SOIL PREMEABILITY BY USING FILTRATION METHOD

THIVYAAPRIYA A/P SAMBAMOORTHY

SITI ANISAH BINTI MOHD SOBREE

PRA-U 2 ATHENS

SMK DATO’ MOHD SAID NILAI, NEGERI SEMBILAN

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DEDICATION

We wish to express our sincere appreciation to our principal

Madam Hajah Kamilah Bt Salleh , our Chemistry teacher Madam. Noorzaila

Bt. Mat Taib for their keen and endless guidance, encouragement, critics and

inspiration till the success and completion of this work.

Special thanks to lab assistants Madam. Hanita Bt. Rasid and Mr.

Ismail B. Mahad for their sincere help and cooperation in carrying out our

research. We are also grateful to them for their help in our laboratory works

and in preparing the apparatus and materials regarding our project.

We wish to express here, our sincere appreciation and thanks to all

teachers and fellow friends that had directly and indirectly helped us

throughout this research project.

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ABSTRACT

The objective of this experiment is to measure the capacity of the soil

to allow the flow of water through a soil volume by using basic filtration

method. Some examples of the soil that were used are river bank soil, forest

land soil, clay soil and beach soil. Based on the hypothesis, it is assumed that

the forest land soil is more suitable for the agricultural industry compared with

the other types of soil. The method of separation used is basic filtration method

by collecting different type of soil, and then carried by simple filtration. By

this we conclude, there’s few types of soil that is permeable to water. Hence,

pursuing in this experiment, Forest land soil is more permeable to water.

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TABLE OF CONTENT

CHAPTER TITLE PAGE

DEDICATION 2

ABSTRACT 3

TABLE OF CONTENT 4

1 INTRODUCTION TO TITLE

1.1 INTRODUCTION

1.2 LITERATURE REVIEW

1.3 PROBLEM STATEMENTS

1.4 OBJECTIVES OF RESEARCH

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5

7

9

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2 METHODOLOGY

2.1 APPARATUS AND MATERIAL

2.2 PROCEDURES

2.3 DATA COLLECTION

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12

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3 RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS

3.1 OBSERVATIONS AND RESULTS

3.2 INTEPRETATION AND DISCUSSIONS

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15

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4 CONCLUSION 22

5 REFERENCES 24

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CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION TO TITLE

1.1 INTRODUCTION

Soil are assemblages of solid particles with interconnected voids where water

can flow from a point of high to a point of low energy. Permeability is the

measure of the soil’s ability to permit water to flow through its pores or voids.

It is one of the most important soil properties of interest to geotechnical

engineers. Loose soil which usually contains large amount of voids has high

permeability whereby water is easy to flow through the soil due to large

porosity. In contrast, where dense soil which usually contains slit voids has

low permeability and hence water is very difficult to flow through the soil due

to small porosity.

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The soil permeability is often represented by the permeability coefficient (k)

through the Darcy’s equation:

V=ki

Where v is the apparent fluid velocity through the medium i is the hydraulic

gradient , and K is the coefficient of permeability (hydraulic conductivity)

often expressed in m/s

K depends on the relative permeability of the medium for fluid constituent

(often water) and the dynamic viscosity of the fluid as follows.

K= (Gamma_w)*K/ (eta)

where Where Gamma_w is the unit weight of water Eta is the dynamic

viscosity of water K is an absolute coefficient depending on the characteristics

of the medium (m2)

The permeability coefficient can be determined in the laboratory using falling

head permeability test, and constant head permeability test. On the field, the

permeability can be estimated using Lugeon method which is filtration method.

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1.2 LITERATURE REVIEW

The theory of soil permeability obeys the Darcy’s Law, where Henri Darcy in

1856 derived an empirical formula for the behavior of the flow through

saturated soils. He found that the quantity of water (q) per sec flowing through

a cross-sectional area (A) of soil under hydraulic gradient (i) can be expressed

by the formula:

V = ki

Where,

V : discharge velocity, which is the quantity of water flowing I unit time

through a unit gross cross-sectional area of soil (cm/s)

K : coefficient of permeability or hydraulic conductivity (cm/s)

i : hydraulic gradient

The coefficient or permeability (k) also known as hydraulic conductivity, is a

measure of soil permeability. It is generally expressed in cm/sec or m/sec in SI

units. (k) is determined can be determined by a famous test known as

Constant-Head Test.

