Permeability in Soils

How fast does water travel

through soils?
Permeability in Soils - Definition

Permeability is the measurement of

the soil’s ability to allow water to
flow through its pores or voids

2
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.
 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.
 Permeability in Soils
• Permeability is the measure of the soil’s
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
Soil Properties

Physical Mechanical
(Soil Characteristics)

Specific Atterberg Strength

Gradation Compaction Permeability Compressibility
Gravity Limits (Shear)

Moisture Content
Unit Weight

1 – Constant-Head Test
2 – Falling-Head Test
 Applications in Civil Engineering

• Design of earth Dams

• The slope stability (mountains stability)
• Retaining walls
• Filters
• Underground seepage and aquifers

7
8
9
C:\Users\User\Videos\Naked Science - Landslides (Full
Documentary).flv
10
 Use of Permeability
Knowledge of the permeability properties
of soil is necessary to:
Estimating the quantity of underground seepage;
Solving problems involving pumping seepage
water from construction excavation;
Stability analyses of earth structures and
earth retaining walls subjected to seepage forces.
 Darcy’s Law
• The coefficient of permeability, or hydraulic
conductivity, k, is a product of Darcy’s Law.
• In 1856, Darcy established an empirical
relationship for the flow of water through porous
media known as Darcy’s Law, which states:
v = ki or Q = kiA
Q = flow rate (cm³/s)
k = coefficient of permeability (cm/s)
A = cross-sectional Area (cm²)
i = hydraulic gradient
 The parameter Q in Darcy’s 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.
v

volume length
Q = vA, ( = ⋅ area) A
time time
The flow rate q is in the unit of velocity (L/t).
Examination of the Darcy’s 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.

dH H2 − H1
v = −k = −k
dx ∆x
EGL

HGL

Water flow
H1 H2

∆x
 Darcy’s 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 Darcy’s law.
The fundamental premise for Darcy’s 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 K

The absolute permeability is in the unit of LL

(length square); and the expression for the
relation is
γw
k= K
η
where:
K = absolute permeability (L2)
ρ = density of fluid
g = gravitational constant
η = viscosity of fluid
γw = Unit weight of fluid
 Units of the coefficient of Permeability k
The permeability k is in the dimension of velocity.
However, in different 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 cm³ 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 cm² in
cross-sectional area.
1 Meinzer = 1gal/day/ft2
(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
Permeability Tests
Constant Head vs. Falling (drop) Head
The constant head test is used
primarily for coarse-grained soils
The falling head test is used
both for coarse-grained soils as
well as fine-grained soils

Source: http://echo2.epfl.ch/VICAIRE/mod_3/chapt_8/main.htm
24
 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
 Calculation (Constant head)
• Determine the unit weight;
• Calculate the void ratio of the compacted
specimen;
h
from Q = Akit = A(k )t
• Calculate k as: L
QL
get k =
• Calculate Aht
η T0 C
k20 0 C = k T0C
η 200C
 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, h1 at t = 0
– Allow water to flow through the soil specimen
– Record the final head difference, h2 at time
t = t2
– Collect water at the outlet, Q (in ml) at time t ≈
60 sec
 Calculation (Falling head)

• Calculate k as aL h1
k= ln
At h2
• Where:
A = inside cross sectional area of the water tank
a = inside cross sectional area of the standing pipe
h1 = distance to bottom of the beaker before the test
h2 = distance to bottom of the beaker after the test
η T0C

• Calculate k 20 0 C = k T 0C
η 200 C
Falling Head Test
 Empirical Relations for Hydraulic
Conductivity
O Hazen formula (for fairly uniform sand):
k (cm/s) = c(D10)²
where
c = a const. that varies from 1 to 1.5
D10 = effective size, mm
O Casagrande (for fine to medium clean sand):
k = 1.4e² k0.85
where k = hydraulic conductivity at void ratio e
k0.85 = k at void ratio of 0.85
 Empirical Relations for Hydraulic
Conductivity
O
 Empirical Relations for Hydraulic
Conductivity
O
E X A M P L E S

E X A M P L E S
38
 Determine Precisely
the given & analyze the
unknowns. problem.

Make it sure
you have
memorize all Then solve
necessary the problem
formulas. correctly.

39
Example:
For a constant head laboratory permeability test on a
fine sand, the following values are given:
Length of specimen, L = 300 mm
Diameter of specimen = 200 mm
Head difference, h = 400 mm
Water collected in 4 min. = 420 cm³
The void ratio of the specimen is 0.55.
a. Determine the coeff. Of permeability in cm/s.
b. Determine the discharge velocity through the soil in
cm/s.
c. Determine the seepage velocity.

40
Example:

41
Example:
For a falling head permeability test, the following are
given. Length of specimen is 380 mm, area of specimen
= 6.5 cm², hydraulic conductivity of soil specimen is
0.175 cm/min.
1. What would be the area of the stand pipe for the
head to drop from 650 cm to 300 cm in 8 min.?
2. Compute the interstitial velocity under the test
condition if the soil specimen has a void ratio of 0.50
in cm/s.
3. Compute the head difference at time equal to 6 min.

42
Example:

43
Example:
A tube having a cross sectional area of 100 sq.cm
contains three layers of soil having given hydraulic
conductivities shown in the tabulation. The rate of
water supplied to maintain a constant head of 400 mm
is 291.24 cm³/hr. If the value of hA = 300 mm and KB =
0.004 cm/s.
a. Compute the value of the hydraulic conductivity of
soil A.
b. Compute the value of hB.
c. Compute the value of the hydraulic conductivity of
soil C.

44
Example:

45
Example:
A layered soil is shown with the corresponding values
of K1, K2, and K3.
a. Compute the equivalent horizontal coefficient of
permeability.
b. Compute the equivalent vertical coefficient of
permeability.
c. Compute the ratio of the equivalent horizontal
coefficient of permeability to the equivalent vertical
coefficient of permeability.

46
Example:
From the figure shows an unconfined non-
homogeneous aquifer between two water bodies at a
depth of 50 m and 45 m, respectively.
a. Compute the average coefficient of permeability of
the aquifer.
b. Compute the rate of flow.
c. Compute the time required ( in hr.) for water to pass
through the soil if it has a porosity of 0.24.

47