Introduction

The permeability of soils has a decisive on the cost and the difficulty of many construction
operations, such as the excavation of open cuts in water-bearing sand, or on the rate at which
a soft clay stratum consolidates under the influence of the weight of a superimposed fill. Even
the permeability of dense concrete or rock may have important practical implications,
because water exerts a pressure on the porous material through which it percolates. This
pressure, which is known as seepage pressure, can be very high. The erroneous but
widespread conception that stiff clay and dense concrete are impermeable is due to the fact
that the entire quantity of water that percolates through such materials toward an exposed
surface is likely to evaporate, even in a very humid atmosphere.   As a consequence, the
surface appears to be dry. However, since the mechanical effects of seepage are entirely
independent of the rate of percolation, the absence of visible discharge does not indicate the
absence of seepage pressure.

Any given soil mass consists of solid particles of various sizes with interconnected void
space. The continuous void spaces in soil allow water to flow under gravity. This flow of
water is very much important with respective structures such as dam, foundation and
settlement, consolidation etc.
Definition of Permeability
Permeability of soil is defined as The property of a soil which permits flow of water through
its interconnected voids under gravity.
In other words, the permeability is the case with which water can flow through soil.

Importance of Permeability in Engineering Problems

The study of permeability of soil has following importance:

a. Calculation of seepage through the body of earthen dam and stability if slopes.
b. Calculation of uplift pressure under hydraulic structure and safety against piping.
c. Ground water flow towards wells and drainage of soils.
d. Estimates of loss of water by seepage or percolating specially in the unlined irrigation
channel etc.
e. Determination of rate of settlement of saturated compressible soil layers.
f. Low permeability will be suitable for cornel beds, embankments, to check the loss of
water by percolation through earthen dams.
g. High permeability will be useful for structural foundation, rail embankments and
subgrade of road. Because pervious soil keeps the structure stable during rain and thaws.

Laminar and Turbulent Flow

The flow of water through soil may be laminar or turbulent flow. In most of practical flow
problems in soil, the flow is laminar.

a. Laminar flow: The flow in which water particles are moving in a definite path or moving
parallel, without crossing the path of other particles is called as laminar flow.
b. Turbulent flow: The flow in which the particles of water do not follow a definite path
while flowing and cross the path of each other, the flow is called as turbulent flow.
Darcy’s Law of Permeability

For isotropic, homogenous spoils under laminar flow condition H. Darcy (1856) established a
law of rate of flow through soil. This law is called as Darcy’s law.

It states that, for laminar flow, the rate of flow or discharge per unit time is directly
proportional to hydraulic gradient.

Darcy’s law can be written as,

q = KiA

v = q/A = Ki

where,

q = Discharge per unit time

A = Total cross-sectional area of soil mass, perpendicular to the direction of flow

I = Hydraulic gradient = h/ L

K = Darcy’s coefficient in permeability

V = velocity of flow, or average discharge velocity

H = Differential head of water = h1 – h2

L = length of soil sample

Factors Affecting Permeability

1. Grain size
2. Voids ratio
3. Properties of pore fluid
4. Structural arrangement of soil particles
5. Entrapped air
6. Adsorbed water
7. Shape of particles
8. Impurities of water
Determination of coefficient of permeability

Coefficient of permeability can be determined in lab by two methods:

1. Constant head permeability test.

2. Falling head permeability test.

Field measurement is also done by two methods:

1. Pumping-in-test.
2. Pumping-out-test.

Example:

A constant head permeability, gives a discharge of 200 ml in 115 seconds under a constant
head of 400 mm. Determine the permeability if the soil sample was 250 mm long and
3000mm2 in area.

Sol.:

Q = 200 ml

T = 115 seconds

H = 400 mm

L = 250 mm

A = 3000 mm2

K=?

K = Q/t × 1/A × L/h

= 200×103/115 × 1/3000 × 250/400

K = 0.362 mm/ sec.

Result

Soil permeability is the property of the soil to transmit water and air and is one of the most
important qualities to consider for fish culture. A pond built in impermeable soil will lose
little water through seepage. The more permeable the soil, the greater the seepage.

Conclusion

It was studied by Allen Hazen that the coefficient of permeability (k) of a soil is directly
proportional to the square of the particle size (D). Thus permeability of coarse-grained soil is
very large as compared to that of fine-grained soil. The permeability of coarse sand may be
more than one million times as much that of clay.

Reference

1. http://www.fao.org/fishery/static/FAO_Training/FAO_Training/General/x6706e/x6706e0
9.htm#:~:text=Soil%20permeability%20is%20the%20property,soil%2C%20the
%20greater%20the%20seepage.
2. http://home.iitk.ac.in/~madhav/expt7.html
3. https://www.iricen.gov.in/LAB/res/html/Test-13.html
4. http://www.geology.cz/spec-papers/obsah/no19/19-5.pdf
5. https://www.humboldtmfg.com/permeability.html