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The constant head permeability test is a common laboratory

testing method used to determine the permeability of granular soils like

sands and gravels containing little or no silt. This testing method is

made for testing reconstituted or disturbed granular soil samples.

The constant head permeability test involves flow of water

through a column of cylindrical soil sample under the constant pressure

difference. The test is carried out in the permeability cell, or

permeameter, which can vary in size depending on the grain size of the

tested material. The soil sample has a cylindrical form with its diameter

being large enough in order to be representative of the tested soil. As a

rule of thumb, the ratio of the cell diameter to the largest grain size

diameter should be higher than 12 (Head 1982). The usual size of the

cell often used for testing common sands is 75 mm diamater and 260

mm height between perforated plates. The testing apparatus is equipped

with a adjustable constant head reservoir and an outlet reservoir which

allows maintaining a constant head during the test. Water used for

testing is de-aired water at constant temperature. The permeability cell

is also equipped with a loading piston that can be used to apply

constant axial stress to the sample during the test. Before starting the

flow measurements, however, the soil sample is saturated. During the

test, the amount of water flowing through the soil column is measured

for given time intervals.

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Knowing the height of the soil sample column L, the sample

cross section A, and the constant pressure difference Δh, the volume of

passing water Q, and the time interval ΔT, one can calculate the

permeability of the sample as

K=QL / (A.Δh.Δt)

1.3 PROBLEM STATEMENT

1) Why is it important to determine the soil permeability?

2) What is soil porosity?

3) How can porosity be measured?

4) Which of soil samples tested has the greatest and least porosity?

5) Which soil is most and least permeable to water?

6) Is the any relationship between particles size and pore space?

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1.4 OBJECTIVE OF RESEARCH

The objectives of this experiment are:

(a) To describe characteristics of different types of soils.

(b) To determine how water flows through these different types of soils.

(c) To discuss the relationship between porosity and permeability.

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CHAPTER 2

METHODOLOGY

2.1 APPARATUS AND MATERIALS

In order to successfully conducting the experiment, the following

apparatus and materials were used. Apparatus used are as follow: 100cm3

beaker, asbestos sheet, 100ml measuring cylinders, stop watch, tripod stand,

large drinking bottles, hand gloves, distilled water, fined net, different types of

soil and rubber bands.

In this method, there is no chemical used in pursuing this experiment.

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2.2 PROCEDURES

The procedures were described below:

1) Firstly, the large bottles are cut into two sections from the middle.

The bottle with the cap holder is used as a funnel where the tip of

the bottle mouth is cover with fined net and tightens with a rubber

band.

2) Then, place one cleaned beaker on top of asbestos sheet, then

followed my tripod stand and finally the bottle which we used as a

funnel to filtrate the soil.

3) Now, measure the Forestland soil exactly 200ml and place it into

the bottle funnel, as shown below.

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1) Then, by using measuring cylinder, measure 300ml of distill water

and pour it into a beaker.

4) Lastly, after the apparatus has been set up, pour the distill water

into the bottle funnel and immediately start the stop watch.

5) Immediately stop the stop watch after there’s movement of water

from the soil.

6) The time taken has been recorded.

7) The filtrate of the filtration is measured and recorded by using

measuring cylinder.

8) Use the formula below to calculate the percentage porosity of the

soil:

Porosity = (Amount of water obtained / total soil volume) x 100

9) The steps from 1-8 is repeated for Riverbank soil, Beach soil and

clay soil.

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2.3 DATA COLLECTION

In this experiment, the data collected were recorded in the table as

described below:

Types of soil Total soil volume (ml)

Amount of water obtained after the

filtration (ml)

The time taken for the water to pass through the

soil (min)

Porosity %

Forestland soil

Riverbank soil

Beach soil

Clay soil

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CHAPTER 3

RESULTS AND DICUSSION

3.1 OBSERVATION AND RESULTS

The results of the experiment are recorded in table as described below:

Types of soil Total soil volume (ml)

Amount of water obtained after the

filtration (ml)

The time taken for the water to pass through the

soil (min)

Porosity %

Forestland soil 200 0 2 0%

Riverbank soil 200 93 13 46.5%

Beach soil 200 46 6 23%

Clay soil 200 200 Infinity 100%

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3.2 INTERPRETATION AND DICUSSION

