MAPÚA UNIVERSITY

SCHOOL OF CIVIL, ENVIRONMENTAL, AND GEOLOGICAL ENGINEERING

SOIL MECHANICS LABORATORY

NAME: DAVID, KRISTINA MARIE G.

COURSE & SECTION: CE161P-2/E01 STUDENT NO.: 2016142189

SEAT NO.: GROUP NO.:

EXPERIMENT NO. 7b
PERMEABILITY TEST FOR FINE-GRAINED SOILS (FALLING-HEAD
METHOD)
TITLE

DATE PERFORMED: July 15, 2020

DATE SUBMITTED: July 22, 2020 GRADE

FLORDELIZA C. VILLASEÑOR
INSTRUCTOR
 Experiment No. 7b
PERMEABILITY TEST FOR FINE-GRAINED SOILS
(FALLING-HEAD METHOD)

Scope

The falling head permeability test is used for determining the permeability of soil samples that have a
permeability less than about 10-3 cm/s.

Apparatus

The apparatus for the falling-head permeability test includes:

1. Falling head permeability cell for cohesive soils
2. Perforated metal or plastic disks, circular wire screens, or porous stones.
3. Glass standpipe (piezometers) with its support
4. T piece with pinch clip
5. Flexible hoses necessary to connect piezometers and water supply
6. De-airing tank
7. Soaking tank
8. Timing device (watch or clock)
9. Thermometers, range 0 to 50oC, accurate to 0.1oC.

Sample Preparation

1. Samples can be prepared by remolding or recompacting a sample into the permeameter. It is

essential that there are no voids through which water may pass and that the sample has a good
contact with the sides of the permeameter.
2. The soil must be trimmed flush (level) with the ends of the permeameter. The soil removed in this
process may be used to determine the water content. Any trimmed material to be used for this
purpose should be rapidly weighed as water may be lost to the atmosphere, this is particularly
important in the case of Silty soils.
3. The height and diameter of the sample should be measured at several points and the mean value
recorded. If it is decided to use the mould dimensions these should be measured before the sample
is prepared.
4. The sample and permeameter should be weighed to the nearest 0.1 gram and the weight recorded.
5. Wire gauze should be placed at the top and bottom of the sample.
6. The permeameter should now be placed in the cage.
7. The top clamping plate is packed with steel wool and clamped evenly to the top of the
permeameter.
8. The top inlet of the permeameter cell is now connected to the glass T piece using rubber tubing and
the branch of the T-piece closed off.

Note 1 - It assists de-airing if the procedures described in no. 7 and 9 are carried out with the
permeameter submerged in a suitably sized bucket of water.

9. The assembled permeameter cell is now placed in the immersion tank, which is slowly filled with
de-aired water, (rapid filling will cause agitation and aeration of the water). The tank should be
filled to the overflow level.
10. The standpipe on the panel should now be opened and the pinch clip released, de-aired water
should be allowed to flow and saturate the sample to ensure that no air is trapped in the apparatus.
The use of a downward prevents air from being trapped at the top plate of the apparatus. This
process may take some time with soils of low permeability such as clays. The standpipe water
levels should be checked from time to time to ensure that the water level does not fall below the
minimum level.

Procedure

1. The pinch clip should be closed and the standpipe to be used for the test should be filled to a
suitable level, the other standpipes should be closed.
2. The initial water level in the standpipe at the start of the test (H1) must be recorded.
3. The pinch clip is then released and at the same time a clock or timer is started. The time taken for
the water level to fall to some point (H2) is recorded. In soils of low permeability the time required
of a significant fall in water level may be many hours.

Several tests may run using the same standpipe by recording new h1 and h2 conditions. The standpipe
can be refilled and the test repeated, or alternatively the other standpipes may be used. If standpipes of
different cross-sectional areas are used, it is important that the particular standpipe used for a particular
set of readings is recorded.

4. The temperature in the water in the immersion tank should be recorded. If the test has run over
several hours, the initial temperature at the start of the test and the final temperature at the end of
the test together with several temperature readings at intermediate time intervals should be
recorded.

