Determination of permeability of sandy clay by triaxial test

Hydraulic conductivity (permeability) plays a critical role in civil engineering situations as it is one of the key properties of soil influencing soil response to an applied loading or change in surrounding factors. The knowledge of permeability is especially essential and advantageous in construction, maintenance and monitoring for failure of engineered structures, for e.g. building foundations, dams, landfills, etc. In nature, soil might be found as a mixture of fine and coarse-grained materials and it is difficult to measure the permeability of such soil using laboratory methods such as the Constant-head test. Therefore, in view of this, the objective of this project is to investigate the effect of percentage of clay on the coefficient of permeability of Sandy Clay by using the Triaxial test. Brief comparisons would be made between other laboratory methods and the Triaxial test, eventually justifying why the latter was the preferred method for permeability measurements of sandy clay. In the process, possible permeability trends would also be identified, by varying the percentage of clay (Kaolin) in a sand-clay mixture. In addition, trends realised upon varying hydraulic gradients applied to the samples of sandy clay during the permeability test, would also be presented.Bachelor of Engineering (Civil