Evaluation of the permeability of soils using the centrifuge method

Measuring the permeability of fine soils in a laboratory may last weeks. Centrifuges have been used in geotechnical applications, including permeability tests. The aim of this investigation is to attempt to develop a practical method to assess the permeability of soils using a miniature centrifuge. Artificial soil specimens comprising various dry mass ratios of clay to sand were employed to work on a large spectrum of permeabilities. Falling-head permeability and centrifuge tests were carried out on identical mixtures. The centrifuge tests involved the loading of soil specimens at different consecutive revolution speeds. Each loading cycle lasted 10 minutes and the resulting axial strain was recorded. Relationships between the results of two different test method were evaluated. The proposed technique allows to dramatically shortening the testing period from some weeks to only two hours. The preliminary results suggest that the proposed method has a potential to become a routine and quick test for permeability of soils.