Effects of specimen consolidation on the laboratory hydraulic conductivity measurement

Laboratory hydraulic conductivity tests are commonly used for the design of clayey liners in waste containment. Although relatively small hydraulic gradients are encountered under field conditions, elevated gradients are desirable to reduce the testing time. It is generally believed, however, that these elevated gradients would reduce the conductivity measured owing to specimen consolidation. In the current paper a theoretical analysis is presented for assessing the effect of specimen consolidation. The theoretical results were compared with experimental results obtained for two local soils. Parametric analyses and nondimensional analyses were carried out and the results are presented. It was found that the hydraulic conductivity is dependent on the type of permeameter, the form of gradient application, and the state of stress within the soil. It was apparent that hydraulic conductivity can decrease with an increase in the hydraulic gradient, and the decrease was not significant up to a hydraulic gradient of about 300 for the soils tested.