ASTM(D5084-03)Standard Test Methods for Measurement of Hydraulic Conductivity of Saturated Porous Ma

Designation:D5084–03StandardTestMethodsforMeasurementofHydraulicConductivityofSaturatedPorousMaterialsUsingaFlexibleWallPermeameter1ThisstandardisissuedunderthefixeddesignationD5084;thenumberimmediatelyfollowingthedesignationindicatestheyearoforiginaladoptionor,inthecaseofrevision,theyearoflastrevision.Anumberinparenthesesindicatestheyearoflastreapproval.Asuperscriptepsilon(e)indicatesaneditorialchangesincethelastrevisionorreapproval.1.Scope*1.1Thesetestmethodscoverlaboratorymeasurementofthehydraulicconductivity(alsoreferredtoascoeffıcientofper-meability)ofwater-saturatedporousmaterialswithaflexiblewallpermeameterattemperaturesbetweenabout15and30°C(59and86°F).Temperaturesoutsidethisrangemaybeused;however,theuserwouldhavetodeterminethespecificgravityofmercuryandRT(see10.3)atthosetemperaturesusingdatafromHandbookofChemistryandPhysics.Therearesixalternatemethodsorhydraulicsystemsthatmaybeusedtomeasurethehydraulicconductivity.Thesehydraulicsystemsareasfollows:1.1.1MethodA—ConstantHead1.1.2MethodB—FallingHead,constanttailwaterelevation1.1.3MethodC—FallingHead,risingtailwaterelevation1.1.4MethodD—ConstantRateofFlow1.1.5MethodE—ConstantVolume–ConstantHead(bymercury)1.1.6MethodF—ConstantVolume–FallingHead(bymer-cury),risingtailwaterelevation1.2Thesetestmethodsusewaterasthepermeantliquid;see4.3andSection6onReagentsforwaterrequirements.1.3Thesetestmethodsmaybeutilizedonallspecimentypes(undisturbed,reconstituted,remolded,compacted,etc.)thathaveahydraulicconductivitylessthanabout1310−6m/s(1310−4cm/s),providingtheheadlossrequirementsof5.2.3aremet.Fortheconstant-volumemethods,thehydraulicconductivitytypicallyhastobelessthanabout1310−7m/s.1.3.1Ifthehydraulicconductivityisgreaterthanabout1310−6m/s,butnotmorethanabout1310−5m/s;thenthesizeofthehydraulictubingneedstobeincreasedalongwiththeporosityoftheporousendpieces.Otherstrategies,suchasusinghigherviscosityfluidorproperlydecreasingthecross-sectionalareaofthetestspecimen,orboth,mayalsobepossible.ThekeycriterionisthattherequirementscoveredinSection5havetobemet.1.3.2Ifthehydraulicconductivityislessthanabout1310−11m/s,thenstandardhydraulicsystemsandtempera-tureenvironmentswilltypicallynotsuffice.Strategiesthatmaybepossiblewhendealingwithsuchimperviousmaterialsmayincludethefollowing:(a)controllingthetemperaturemoreprecisely,(b)adoptionofunsteadystatemeasurementsbyusinghigh-accuracyequipmentalongwiththerigorousanaly-sesfordeterminingthehydraulicparameters(thisapproachreducestestingdurationaccordingtoZhangetal.(1)2),and(c)shorteningthelengthorenlargingthecross-sectionalarea,orboth,ofthetestspecimen.Otheritems,suchasuseofhigherhydraulicgradients,lowerviscosityfluid,eliminationofanypossiblechemicalgradientsandbacterialgrowth,andstrictverificationofleakage,mayalsobeconsidered.1.4Thehydraulicconductivityofmaterialswithhydraulicconductivitiesgreaterthan1310−5m/smaybedeterminedbyTestMethodD2434.1.5AllobservedandcalculatedvaluesshallconformtotheguideforsignificantdigitsandroundingestablishedinPracticeD6026.1.5.1Theproceduresusedtospecifyhowdataarecollected,recorded,andcalculatedinthisstandardareregardedastheindustrystandard.Inaddition,theyarerepresentativeofthesignificantdigitsthatshouldgenerallyberetained.Theproce-duresuseddonotconsidermaterialvariation,purposeforobtainingthedata,specialpurposestudies,oranyconsider-ationsfortheuser’sobjectives;anditiscommonpracticetoincreaseorreducesignificantdigitsofreporteddatatobecommensuratewiththeseconsiderations.Itisbeyondthescopeofthisstandardtoconsidersignificantdigitsusedinanalysismethodsforengineeringdesign.1.6ThisstandardalsocontainsaHazardssectionaboutusingmercury,seeSection7.1.7ThetimetoperformthistestdependsonsuchitemsastheMethod(A,B,C,D,E,orF)used,theinitialdegreeofsaturationofthetestspecimenandthehydraulicconductivityofthetestspecimen.TheconstantvolumeMethods(EandF)andMethodDrequiretheshortestperiod-of-time.TypicallyatestcanbeperformedusingMethodsD,E,orFwithintwoto1ThisstandardisunderthejurisdictionofASTMCommitteeD18onSoilandRockandisthedirectresponsibilityofSubcommitteeD18.04onHydrologicPropertiesofSoilandRocks.CurrenteditionapprovedNov.1,2003.PublishedJanuary2004.Originallyapprovedin1990.Lastpreviouseditionapprovedin2000asD5084–00e1.2Theboldfacenumbersinparenthesesrefertothelistofreferencesappendedtothisstandard.1*ASummaryofChangessectionappearsattheendofthisstandard.Copyright©ASTMInternational,100BarrHarborDrive,POBoxC700,WestConshohocken,PA19428-2959,UnitedStates.CopyrightbyASTMInt'l(allrightsreserved);SunJun300:43:36EDT2007Downloaded/printedby(NationalChin-YiUnivofTech)pursuanttoLicenseAgreement.Nofurtherreproductionsauthorized.threedays.MethodsA,B,andCtakealongerperiod-of-time,fromafewdaystoafewweeksdependingonthehydraulicconductivity.Typically,aboutoneweekisrequiredforhydrau-licconductivitiesontheorderof1310–9m/s.ThetestingtimeisultimatelycontrolledbymeetingtheequilibriumcriteriaforeachMethod(see9.5).1.8ThevaluesstatedinSIunitsaretoberegardedasthestandard,unlessotherunitsarespecificallygiven.BytraditioninU.S.practice,hydraulicconductivityisreportedincentime-terspersecond,althoughthecommonSIunitsforhydraulicconductivityismeterspersecond.1.9Thisstandarddoesnotpurporttoaddressallofthesafetyconcerns,ifany,associatedwithitsuse.Itistheresponsibilityoftheuserofthisstandardtoestablishappro-priatesafetyandhealthpracticesanddeterminetheapplica-bilityofregulatorylimitationspriortouse.2.ReferencedDocuments2.1ASTMStandards:3D653TerminologyRelatingtoSoil,Rock,andContainedFluidsD698TestMethodsforLaboratoryCompactionCharacter-isticsofSoilUsingStandardEffort(12,4000ft-lbf/ft3(600kN-m/m3))D854TestMethodforSpecificGravityofSoilSolidsbyWaterPycnometerD1557TestMethodsforLaboratoryCompactionCharac-teristicsofSoilUsingModifiedEffort(56,000ft-lbf/ft3(2,700kN-m/m3))D1587PracticeforThin-WalledTubeGeotechnicalSam-plingofSoilsD2113PracticeforRockCoreDrillingandSamplingforSiteInvestigationD2216TestMethodforLaboratoryDeterminationofWater(Moisture)ContentofSoilandRockbyMassD2434TestMethodforPermeabilityofGranularSoils(ConstantHead)D2435TestMethodforOne-DimensionalConsolidationPropertiesofSoilD3550PracticeforRing-LinedBarrelSamplingofSoilsD3740PracticeforMinimumRequirementsforAgenciesEngagedintheTestingand/orInspectionofSoilandRockUsedinEngineeringDesignandConstructionD4220PracticesforPreservingandTransportingSoilSamplesD4753SpecificationforEvaluating,SelectingandSpeci-fyingBalancesandScalesforUseinSoil,Rock,andConstructionMaterialsTestingD4767TestMethodforConsolidatedUndrainedTriaxialCompressionTestforCohesiveSoilsD5079PracticesforPreservingandTransportingRockCoreSamplesD6026PracticeforUsingSignificantDigitsinGeotechni-calDataD6151PracticeforUsingHollow-StemAugersforGeo-technicalExplorationandSoilSamplingD6169GuideforSelectionofSoilandRockSamplingDevicesUsedwithDrillRigsforEnvironmentalInvesti-gations3.Terminology3.1Definitions:3.1.1Forcommondefinitionsofothertermsinthisstan-dard,seeTerminologyD653.3.1.2headloss,hLorh—thechangeintotalheadofwateracrossagivendistance.3.1.2.1Discussion—Inhydraulicconductivitytesting,typi-callythechangeintotalheadisacrosstheinfluentandeffluentlinesconnectedtothepermeameter,whilethegivendistanceistypicallythelengthofthetestspecimen.3.1.3permeameter—theapparatus(cell)containingthetestspecimeninahydraulicconductivitytest.3.1.3.1Discussion—Theapparatusinthiscaseistypicallyatriaxial-typecellwithallofitscomponents(topandbottomspecimencaps,stones,andfilterpaper;membrane;chamber;topandbottomplates;valves;etc.).3.1.4hydraulicconductivity,k—therateofdischargeofwaterunderlaminarflowconditionsthroughaunitcross-sectionalareaofporousmediumunderaunithydraulicgradientandstandardtemperatureconditions(20°C).3.1.4.1Discussion—Inhydraulicconductivitytesting,thetermcoeffıcientofpermeabilityisoftenusedinsteadofhydraulicconductivity,buthydraulicconductivityisusedexclusivelyinthisstandard.AmorecompletediscussionoftheterminologyassociatedwithDarcy’slawisgivenintheliterature.