6/11/2015

University of Central Florida

Civil, Environmental, and Construction Engineering

Instructor: Dr. RICARDO ZAURIN

What is permeability?
A measure of how easily a fluid (e.g., water) 
can pass through a porous medium (e.g., 
soils) 

water

Loose soil Dense soil

- easy to flow - difficult to flow
- high permeability - low permeability

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Bernoulli’s Equation
For flow through soils, velocity (and thus velocity head) is
very small. Therefore,

0
fluid particle
Velocity head 
+
z

Total head = Pressure head 
+ datum
Elevation head 
Total head = Pressure head + Elevation head
u
h3  z
w

h  hA  hB
Loss of Head
u  u 
h   A  z A    B  z B 
w  w 

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Some Notes
The head loss can also be expressed in a nondimensional
for as 
Hydraulic gradient (i) between A and B is the total head 
loss per unit length. 
water

hA  hB h
i  A
B
l AB l AB

length AB, along the 
stream line 5

Measuring Permeability
[A] Laboratory
• Constant head test
• Falling head test

[B] Field
• Pumping tests
• Borehole infiltration 
tests

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Measuring Permeability
[A] Laboratory

Test Apparatus
Permeameters

Ruler

Vacuum Source

Balance

Watch (or Stopwatch)

Thermometer

Filter

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Constant Head Permeameter
Suitable for clean sands 
and fine gravels

Constant Head Permeameter
Q  Avt
Q  A(ki)t
h
i
L
 h
Q  A k t
 L
QL
k
Aht
Correct based on Temperature

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Correction by Temperature
Permeability varies with viscosity, then  depending on 
the temperature k should be adjusted accordingly.  It is 
conventional to express k at 20oC.    
k 20o C   T C k o
o

 o  TC
 20 C 

Falling head permeameter

Suited to low 
permeability 
materials ‐ silts 
and clays

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Falling head permeameter

h For the soil 
q  kiA  k   A specimen
L
dh
q a At any instant in 
the standpipe
dt
h  dh  The flow is the 
q  k   A    a same for both
L  dt 
aL  dh  Integrating 
dt    between h1 and 
Ak  h  h2

aL  h1 
t ln  aL  h1 
Ak  h2  k ln 
At  h2 

Field testing – drawdown test

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Field testing – drawdown test
Pumping well

q r1
Water
r2 table

h1
h2

Impermeable boundary
Drawdown -
phreatic line

Drawdown test
Needs 
1. a well‐defined water table 
2. and confining boundary

Must be able to
1. pull down water table 
2. and create flow 
(phreatic line = uppermost flow line)

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Field testing – Drawdown Test 
(Unconfined Aquifer)

r 
q ln 1 
k  r2 
 (h12  h2 2 )
 dh  r1 dr  2k  h1
q  kiA  k  2rh
 dr 
r2 r   q h2 hdh

Field testing –Drawdown Test 
(Confined Aquifer)

r 
q ln 1 
k  r2 
2H (h1  h2 )

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Equivalent Hydraulic Conductivity in 
Stratified Soils‐ HORIZONTAL DIRECTION

n
1
k H ( eq ) 
H
k
i 1
Hi Hi

Equivalent Hydraulic Conductivity in 
Stratified Soils‐ VERTICAL DIRECTION

H
kV ( eq )  n
Hi

i 1 kVi

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Equivalent Hydraulic Conductivity in 
Stratified Soils‐ WHEN FLOW HAPPENS IN 
BOTH  DIRECTIONS (Inclined)

k( eq )  kh * kv

Example
A field‐pumping was performed for determining the 
permeability of the aquifer shown in the figure.  Initially 
water was been pumped at a rate of 110 m3/min but later 
stabilized at 140 m3/min.
Two observation wells
are located as shown. 
A) Determine the
combined permeability
for the system (m/min)
B) If it is assumed that 
k1=3k2 what is the 
permeability of each soil?
DATA:
Confined aquifer
q=140m3/min
H=16+16=32m
r1=48m,  h1=16 m
r2=28m, h2=12m

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Example
DATA:
Confined aquifer
q=140m3/min
H=16+16=32m
r1=48m,  h1=16 m
r2=28m, h2=12m
SOLUTION (a)
The permeability of the system for a confined aquifer is:

r 
q ln 1   48 
140 ln 
k  r2   28 
2H (h1  h2 ) k
2 32(16  12)

k  0.0938m / min

Example
DATA:
Confined aquifer
q=140m3/min
H=16+16=32m
r1=48m,  h1=16 m
r2=28m, h2=12m
SOLUTION (b)
The permeability of the system the 
confined aquifer is the equivalent

keq  0.0938m / min If k1=3k2

H 1
kV ( eq ) 1 n n 0.0938  (3k 2 (16)  k 2 (16))
k H ( eq )  Hk Hi i H i
H
32
i 1
i 1 kVi
k 2  0.0469m / min k1  0.1408m / min

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Next Lecture
• Seepage (Chapter 8)

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