Field permeability determination of partially saturated fine grained soil

Abstract

The determination of water permeability through a soil is necessary to estimate seepage losses from small reservoirs. At the present time, the methods available to conduct this determination in partially saturated fine grained soils are expensive and in most cases not commensurate with the cost or importance of the individual structure. This investigation was conducted to evaluate the use of a proposed, potentially inexpensive field procedure in this situation. A modified borehole apparatus was utilized in field tests to determine the permeability of a partially saturated soil deposit in place. Undisturbed samples from the same location were tested in the laboratory by several recommended procedures. It was found that the range of permeability values obtained in the field correlated closely to the range of values obtained by detailed laboratory testing --Abstract, page ii

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