Experiment

No. 12

COEFFICIENT OF PERMEABILlTY-FALLlNG-HEAD

METHOD

References
See Experiment No. 11.
This test has not been standardized by ASTM (or AASHTO).
Objective
To introduce the student to a method of determining the coefficient of permeability of a finegrained soil (such as fine sand, silt, or clay). The test may also be used for coarse-grained
soils.
Equipment
Permeability device
Timer
Thermometer
Ring stand with test-tube clamp or other means to develop a differential head across soil
sample
Burette to use (with ring stand or other means of support) as a standpipe
General Discussion
The general discussion of Experiment No. 11 is also applicable to this experiment. The
limitations of the constant-head test are inherent in this test, and, in addition, tests of long
duration will require some way of controlling evaporation of water in the standpipe (Fig.
12-1).

Figure 12-1

Falling-head permeability test using the standard compaction mold

permeameter. Shown are both a disassembled device and a test setup
using a IOO-mlburette. A substantial head loss can occur through the
thick porous stone in the base. The small water-entry orifice through
the cap may produce a sample cavity from local flow conditions. Care
is required to produce a watertight system. Use a meterstick to
obtain the hydraulic heads hl and hr;..

101

________

.J

Cap with a rubber

balloon for long
du ration tests.
This may be
necessary on
exit also.

Burette of cross section

area a

aL In
AI

!:J.
112

Ring stand

Rubber tube and tube

clamp to connect
burette to sample

Figure 12-2

Line details of the falling-head test equipment

shown in Fig. 12-1.

lL

Collect wa~r to see if

qout -

qin

The equation applicable to this experiment can be derived (making reference to Fig.
12-2) but is left as part of the exercise for the student report and will be merely presented:
(12-1)
where

A
hI
h2
L
t
In

=
=

=
=

=
=

cross-sectional area of burette or other standpipe (Figs. 12-2 or 11-2), cm''

cross-sectional area of soil sample, cm2
hydraulic head across sample at beginning of test (t = 0)
hydraulic head across sample at end of test (t = ttest)
length of soil sample, cm
elapsed time of test, s
logarithm to base 2.7182818 . . .

It should be noted that this method of determining the coefficient of permeability k is

primarily for economy, since a test to determine k for a fine-grained soil may be of several
days' duration. The constant-head test of Experiment No. 11 would consume a rather large
quantity of water in the laboratory to maintain a constant head for most setups. For longduration tests and where the quantity of flow through the soil sample is small, one should
make some provision to control evaporation of the water in the standpipe and to avoid
sample drainage and/or evaporation from the exit tube from the sample. One solution for this
problem is to do the test in a controlled-humidity room. Another is to keep the standpipe
reservoir covered with a small rubber balloon that has been partially inflated. (Do not plug
the standpipe as a vacuum will eventually form, stopping the flow of water.) To control
sample drainage and ensure that the exit tube flows full (or to control tailwater evaporation),
submerge the exit tube in a container of water. Obtain the tailwater elevation for h2
102

\~----

Experiment

Twelve

according to the various laboratory setups. Use judgment and ingenuity to control any
sample leaks.
The consolidation test of Experiment No. 13 can also be used to determine the coefficient of permeability. Referring to Fig. 13-2 and using afixed-ring consolidometer with the
extreme right piezometer tube connected to the sample base, one may use a graduated
burette, as in this experiment, attached to that piezometer and, at the end of primary
consolidation for any load, add water to some level and observe the fall and elapsed time. It
may, of course, be necessary to cover this reservoir with a rubber balloon to control
evaporation. At the end of the test, disconnect (or drain) the burette and continue the
consolidation test with the next load increment.
Procedure

This Is a Group Project-

1. Build the soil sample, following the instructions given in Experiment No. 11.
2. Fill the burette (or other standpipe) to a convenient height, and measure the hydraulic
head across sample to obtain hI.
3. Commence the flow of water and simultaneously start timing the test. Allow water to
flow through the sample until the burette (or standpipe) is almost empty or to a
convenient mark. Simultaneously stop the flow and timing. Obtain the head h2 Take the
temperature of the test.
If it is necessary to obtain the area a of the standpipe, collect the water in a beaker.
4. Refill the burette (or standpipe), and repeat the test two additional times. Use the same
hI and h2 values and obtain the corresponding elapsed times. Take the temperature for
each run.
If it is necessary to compute the area of the standpipe, collect the water for each
test run and accumulate it in a graduated cylinder. After the last test run, compute the
area a as

This computation may not be necessary if a graduated burette is used.

If this test is done with Experiment No. 11 and the constant-head data have not been
obtained, take the data for Experiment No. 11 next.!
5.

Each individual should compute the coefficient of permeability at the test temperature
kT and for 20C. Obtain viscosity corrections from Table 6-1 as outlined in Experiment
No. 11. Use a data sheet from the data sheet section. Average the results for k (note
that a single value can be computed if the temperature does not vary more than 1 or 2C
and you used hI and h2 = constant for all runs, since time can be averaged under these
conditions).

Refer to Fig. 12-3 for a typical set of falling-head data.

6.

In
a.
b.
c.

your report:
Discuss test limitations (specifically for your test setup).
Can you propose a better (and practical) way of doing the test?
Compare the k values between Experiments No. 11 and No. 12 (if both are done on
the same sample). What could cause any differences between the two values?
d. Show the derivation of Eq. (12-1) in sample computations.
e. How long will it take for h2 to be zero?
'Either Experiment No. 11 or No. 12 can be done first.

