COMPARISON OF MEASURED AND ESTIMATED PERMEABILITY FOR ARTIFICIALLY PREPARED COARSE-GRAINED SOIL SAMPLES

Patricia Živković,Biljana Kovačević Zelić,Mirela Burečić Šafran

doi:10.17794/rgn.2021.3.12

Patricia Živković, Biljana Kovačević Zelić + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.17794/rgn.2021.3.12

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Abstract

Knowledge about soil permeability is important in various scientific fields: hydrology and hydrogeology, geotechnics, environmental geotechnics, and others. Depending on the different goals that need to be achieved by a particular engineering project, the conditions in which the permeability coefficient is determined in terms of applied hydraulic gradients, applied stresses, type of test fluid, etc. are adjusted, as well as the required precision of its determination. In addition, the permeability coefficient is a soil property with the largest range of possible values. It can be determined through various laboratory and field methods, and by applying established empirical correlations using data on the grain-size distribution and empirical coefficients that depend on some factors, such as hydraulic radius (specific surface), curvature, porosity, etc. This paper presents the results of laboratory testing of the permeability coefficient by the constant head test and the use of a permeameter. The results were compared with the permeability coefficient obtained by applying a number of empirical correlations. Artificial samples were prepared in the laboratory by mixing different previously prepared soil fractions in order to determine the influence of particle size and soil gradation on the estimated soil permeability coefficient.

Highlights

The permeability coefficient is an important design parameter in the case of designing and constructing numerous geotechnical and hydrotechnical facilities
This paper presents the results of laboratory testing of the permeability coefficient by the constant head test and the use of a permeameter
Especially in hydrogeology, the permeability coefficient is often determined by empirical equations

Summary

Introduction

The permeability coefficient is an important design parameter in the case of designing and constructing numerous geotechnical and hydrotechnical facilities. For example, the water in a soil affects the soil’s physical and mechanical properties, and all the types of geotechnical structures that are made in the soil. Knowledge of soil permeability is important for constructing hydraulic barriers or cleaning contaminated sites, in which case soil permeability has to be determined with greater precision, and with different test fluids, both miscible and immiscible (Kovačević Zelić et al, 2007; Domitrović et al, 2012; Skrzeczkowska & Pietrzykowski, 2012). For hydrogeological research and the designing of dams, embankments and water barriers, knowledge of the permeability coefficient is important, for example, for the. The permeability of gravel and clay can differ over a million times, and even for the same type of soil, it can vary more than one order of magnitude

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