(a)
(b)

Figure 19 (a) Falling Head Cell Figure 20 De-airing Tank

(b) Soaking Tank
Calculations

The coefficient of permeability can be computed using the equation

2.303aL H1
k= AT log 10 H
2

or

aL H
k= log e 1
AT H
2

where:
k = coefficient of permeability, cm/sec.
a = cross-sectional area of standpipe (burette), cm2
L = length of specimen, cm
A = cross-sectional area of soil specimen, cm2
T = total time for water in burette to drop from H1 to H2, sec
H1 = hydraulic head at beginning of test, cm.
H 2 =hydraulic head at end of test, cm.

The permeability computed using the above equation is the value for the particular water temperature
at which the test was conducted. It is necessary to correct this permeability to that for 20oC by
multiplying the computed value by the ratio of viscosity of water at the test temperature to viscosity of
water at 20oC. (see Table 10)

Questions

1. Define the total head in terms of water pressure, elevation, and unit weight of water. What is the
physical meaning of total head?
2. Why do we use the hydrostatic definition of total head instead of the Bernoulli definition of total
head?
3. Why do we neglect the term v2/2g in defining the total head in soil? (v is the fluid velocity and g is
the earth gravity). Justify your answer with numbers.
4. Define soil permeability. What are the dimensions and units of permeability?
5. Does the permeability increase or decrease with temperature?
6. Name two laboratory tests used for determining soil permeability. For which types of soils are
they used?
7. Is the fluid velocity larger or smaller than the discharge velocity? What is the relationship between
these velocities?
8. Derive the expression for permeability for a falling head test.
9. What is a typical range of permeability for gravels, sands, silts, and clay?
 TABLE 10 VISCOSITY CORRECTION for nr / n20

oC
0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9
10 1.3012 1.2976 1.2940 1.2903 1.2867 1.2831 1.2795 1.2759 1.2722 1.2686
11 1.2650 1.2615 1.2580 1.2545 1.2510 1.2476 1.2441 1.2406 1.2371 1.2336
12 1.2301 1.2268 1.2234 1.2201 1.2168 1.2135 1.2101 1.2068 1.2035 1.2001
13 1.1968 1.1936 1.1905 1.1873 1.1841 1.1810 1.1777 1.1746 1.1714 1.1683
14 1.1651 1.1621 1.1590 1.1560 1.1529 1.1499 1.1469 1.1438 1.1408 1.1377
15 1.1347 1.1318 1.1289 1.1260 1.1231 1.1202 1.1172 1.1143 1.1114 1.1085
16 1.1056 1.1028 1.0999 1.0971 1.0943 1.0915 1.0887 1.0859 1.0803 1.0802
17 1.0774 1.0747 1.0720 1.0693 1.0667 1.0640 1.0613 1.0586 1.0560 1.0533
18 1.0507 1.0480 1.0454 1.0429 1.0403 1.0377 1.0351 1.0325 1.0300 1.0274
19 1.0248 1.0223 1.0198 1.0174 1.0149 1.0124 1.0099 1.0074 1.0050 1.0025
20 1.0000 0.9976 0.9952 0.9928 0.9904 0.9881 0.9857 0.9833 0.9809 0.9785
21 0.9761 0.9738 0.9715 0.9692 0.9669 0.9646 0.9623 0.9600 0.9577 0.9554
22 0.9531 0.9509 0.9487 0.9465 0.9443 0.9421 0.9399 0.9377 0.9355 0.9333
23 0.9311 0.9290 0.9268 0.9247 0.9225 0.9204 0.9183 0.9161 0.9140 0.9118
24 0.9097 0.9077 0.9056 0.9036 0.9015 0.8995 0.8975 0.8954 0.8934 0.8913
25 0.8893 0.8873 0.8853 0.8833 0.8813 0.8794 0.8774 0.8754 0.8734 0.8714
26 0.8694 0.8675 0.8656 0.8636 0.8617 0.8598 0.8579 0.8560 0.8540 0.8521
27 0.8502 0.8484 0.8465 0.8447 0.8428 0.8410 0.8392 0.8373 0.8355 0.8336
28 0.8318 0.8300 0.8282 0.8264 0.8246 0.8229 0.8211 0.8193 0.8175 0.8157
29 0.8139 0.8122 0.8105 0.8087 0.8070 0.8053 0.8036 0.8019 0.8001 0.7984
30 0.7967 0.7950 0.7934 0.7917 0.7901 0.7884 0.7867 0.7851 0.7834 0.7818
31 0.7801 0.7785 0.7769 0.7753 0.7737 0.7721 0.7705 0.7689 0.7673 0.7657
32 0.7641 0.7626 0.7610 0.7595 0.7579 0.7564 0.7548 0.7533 0.7517 0.7502
33 0.7486 0.7471 0.7456 0.7440 0.7425 0.7410 0.7395 0.7380 0.7364 0.7349
34 0.7334 0.7320 0.7305 0.7291 0.7276 0.7262 0.7247 0.7233 0.7218 0.7204
35 0.7189 0.7175 0.7161 0.7147 0.7133 0.7120 0.7106 0.7092 0.7078 0.7064
 PRELIMINARY DATA SHEET

