, then 1. Draw to a convenient scale the cross lines by smooth curves adhering to right-angle
dm  dl, and: sections of the structure, water elevations, intersections and square grids. Where flow
and aquifer profiles. direction is a straight line, flow lines are an equal
q = (m/n)KH [L2T-1] distance apart and parallel.

2. Establish boundary conditions and draw one 4. Continue sketching until a problem develops. Each
where:
or two flow lines Y and equipotential lines F problem will indicate changes to be made in the
– q = rate of flow or seepage per unit width
– m= number of flow channels near the boundaries. entire net. Successive trials will result in a
– n= number of equipotential drops reasonably consistent flow net.
– h = total head loss in flow system
– K = hydraulic conductivity
43 44 45

5
 Two Layer Flow System with
Method: Seepage Under Dams Sand Below
Flow nets for
5. In most cases, 5 to 10 flow lines are usually seepage through
sufficient. Depending on the no. of flow lines earthen dams
selected, the number of equipotential lines
Seepage under
will automatically be fixed by geometry and concrete dams
grid layout.
Uses boundary
conditions (L & R)
6. Equivalent to solving the governing
equations of GW flow in 2-dimensions. Requires curvilinear
square grids for
solution

46 47 Ku / Kl = 1 / 50 48

Two Layer Flow System with Effects of Boundary Condition Radial Flow:
Tight Silt Below
on Shape of Flow Nets

Flow nets for seepage from one side of a channel through two different Contour map of the piezometric surface near Savannah, Georgia,
anisotropic two-layer systems. (a) Ku / Kl = 1/50. (b) Ku / Kl = 50. Source: Todd & 1957, showing closed contours resulting from heavy local
Bear, 1961. 49 50 51
groundwater pumping (after USGS Water-Supply Paper 1611).

Flow Net in a Corner: Flow Nets: an example Flow Nets: an example

Posit ion: A B C D E F G H I J
Distance 0 3 22 3 7 .5 50 62 .5 75 86 94 100
• A dam is constructed on a permeable stratum f rom
f ront t oe
underlain by an impermeable rock. A row of ( f t)

sheet pile is installed at the upstream face. If n 1 6 .5 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1. 2

Streamlines Y the permeable soil has a hydraulic The flow net is drawn with: m = 5 n = 17
are at right conductivity of 150 ft/day, determine the rate
angles to of flow or seepage under the dam.
equipotential
F lines

52 53 54

6
 Flow Nets: the solution
Flow Nets: the solution Flow Nets: An Example
• From the flow net, the total head loss, H, is
6.2 -2.2 = 4.0 meters.
• Solve for the flow per unit width: • There is an earthen dam 13 meters across • There are 6 flow channels (m) and 21 head
and 7.5 meters high.The Impounded water is
drops along each flow path (n): Q=
6.2 meters deep, while the tailwater is 2.2
q = (m/n) K h meters deep. The dam is 72 meters long. If (KmH/n) x dam length =
the hydraulic conductivity is 6.1 x 10 -4 (0.527 m/day x 6 x 4m / 21) x
= (5/17)(150)(35) centimeter per second, what is the seepage (dam length) =
through the dam if n = 21 0.60 m3/day per m of dam
= 1544 ft3/day per ft K=
6.1 x 10-4cm/sec • = 43.4 m3/day for the entire 72-meter
= 0.527 m/day length of the dam

55 56 57

Filters Granular Filter Design Granular Filter Design

Used for: Two major criteria: granular filter Retention criteria: Permeability criteria:
 facilitating drainage D15, filter < 5 D85, soil D15, filter > 4 D15, soil
(a) Retention Criteria
 preventing fines from being washed away
- to prevent washing out of fines average filter pore size

Used in: Filter Materials:  Filter grains must not be too coarse - after Terzaghi & Peck (1967)

 earth dams  granular soils (b) Permeability Criteria D15, filter < 20 D15, soil
- after US Navy (1971)
 retaining walls  geotextiless - to facilitate drainage and thus avoid
build-up of pore pressures D50, filter < 25 D50, soil
 Filter grains must not be too fine
GSD Curves for the soil and filter must be parallel

