Geotechnical Engg.

-I (CE-323)
Tutorial#5
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1. If during a permeability test on soil sample with falling head permeameter, equal time intervals
are noted for drops head from h1 to h2 and again from h2 to h3, find the relationship between
h1,h2 and h3.

2. A glass cylinder 50 cm2 in internal cross-section and 40 cm length is provided with a screen at
the bottom and is open at the top. Saturated sand is filled in the cylinder up to a height of 10
cm above the screen. The cylinder is then filled with water up to its top. Determine the
coefficient of permeability in cm/s, if the water level drops from top of the cylinder through a
distance of 20 cm in half an hour.

3. A drainage pipe beneath a dam has been clogged with sand whose coefficient of permeability
is 10 m/day. It has been observed that the flow through the pipe is 0.15 m 3/day when the
difference of water levels on the upstream and downstream is 20 m. If the cross-section of the
pipe is 200 cm2, what length of the pipe was filled with sand?

4. A glacial clay deposit contains a series of silt partings in it at an average vertical spacing of 2
m. If the silt layers are about 5 mm in thickness and have a permeability of one hundred times
that of clay, determine the ratio of horizontal to vertical permeability of this system.

5. Fig. 1 depicts the cross-section through strata underlying a site. Calculate the equivalent
permeability of the layered system in the vertical and horizontal directions. Assume each layer
is isotropic.

3m  = 1.6 g/cc
W.T. 
3m  = 2.0 g/cc

2.5 m  = 1.7 g/cc

1m  = 1.55 g/cc

2m  = 1.85 g/cc

Fig. 1

6. Two soil samples A and B with coefficients of permeability 1x10 -1 and 5x10-3m/s are
placed in a glass tube of 10 cm diameter and 30cm length. The length and porosity of
these samples are 5 and 15 cm, and 0.32 and 0.45, respectively. Water with a head
difference of 20 cm flows across these samples (from A to B). Find the (a) variation of
the hydraulic gradient along the length of the tube and (b) the discharge through the
tube.

7. For the setup shown in Fig. 2, plot to scale: (a) Total head, (b) Pressure head, (c)
Elevation head and (d) Seepage velocity along the length of the soil sample. The soil
properties are: Soil I (A=4 m2, h=0.5, k=2 m/s) & Soil II (A=2 m2, h=0.33, k=1 m/s).
 V
4m

Soil I
4m

2m Soil II
2m V
Water

Fig. 2

8. A stratified soil deposit is shown in Fig. 3 along with the coefficient of permeability
of the individual stratum. Determine the ratio of k H to kV. Assuming an average
hydraulic gradient of 0.3 in both horizontal and vertical seepage, find (i) discharge
value and discharge velocities in each layer for horizontal flow and (ii) hydraulic
gradient and loss in head in each layer for vertical flow.

K1=5X10-4 cm/s 2m

K2=2X10-2 cm/s
5m

K3= 3X10-3cm/s 2m

Fig. 3

9. An excavation is to be made in subsoil conditions as depicted in Fig. 4. Assuming

Excavation level Sheet piling

lake
3m silt

D Silty clay
6m
4.5m sat =19KN/m3
2m
X X
2.5 m Coarse sand

Impervious
Fig. 4