Name: David, Kristina Marie G. Group No.

Course/Section: CE161P-2/E01 Date: July 15, 2020

Experiment No. 7b
PERMEABILITY TEST FOR FINE-GRAINED SOILS (FALLING-HEAD METHOD)

Trial No. 1 2
Diameter of specimen (cm) 10.2 10.2
Length of specimen (cm) 11.8 11.8
Area of specimen (cm2) 81.7 81.7
Diameter of standpipe (cm) 0.6 0.6
Area of standpipe (cm2) 0.28 0.28
Head at start of test (cm) 80 80
Head at end of test (cm) 30 30
Volume of discharge (ml) 200 24
Time of discharge (sec) 22 3
Coefficient of Permeability (cm/sec) 1.803 0.01322
× 10−3
Average Coefficient of Permeability (cm/sec) 7.5115 × 10−3

Student’s Signature Instructor’s Signature

 FINAL DATA SHEET

Name:David, Kristina Marie G Group No.

Course/Section: CE161P-2/E01 Date: July 22, 2020

Experiment No. 7b
PERMEABILITY TEST FOR FINE-GRAINED SOILS
(FALLING-HEAD METHOD)

Trial No. 1 2
Diameter of specimen (cm) 10.2 10.2
Length of specimen (cm) 11.8 11.8
Area of specimen (cm2) 81.7 81.7
Diameter of standpipe (cm) 0.6 0.6
Area of standpipe (cm2) 0.28 0.28
Head at start of test (cm) 80 80
Head at end of test (cm) 30 30
Volume of discharge (ml) 200 24
Time of discharge (sec) 22 3
Coefficient of Permeability (cm/sec) 1.803 0.01322
× 10−3
Average Coefficient of Permeability (cm/sec) 7.5115 × 10−3
 Student’s Signature
Sample Computations:
(2.303)𝑎𝐿 𝐻1
𝑘= 𝑙𝑜𝑔10
𝐴𝑇 𝐻2

Trial 1
(2.303)(0.28)(11.8) 80 𝑐𝑚
𝑘= 𝑙𝑜𝑔10 = 1.803 × 10−3
(81.7)(22) 30 𝑠

Trial 2
(2.303)(0.28)(11.8) 80 𝑐𝑚
𝑘= 𝑙𝑜𝑔10 = 0.01322
(81.7)(3) 30 𝑠

(1.803 × 10−3 ) + 0.01322 𝑐𝑚

𝐴𝑣𝑒. 𝑐𝑜𝑒𝑓𝑓𝑖𝑐𝑖𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑚𝑒𝑎𝑏𝑖𝑙𝑖𝑡𝑦 = = 7.5115 × 10−3
2 𝑠

