Comparison of Hydraulic Conductivity Values Obtained from Empirical Formulae and Laboratory Experiments

Abstract

Hydraulic conductivity determination plays an essential role in the investigation of groundwater flow regime which can then influence many field problems such as pumping capabilities in the area, transport of contaminant or heat and soil internal erosion. Numerous equations based on dimensional analysis or experimental measurements have been published since the end of the 19th century for the determination of hydraulic conductivity. However, not all of these formulae are applicable for every material and all of them bring some uncertainty in the value of hydraulic conductivity. This paper contains a description of experimental research carried out concerning the determination of hydraulic conductivity for four types of sand with different grain size distribution curves and variable porosity. Obtained values of hydraulic conductivity ranged from 1×10-4 to 4×10-3 according to the sample porosity. The series of experiments consisted of 160 separate tests conducted in order to obtain relevant statistical sets. In this paper, the experimental data are discussed and compared with hydraulic conductivities obtained from 6 empirical formulae recommended in a previous study. The comparison showed that some empirical formulae provide a good agreement with the experimental data (the most precise were formulae published by Terzaghi and by Sauerbrey). However, some formulae showed high deviation from measured data (formula published by Zamarin).

Hydraulic conductivity determination plays an essential role in the investigation of groundwater flow regime which can then influence many field problems such as pumping capabilities in the area, transport of contaminant or heat and soil internal erosion. Numerous equations based on dimensional analysis or experimental measurements have been published since the end of the 19th century for the determination of hydraulic conductivity. However, not all of these formulae are applicable for every material and all of them bring some uncertainty in the value of hydraulic conductivity. This paper contains a description of experimental research carried out concerning the determination of hydraulic conductivity for four types of sand with different grain size distribution curves and variable porosity. Obtained values of hydraulic conductivity ranged from 1×10-4 to 4×10-3 according to the sample porosity. The series of experiments consisted of 160 separate tests conducted in order to obtain relevant statistical sets. In this paper, the experimental data are discussed and compared with hydraulic conductivities obtained from 6 empirical formulae recommended in a previous study. The comparison showed that some empirical formulae provide a good agreement with the experimental data (the most precise were formulae published by Terzaghi and by Sauerbrey). However, some formulae showed high deviation from measured data (formula published by Zamarin).