Different soils have different types of porosity and permeability

towards water. For forestland soil, there’s no water obtained after the filtration

and it only took few minutes to penetrate through the soil, and this is due to the

size of the voids is very wide which allowed water to flow through. Therefore,

forestland soil which has less total pores volumes has less porosity which leads

to the greatest permeability to water. Next, the riverbank soil and beach soil

both also known as intermediate soil which where both also has different types

voids in them, hence proven the values of porosity which there’s not much

different. In sense of permeability, beach soil is more permeable than riverbank

soil, because the time taken for water to flow through the soil for riverbank soil

is longer than the beach soil. And the porosity of riverbank soil shows the size

of voids is smaller compared to beach soil. Lastly, for the clay soil, based on

the results obtained, clay soil is not permeable to water, where clay soil usually

has greater total pore volume. In another meaning, the gap between the voids is

totally closed packed, and that is why there’s no water can penetrate through it.

Soil which has great total pore volume usually has great porosity and hence,

has lowest permeability towards water. This explains why the time taken for

clay soil is infinity.

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3.2.1 Pictures of beach soil and forestland soil

3.2.2 Pictures of clay soil and riverbank soil

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3.2.3 Filtration of forestland soil with distilled water

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3.2.4 Filtration of beach soil with distilled water.

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3.2.5 Filtration of riverbank soil with distilled water.

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3.2.6 Filtration of clay soil with distilled water.

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CHAPTER 4

CONCLUSION

As a conclusion, this experiment has allows us to know that the

permeability of the soil volume to let the water flow through. All our

problem statement has been answered thoroughly by conducting this

experiment. By this, we actually learn the composition of a particular

soil and the ability of it to let the movement of water through it. Many

factors affect soil permeability. Sometimes they are extremely

localized, such as cracks and holes, and it is difficult to calculate

representative values of permeability from actual measurements. A

good study of soil profiles provides an essential check on such

measurements.

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Observations on soil texture, structure, consistency, color/mottling layering,

visible pores and depth to impermeable layers such as bedrock and clay

pan form the basis for deciding if permeability measurements are likely to be

representative. The size of the soil pores is of great importance with regard to

the rate of infiltration (movement of water into the soil) and to the rate

of percolation (movement of water through the soil). Pore size and the number

of pores closely relate to soil texture and structure, and also influence soil

permeability. Thus, the types of soil sample were classified as very fine sands,

slit and clay. This experiment also can be proven by other variety tests, like for

examples the constant head permeability. Therefore, we deduced that

forestland soil is the most suitable soil to be used in agricultural industry where

this soil is more potentially in producing more fresh plants and it’s proven

theatrically and experimentally by well-known scientist in those ages which

made big contribution to the world of science.

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CHAPTER 5

REFERENCES

Swiss Standard SN 670 010b, Characteristic Coefficients of

soils, Association of Swiss Road and Traffic Engineers

Carter, M. and Bentley, S. (1991). Correlations of soil

properties. Penetech Press Publishers, London.

Leonards G. A. Ed. 1962, Foundation ENgineering. McGraw

Hill Book Company

Dysli M. and Steiner W., 2011, Correlations in soil mechanics,

PPUR

West, T.R., 1995. Geology applied to engineering. Prentice

Hall, 560 pp.

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darcy%27s_law

Head, K. H., 1982, Manual of soil laboratory testing, Vol 2,

Pentech Press, ISBN 0-7273-1305-3

General description of the permeability tests MADHIRA R.

MADHAV, Indian Institute of Technology

Determination of coefficient of permeability of sand by constant

head method Dr Anand J Puppala, Lecture notes, SOIL

MECHANICS LABORATORY, THE UNIVERSITY OF

TEXAS AT ARLINGTON

Constant head permeability test method, DEPARTMENT OF

TRANSPORTATION, STATE OF CALIFORNIA—

BUSINESS, TRANSPORTATION AND HOUSING AGENCY

A powerpoint presentation of the constant head permeability

test, Soil mechanics, Civil, architectural, & Environmental

Engineering Department, Drexel University

Constant head and falling head permeability tests, Binod

Tiwari, Soil Mechanics Laboratory, California State University,

Fullerton

Illustrated description of constant head permeability tests, Prof.

Krishna Reddy, Engineering Properties of Soils Based on

Laboratory Testing, UIC

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