Drainage Provisions in Retaining Walls GTU-june 2011

A Falling Head permeameter accommodates a soil
• Explain the factors affecting permeability of
soils.****dec-11,june-12,Jan-13
• Similar Which factors affect coefficient of
weep hole
permeability? Explain in detail.-june 13
• Define ‘Critical Hydraulic Gradient’ and briefly
explain ‘Quick Sand’ condition.
• Similar Write a note on sand boiling. Dec-2011
geosynthetics
sample 6cm high and 50cm2 in cross sectional
area. The permeability of the sample is expected
to be 1 x 10-4 cm/sec. If it is desired that the head
in the Stand pipe should fall from 30 cm to 10 cm
in 40 minutes, determine the size of the
standpipe which should be used. If on the same
soil sample a constant head of 200cm is
maintained for 2 hours then how much quantity
of water will flow?-june 11

granular soil

drain pipe 62 63

7
 A soil sample of height 60mm and cross sectional
area of 100cm2 was subjected to falling head
permeability test. In a time interval of 6 minutes,
Falling Head test the head dropped from 60cm to 35cm. If the cross
K= 2.303 (al /At) log 10 (h1/h2) sectional area of the Stand Pipe is 2 cm2, compute
a =area of standpipe =1.820 cm2 the coefficient of permeability of the soil sample.
Constant Head test If the same sample is subjected to a constant head
of 20cm, calculate the total quantity of water that
K= Ql/ (Aht)
will be collected after flowing through the
• Q= 1200 cm3 /sec sample.-dec 11
• V= 8.64 x 106 cm3 K=1.8 x10-4 cm/sec
V =Q xt V= K Aht2 / l= 7.776 lit= cm3
64 65
Calculate the coefficient of permeability of a
soil sample, 6 cm in height and 50 cm2 in cross
sectional area, if a quantity of water equal to
450 ml passed down in 10 minutes under an
effective constant head of 40 cm. On oven
drying, the test specimen weighs 495 grams.
Taking G=2.65, calculate the seepage velocity
of water during the test.-June 11
66

Given Data : L= 6 cm , A = 50 cm2 , Q= 450ml ,t = 10 min (600 sec), h=
40 cm , G = 2.65
Here first the permeability is obtained then velocity is obtained by
Darcy’s law. After that, seepage velocity is obtained by finding the
porosity by void ratio. Void ratio is obtained by dry-density
relationship.
(1 ml = 1 cm3)
K= Ql / (Aht)= 450 x 6 / (50 x 40 x 600) = 2.25×10-3 cm/ sec
V= ki = 2.25×10-3 × (40/6) = 0.015 cm/ sec
d = 495 / (50 x 6) = 1.65 g/ cm2 =G w /(1+e)
e = [G w / d ] -1 = 0.60
n =e / (1+e ) = = 0.377
Vs = V /n = 0.015 / 0.377 = 0.0397 cm/sec. 67
In a falling head permeability test on a silty clay
sample, the following results were obtained; sample
length 120 mm; sample diameter 80 mm ; initial head
A laboratory specimen of clay 30 mm thick drained at
1200 mm; final head 400 mm; time for fall in head 6
top as well as bottom, has taken 400 second to reach 40%
minutes; stand pipe diameter 4 mm. Find the
consolidation. When the pressure increased from 80
coefficient of permeability of the soil in mm/second.-
kN/m2 to 160 kN/m2. The initial void ratio was 0.85 and
june11
the final void ratio due to increasing of the load was 0.50.
Determine coefficient of permeability. –june 12
K = 2.3
K= 2.3×
K=9.15 x 10-4 mm/sec
68 69

A soil sample 20 cm2 in c/s area and 10 cm long is

tested for permeability in a variable head
permeameter. The stand pipe has a c/s area of 1 cm2
and the head drops from 30 cm to 10 cm in 6 minutes
and 20 seconds. Find the permeability of the soil.

70