CE 330 The University of Tennessee Intro to Geotechnical Engineering

Eric C. Drumm

Hydraulics &
Permeability

CE 330 Introduction to Soil Behavior

Points to be covered

• Introduction to seepage
• Review fundamentals of hydraulics
– Bernoulli’s equation
– Head
– Hydraulic gradient
• Measurement of permeability/hydraulic
conductivity

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CE 330 The University of Tennessee Intro to Geotechnical Engineering
Eric C. Drumm

Introduction

Introduction Why is hydraulics

important in soil
mechanics?
• Effects of water on soil are a key element in
geotechnical analysis and design
• Problems with soils often attributed to the
water contained in the soil
– Strength and compressibility affected by water
• Water may by flowing or not flowing
– Types of flow
• static - capillary water
• dynamic - seepage 4

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CE 330 The University of Tennessee Intro to Geotechnical Engineering
Eric C. Drumm

Introduction Seepage through

earth structures
– Evaluate the flow of water through natural
embankments and earth structures
– Estimate
• Q = quantity of flow (loss under dams, sizing of pumps,
etc.)
• i = hydraulic gradient, exit gradient, (rate or gradient of
energy loss, quick condition)
• u = pore pressure distribution (affected by flowing water)
such that fluid pressure on structures can be estimated
and effective stress can be determined
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Introduction Hydrologic Cycle

• in text pp 208
– Study on your own
• Figure 7.1
• Figure 7.2

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CE 330 The University of Tennessee Intro to Geotechnical Engineering
Eric C. Drumm

Hydraulics Fundamentals

Hydraulics Fundamentals

• Assumptions
– flow is one-or two-dimensional
– water is incompressible
– laminar flow
• low velocity, low gradient (discuss later)
• parallel layers of fluid without mixing

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CE 330 The University of Tennessee Intro to Geotechnical Engineering
Eric C. Drumm

Hydraulics Fundamentals
Continuity equation
• Law of conservation of mass for
incompressible, steady flow
– Flow rate, Q
Q = v1 A1 = v2 A2
• where v = velocity and A = area

A2
A1
How do v1 & v2 compare? 9

Hydraulics Fundamentals
Head or energy loss
• Flow across soil plug
– Resistance to flow causes energy loss
– Difference in elevation is energy or head loss, ∆h

2cm 4cm
4cm
3cm

– No head loss, no flow

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CE 330 The University of Tennessee Intro to Geotechnical Engineering
Eric C. Drumm

Hydraulics Fundamentals
Hydraulic gradient
• Hydraulic gradient
– energy loss or head loss per unit length

∆h
i= L
L 4cm 2cm 4cm

3cm

– Derivative or rate of energy loss

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Hydraulics Fundamentals
Bernoulli equation
• Daniel Bernoulli(1700 - 1782)
• total head (energy) at a point in a
system is the sum of the head
components
– velocity head, hv, ht = h = hz + h p + hv
– pressure head, hp,
– elevation (potential) head, hz

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CE 330 The University of Tennessee Intro to Geotechnical Engineering
Eric C. Drumm

Hydraulics Fundamentals
Bernoulli equation
• At a given point in the flow domain

h = hz = h p = hv
u v2
= hz + +
ρw g 2g
• In groundwater flow and geotechnical
engineering, v is usually small
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Hydraulics Fundamentals

• Hence at any point

h = hz + h p
L
2cm 4cm
4cm

3cm

1 2

• Head varies across soil element

h1 ≠ h2 14

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CE 330 The University of Tennessee Intro to Geotechnical Engineering
Eric C. Drumm

Permeability Measurements
Darcy's Experiment (1856)
• Flow of water through clean sand was
proportional to hydraulic gradient
v = ki
or

∆h = head loss L = sample length h

A = cross sectional area Q = kiA = k A
flow L
Q = quantity of flow
15

Hydraulics Fundamentals
Darcy's Experiment (1856)
• Darcy’s law
h
Q = kiA = k A
L
• where
• Q = total rate of flow (units of volume/time)
• At = cross-section area of soil tube w/out accounting for
voids
• k = hydraulic conductivity or coefficient of permeability
(units of velocity or length/time)
• coefficient k describes the ability of water to
flow through the soil (high for sands, low for
clays) 16

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CE 330 The University of Tennessee Intro to Geotechnical Engineering
Eric C. Drumm

Hydraulics Fundamentals
Permeability vs. hydraulic
conductivity
• Darcy’s law
k * ρg
v = ki = i
µ
– where
• k = hydraulic conductivity which is often called (with
some confusion) the coefficient of permeability
• k* = specific or intrinsic permeability
• µ = dynamic viscosity
• ρ = fluid density Fluid properties
17

Hydraulics Fundamentals

• Permeability describes the ability of water to

flow through soil
• Symbol, k
– Units of velocity (feet/second, meters/second)
– Regardless of working unit, usually use cm/sec
• Sand - high k
• Clay - low k

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CE 330 The University of Tennessee Intro to Geotechnical Engineering
Eric C. Drumm

Permeability Measurements

Permeability Measurements

• Two most common

tests
– constant head test
(high permeability
soils)
– falling head test
(low permeability
soils) usually run
in triaxial cell Flexible-wall permeability testing in a triaxial cell
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CE 330 The University of Tennessee Intro to Geotechnical Engineering
Eric C. Drumm

Permeability Measurements

Constant head test

QL
k=
h = head
hAt
L = sample length
A = cross sectional area
flow

Q = quantity of flow in time t

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Permeability Measurements
Falling Head Tests

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CE 330 The University of Tennessee Intro to Geotechnical Engineering
Eric C. Drumm

Permeability Measurements
Falling Head Tests

aL  h1  aL h 
k= ln  = 2.3 log 1 
A∆t  h2  A∆t  h2 

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Permeability Measurements
Problems With Lab Tests
• Affect measured k
– air bubbles
– S < 100% likely
– migration of fines
– temp variation changes viscosity of fluid
– disturbed sample
– for very low permeabilities, test in rubber
membrane (triaxial cell)
– hydraulic conductivity (coefficient of permeability)
is dependent upon properties of pore fluid, e.g.
solvents in landfill
• Difficult to achieve good results on many soils24

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CE 330 The University of Tennessee Intro to Geotechnical Engineering
Eric C. Drumm

Permeability Measurements
Casagrande’s benchmark values
Decreasing permeability

1.0 cm/sec 10-4 cm/sec 10-7 cm/sec 10-9 cm/sec

good poor practically

drainage drainage impervious

Clean sand Fine sands, Homogeneous

silts, and clays
clay mixtures

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Piezometers
• device to measure
pressure and/or
elevation head in field
(determine pore water
pressure)
– a standpipe
• elevation of the bottom
of pipe is known = hz
• height of water in pipe is
measured = hp
• total head is determined
h = hz +hp
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CE 330 The University of Tennessee Intro to Geotechnical Engineering
Eric C. Drumm

example: artesian wells

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