Tutorial (Chapter: 2 Permeability)
1. A soil sample is tested in constant head permeameter. Soil sample has height of 30 cm and
diameter of 10 cm. The mass of discharged water is found to be 2 kg in 20 minutes under a constant
head of 1m. Determine the permeability of soil.
(Answer: k=6.36 × 10-3 cm/s)
2. A falling head permeability test was conducted on a soil sampler of 9 cm diameter and 20 cm
length. The diameter of stand pipe is found to be 70 mm. the water level in piezometer is fall from
70 cm to 55 cm, in 720 seconds. Determine the followings:
(a) The coefficient of permeability of soil in m/day
(b) Height of water level in piezometer after 20 minutes
(c) Time required to drop the level of water to 20 cm.
Answer: (a) k=4.054× 10-4 cm/s or 0.35 m/day
(b) h=42.82 cm
(c) t=3740.18 seconds or 62.33 minutes
3. The discharge of water collected from a constant head permeameter in a period of 15 minutes is
500 ml. The internal diameter of the permeameter is 5 cm and the measured difference in head
between two gauging points 15 cm vertically apart is 40 cm. Calculate the coefficient of
permeability. If the dry weight of the 15 cm long sample is 4.86 N and the specific gravity of the
solids is 2.65, calculate the seepage velocity.
(Answer: k=0.106 mm/s, vs=0.750 mm/second)
4. In a falling head permeability test, head causing flow was initially 50 cm and it drops 2 cm in 5
minutes. How much time required for the head to fall to 25 cm?
(Answer: t=84.9 minutes)
5. A sample in a variable head permeameter is 8 cm in diameter and 10 cm high. The permeability
of the sample is estimated to be 10 × 10–4 cm/s. If it is desired that the head in the stand pipe should
fall from 24 cm to 12 cm in 3 min., determine the size of the standpipe which should be used.
(Answer: d=13mm)
6. A horizontal stratified soil deposit consists of three layers each uniform in itself. The
permeabilities of these layers are 8×10–4 cm/s, 52×10–4 cm/s, and 6 ×10–4 cm/s, and their
thicknesses are 7, 3 and 10 m respectively. Find the average permeability of the deposit in the
horizontal and vertical directions. Also, calculate the average permeability of soil assuming flow
to be two dimensional.
(Answer: kh=13.6 × 10–4 cm/s; kv=7.7 × 10–3 mm/s)
7. A cohesionless soil has a permeability of 0.012 cm per second at a void ratio of 0.57. Make
predictions of the permeability of this soil when at a void ratio of 0.72 according to the two
functions of void ratio that are proposed.
(Answer: k=0.022 cm/s)
8. The soil layers below have a cross section of 100 mm x 100 mm each. The permeability of each
soil is: kA=10-2 cm/sec, kB=3 x 10-3 cm/sec and kC=4.9 x 10-4 cm/sec. Find the rate of water supply
in m3/day. (Answer: 291cm3/hour)
9. Estimate the ratio of the vertical to horizontal permeability of these four strata.
(Answer: 1/22)
10. An unconfined aquifer is known to be 32 m thick below the water table. A constant discharge
of 2 cubic meters per minute is pumped out of the aquifer through a tube well till the water level
in the tubewell becomes steady. Two observation wells at distances of 15 m and 70 m from the
tubewell show falls of 3 m and 0.7 m respectively from their static water levels. Find the
permeability of the aquifer.
(Answer: 1.18 × 10-1 mm/s)
