CIV 442

HYDROLOGY
LECTURES 5A: INFILTRATION-PART1

Prof. Evan K. Paleologos

Civil Engineering
INFILTRATION
 INFILTRATION

Infiltration is the process by which water enters the soil. Infiltration rate is a
measure of the rate at which soil is able to absorb rainfall or irrigation. It is
measured in inches per hour or millimeters per hour.
Infiltrometer is a device used
to measure the rate of water
water infiltration into soil.
Common infiltrometers are
single ring or double ring
INFILTRATION
infiltrometers, and disc
permeameter.

The single ring involves driving

a ring into the soil and supplying
water in the ring either at The infiltration rate f (in mm/hr) decreases as time passes
constant head or falling head by and the soil becomes saturated.
condition.

If the precipitation rate exceeds the infiltration rate,

runoff will usually occur. The rate of infiltration can be
measured using an infiltrometer.

After the infiltrated water passes the surface layers it

Constant head refers to when moves downward due to gravity until it reaches the water
the amount of water in the
ring is always held constant. table entering the unconfined aquifer.
Measuring how much water we
have to add per time in order to
keep the head constant allows
us to plot the f versus t (see
Horton’s method)
Falling head refers to condition
where water is supplied once in
the ring, and the water is
allowed to drop with time.
The operator records how much
INFILTRATION
water goes into the soil for a
given time period.

It is obvious that f is affected by the precipitation intensity

i.

Infiltration is governed by two forces: gravity and capillary

Double ring infiltrometer action.
requires two rings: an inner
and outer ring.
The purpose is to create a one
dimensional flow of water
from the inner ring. If water is
flowing in one-dimension at
steady state condition, and a
unit gradient is present in the
underlying soil, the infiltration
rate is approximately equal to
the saturated hydraulic
conductivity.
 INFILTRATION

Infiltration is affected by the type of soil

 INFILTRATION

Rain that drops on the surface of a soil containing sand or gravel infiltrates quickly, and if the
water table is deep enough even a high-intensity rain will not create runoff.

Clay or organic soil does not allow infiltration, and runoff will be created even with a low-
intensity rain.
 INFILTRATION

3min: Movement of Water in the Soil:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vmo0FRAVgkM

6min: Porosity and Permeability:

https://
www.youtube.com/watch?v=8mfBomrw0rs&ab_channel=GeoScienceVid
eos
 INFILTRATION

7min: Effect of Tillage on Soil by Reducing its Infiltration Rate:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CEOyC_tGH64

12min: Measuring with Disk Permeameter (by using the

Van Genuchten equation for Ksat):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O64sTYt4GR8
CAPILLARY ACTION IN A TUBE
Surface tension force T acts on the entire
circumference 2πr, tangentially to the
meniscus:
Vertical component of the force is T cos θ=
(2πr) σ cosθ, and is balanced by the weight of
the liquid

γST or σ: surface tension: interface (air-water)

potential energy divided by interface area
(J/m2 = Nt/m), or Surface Tension Force per
length

γST of water: 0.07 N/m

θ is small, so cosθ=1
 ST L cos   m g 
 ST (2 r )   ( r 2 )h g 
2
h  ST
rg

Everything is fixed, except h and r: The smaller

the tube radius (r) the higher the water will rise.
 CAPILLARY ACTION
7min: Physics of Capillarity:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kLC2Jzruoqo

3min: Measuring the Coefficient of Surface Tension:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6jyoBp2dBAo

The smaller the pore (r) the higher the

water will rise (will be sucked) from the
water table up in the unsaturated zone
FACTORS AFFECTING f
 FACTORS AFFECTING f
Bare soils can become almost impermeable from the
compaction that is created by the impact of large raindrops
and the ability of rain to carry very small particles into the
pore space.

Use of cars or other heavy traffic from people or animals

creates soil compaction and decreases infiltration capacity of
soil.

The right picture shows the depth that compaction can reach
and the pressure created (in psi), depending on tire size and
weight on a car’s axle.
 FACTORS AFFECTING f

Mudflow in Campagna, Italy

(1998): Destruction of road

Vegetation canopy, such as grass or trees yield high

infiltration values. The role of vegetation is complex: (1)
Roots create openings in the soil, (2) plants support insects,
and animals that burrow in the ground, (3) plant canopy
intercepts the rain reducing compaction and erosion of soils.
All of these facilitate infiltration.

Soil erosion follows after fires in forests: rain loosens the soil,
removes soil particles and transports them with the runoff,
sometimes creating mudflows. Thus, forest fires in the
summer are followed by soil erosion and mudflows in the fall
when the rains start.
 EROSION AND MUDFLOWS
FOLLOWING FOREST FIRES
California wildfires: Left top: Los Angeles; Right top: from space San Jose, Ca;
Left bottom: Auburn, Ca: Right bottom:Rancho Palo Verdes, south of Los Angeles
 MUDFLOWS & MUDSLIDES
FOLLOWING FOREST FIRES
California mudflows after heavy rains: different
locations in Ca during the winter of 2010
End Lecture Notes