Experiment

Twelve

103

Table 12-1 Viscosity Corrections

104

for ..,.,T/rl2o

'C

0.1

0.2

0.3

0.4

0.5

0.6

0.7

O.B

0.9

10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
2,6
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35

1.3012
1.2650
1.2301
1.1968
1.1651
1.1347
1.1056
1.0774
1.0507
1.0248
1.0000
0.9761
0.9531
0.9311
0.9097
0.8893
0.8694
0.8502
0.8318
0.8139
0.7967
0.7801
0.7641
0.7486
0.7334
0.7189

1.2976
1.2615
1.2268
1.1936
1.1621
1.1318
1.1028
1.0747
1.0480
1.0223
0.9976
0.9738
0.9509
0.9290
0.9077
0.8873
0.8675
0.8484
0.8300
0.8122
0.7950
0.7785
0.7626
0.7471
0.7320
0.7175

1.2940
1.2580
1.2234
1.1905
1.1590
1.1289
1.0999
1.0720
1.0454
1.0198
0.9952
0.9715
0.9487
0.9268
0.9056
0.8853
0.8656
0.8465
0.8282
0.8105
0.7934
0.7769
0.7610
0.7456
0.7305
0.7161

1.2903
1.2545
1.2201
1.1873
1.1560
1.1260
1.0971
1.0693
1.0429
1.0174
0.9928
0.9692
0.9465
0.9247
0.9036
0.8833
0.8636
0.8447
0.8264
0.8087
0.7917
0.7753
0.7595
0.7440
0.7291
0.7147

1.2867
1.2510
1.2168
1.1841
1.1529
1.1231
1.0943
1.0667
1.0403
1.0149
0.9904
0.9669
0.9443
0.9225
0.9015
0.8813
0.8617
0.8428
0.8246
0.8070
0.7901
0.7737
0.7579
0.7425
0.7276
0.7133

1.2831
1.2476
1.2135
1.1810
1.1499
1.1202
1.0915
1.0640
1.0377
1.0124
0.9881
0.9646
0.9421
0.9204
0.8995
0.8794
0.8598
0.8410
0.8229
0.8053
0.7884
0.7721
0.7564
0.7410
0.7262
0.7120

1.2795
1.2441
1.2101
1.1777
1.1469
1.1172
1.0887
1.0613
1.0351
1.0099
0.9857
0.9623
0.9399
(UJl83
0.8975
0.8774
0.8579
0.8392
0.8211
0.8036
0.7867
0.7705
0.7548
0.7395
0.7247
0.7106

1.2759
1.2406
1.2068
1.1746
1.1438
1.1143
1.0859
1.0586
1.0325
1.0074
0.9833
0.9600
0.9377
0.9161
0.8954
0.8754
0.8560
0.8373
0.8193
0.8019
0.7851
0.7689
0.7533
0.7380
0.7233
0.7092

1.2722
1.2371
1.2035
1.1714
1.1408
1.1114
1.0803
1.0560
1.0300
1.0050
0.9809
0.9577
0.9355
0.9140
0.8934
0.8734
0.8540
.....,.;.;--.- .........
0.8355
0.8175
0.8001
0.7834
0.7673
0.7517
0.7364
0.7218
0.7078

1.2686
1.2336
1.2001
1.1683
1.1377
1.1085
1.0802
1.0533
1.0274
1.0025
0.978'::
0.9554
0.9333
0.9118
0.9813
0.8714
0.8521
0.8336
0.8157
0.7984
0.7818
0.7657
0.7502
0.7349
0.7204
0.7064

Experiment

Twelve

COEFFICIENT OF PERMEABILITY (Constant Head, Failing H.ad)

-r~.!

;:4#1119 ,J(~4J

Project

Description of Soil
Tested by

L (10t Brown,
J8

Sample Dimensions: Diam.

10 V

I S- t/ CJ

Constant
h=

(3fJ.

r-Y

Fln~

{j/1iferrn

--

Co,,"P. mo/d)

5Q.nd

Date of Testing _-'7'-------_9L---'}(~)(~

cm;

Wt. soil + pan Init. ----.:

.
.".1.l'....
l'-!1'--!+L..'---9'------ __
Wt.soil + pan Final
15'2.6". I
Wt. of Sample

Job No.

La. bo ro.flJ

Location of ProjectSoil

Data Sheet 13

81.1

Area

ern";

g
g

Vol.
Unit

Ht.

//.,

cm

9'/1/.0

cm3

_~c......:.....:.....:::~
__

wt.----'I'--'~....:c/-"'O'------

__

Head

cm

Test data

Test data used

t.s

Test No.

T.oC

a. cm'

t.s

Test No.

T. CC

a.cm'

2
3
4
Average"

kT=QLlAht=

_
________

cm/s

Falling Head
Standpipe = [burette. other (specify)]
Area of standpipe. a

T/T/T/2!J.

,aO

/. ?/

k2

tnl.

= --------

= ktT/T/T/20 =

cm/s

hVY4 fIt!

ern-

Test data"

Test data used

Test

n,

no.

cm

h,.
cm

0,a ,
t. S

cm"

T.

Test

n,

cm,3

no.

cm

2.1

OQltt.

SI./

Z#l

"11./

.lfSS

SI./

l..f/>.3

.5"".7

"

.51.'

2.('.3

.$S.3

.,

h,.
cm

T.

t.s

1/

II

4
Q..-.:

~s."

-:I.?I(!~&

Average

Z ..,3

.:T/./

s:-f'. ?

.s. 3L "I.-~
~'

2. - kiD

-.I

"Use averaged values only if there is a small difference in test temperature. say. 1-2C.
"This test can be considerably
simplified
by using the same values of h, and h" each time. otherwise
average these values regardless

ZI

cm/s
cm/s

you cannot

of T.

12-3
Data from a falling-head permeability test using equipment of Fig. 12-1 or of Fig. 11-1.
Figure

105