APPARATUS

Soaking Tank Sieve

Mixing Bowl Thermometer

 Manometer board

Sampling Spoon

Falling Head Permeability Flexible hoses

Graduated Cylinder
ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS
1. Define the total head in terms of water pressure, elevation, and unit weight of water. What is the
physical meaning of total head?
- The total head, in terms of water pressure, is the sum of the pressure head and the elevation head.
𝑢
h = ɤw + z
where: h = total head; u = pressure head; and z = elevation head
Total head is the vertical distance expression of the total pressure of a fluid.
2. Why do we use the hydrostatic definition of total head instead of the Bernoulli definition of total
head?
- The hydrostatic definition of total head is primarily used instead of Bernoulli’s because in the
hydrostatic definition, the total head is absolute; however, in Bernoulli’s definition, there is an
additional head. Water is at its static state in the hydrostatic while in Bernoulli’s, there is
movement.
3. Why do we neglect the term v2/2g in defining the total head in soil? (v is the fluid velocity and g is
the earth gravity). Justify your answer with numbers.
The term v2/2g is neglected in defining the total head in soil because its value is so small (less than 1
m/s) that it can already be disregarded.
4. Define soil permeability. What are the dimensions and units of permeability?
- Soil permeability is the property of soil that permits water or air to pass through it. Its unit is cm /
sec.
5. Does the permeability increase or decrease with temperature?
- The permeability increases with the increase in temperature.
6. Name two laboratory tests used for determining soil permeability. For which types of soils are
they used?
- Two laboratory tests often used to determine the permeability of soil are the constant head method
which is used for coarse grained soils and the falling head method which is used for fine grained
soils.
7. Is the fluid velocity larger or smaller than the discharge velocity? What is the relationship between
these velocities?
- The fluid velocity is larger than the discharge velocity. They are directly proportional to each
other.
8. Derive the expression for permeability for a falling head test.
- V= - dh / dt j(qv)in = av = -a (dh/dt)
(qv)out = Akl = Ak(h/L) ; j – a(dh/dt)
𝑡2 ℎ2 𝑑ℎ
Ak/aL ∫𝑡1 𝑑𝑡 = - ∫ℎ1
ℎ
𝑎𝐿 ℎ1
K= K2 = 𝐴(𝑡2−𝑡1) ln ( ℎ2 )

9. What is a typical range of permeability for gravels, sands, silts, and clay?
- Typical Range of Permeability:
Gravels: greater than 10-1 cm/s; High permeability
Sands: 10-1 to 10-5 cm/s; Medium permeability
Silts: 10-5 to 10-7 cm/s; Low permeability
Clay: less than 10-7 cm/s; practically impermeable
DISCUSSION

In the design of engineering projects, one of the most important soil properties of interest to the
soils engineer is permeability. To some degree, permeability will play a role in the design of almost any
structure. The need and scope of the test results of the permeability experiments are used: to estimate
ground water flow, to calculate seepage through dams, to find out the rate of consolidation of structures, to
calculate the uplift pressure and piping and so on.
There are various applications of falling head permeability experiments. Falling Head Permeability
tests are used to determine the settlements in structures, extensively used in planning the methods for
lowering the ground water table during construction, used in designing grouting pressures and quantities for
soil stabilization, used widely in freeze thaw movements in soils and it has vast applications in the design of
recharge pits. This is important in examining the movement of contaminants through soil or when
characterizing flow nets.
Thus, the study of seepage of water through soil is very important, with wide field applications. The
falling head method of determining permeability is used for soil with low discharge, whereas the constant
head permeability test is used for coarse-grained soils with a reasonable discharge in a given time. For very
fine-grained soil, capillarity permeability test is recommended.

CONCLUSION
The falling head permeability test is a common laboratory testing method used to determine the
permeability of fine-grained soils with intermediate and low permeability such as silts and clays. This
testing method can be applied to an undisturbed sample. As permeability is a measure of the ability of water
to pass through a soil sample, it is in direct relation to soils porosity and grading. From the data provided,
the theoretical understanding of permeability was justified as the sand had a far greater permeability than
clay.
REFERENCES
https://www.indiamart.com/proddetail/soaking-tank-21618131591.html
https://www.carlroth.com/com/en/analysis-sieves-sieving-machines/test-sieve-%C3%B8-200-mm/p/eah4.1
https://m.controls-group.com/eng/products/general-lab-testing-equipment-testing-equipment-testing-
equipment/mixing-bowls
https://ph.rs-online.com/web/p/glass-thermometers/4663352/
https://www.nl-test.com/ViewCatalog.asp?ID=240&MainId=15
https://www.globalgilson.com/spoon
http://www.utest.com.tr/en/23180/Falling-Head-Permeability-Set
https://ph.rs-online.com/web/p/flexible-tubes/3139886/
https://www.brandtech.com/product/graduated-cylinders/