(2,3)3.1.5porevolumeofflow—inhydraulicconductivitytest-ing,thecumulativequantityofflowintoatestspecimendividedbythevolumeofvoidsinthespecimen.4.SignificanceandUse4.1Thesetestmethodsapplytoone-dimensional,laminarflowofwaterwithinporousmaterialssuchassoilandrock.4.2Thehydraulicconductivityofporousmaterialsgener-allydecreaseswithanincreasingamountofairintheporesofthematerial.Thesetestmethodsapplytowater-saturatedporousmaterialscontainingvirtuallynoair.4.3Thesetestmethodsapplytopermeationofporousmaterialswithwater.Permeationwithotherliquids,suchaschemicalwastes,canbeaccomplishedusingproceduressimi-lartothosedescribedinthesetestmethods.However,thesetestmethodsareonlyintendedtobeusedwhenwateristhepermeantliquid.SeeSection6.4.4Darcy’slawisassumedtobevalidandthehydraulicconductivityisessentiallyunaffectedbyhydraulicgradient.4.5Thesetestmethodsprovideameansfordetermininghydraulicconductivityatacontrolledlevelofeffectivestress.Hydraulicconductivityvarieswithvaryingvoidratio,whichchangeswhentheeffectivestresschanges.Ifthevoidratioischanged,thehydraulicconductivityofthetestspecimenwilllikelychange,seeAppendixX2.Todeterminetherelationship3ForreferencedASTMstandards,visittheASTMwebsite,www.astm.org,orcontactASTMCustomerServiceatservice@astm.org.ForAnnualBookofASTMStandardsvolumeinformation,refertothestandard’sDocumentSummarypageontheASTMwebsite.D5084–032CopyrightbyASTMInt'l(allrightsreserved);SunJun300:43:36EDT2007Downloaded/printedby(NationalChin-YiUnivofTech)pursuanttoLicenseAgreement.Nofurtherreproductionsauthorized.betweenhydraulicconductivityandvoidratio,thehydraulicconductivitytestwouldhavetoberepeatedatdifferenteffectivestresses.4.6Thecorrelationbetweenresultsobtainedusingthesetestmethodsandthehydraulicconductivitiesofin-placefieldmaterialshasnotbeenfullyinvestigated.Experiencehassometimesshownthathydraulicconductivitiesmeasuredonsmalltestspecimensarenotnecessarilythesameaslarger-scalevalues.Therefore,theresultsshouldbeappliedtofieldsituationswithcautionandbyqualifiedpersonnel.4.7Inmostcases,whentestinghighswellpotentialmate-rialsandusingaconstant-volumehydraulicsystem,theeffec-tiveconfiningstressshouldbeabout1.5timestheswellpressureofthetestspecimenorastresswhichpreventsswelling.Iftheconfiningstressislessthantheswellpressure,anomalousflowconditionsmyoccur;e.g.,mercurycolumn(s)moveinthewrongdirection.NOTE1—Thequalityoftheresultproducedbythisstandardisdependentofthecompetenceofthepersonnelperformingitandthesuitabilityoftheequipmentandfacilitiesused.AgenciesthatmeetthecriteriaofPracticeD3740aregenerallyconsideredcapableofcompetentandobjectivetesting,sampling,inspection,etc..UsersofthisstandardarecautionedthatcompliancewithPracticeD3740doesnotinitselfassurereliableresults.Reliableresultsdependonmanyfactors;PracticeD3740providesameansofevaluatingsomeofthosefactors.5.Apparatus5.1HydraulicSystem—Constanthead(MethodA),fallinghead(MethodsBandC),constantrateofflow(MethodD),constantvolume-constanthead(MethodE),orconstantvolume-fallinghead(MethodF)systemsmaybeutilizedprovidedtheymeetthefollowingcriteria:5.1.1ConstantHead—Thesystemmustbecapableofmaintainingconstanthydraulicpressuresto65%orbetterandshallincludemeanstomeasurethehydraulicpressurestowithintheprescribedtolerance.Inaddition,theheadlossacrossthepermeametermustbeheldconstantto65%orbetterandshallbemeasuredwiththesameaccuracyorbetter.Apressuregage,electronicpressuretransducer,oranyotherdeviceofsuitableaccuracyshallmeasurepressurestoaminimumofthreesignificantdigits.Thelastdigitmaybeduetoestimation,see5.1.1.1.5.1.1.1PracticeD6026discussestheuseorapplicationofestimateddigits.Whenthelastdigitisestimatedandthatreadingisafunctionoftheeye’selevation/location,thenamirrororanotherdeviceisrequiredtoreducethereadingerrorcausedbyparallax.5.1.2FallingHead—Thesystemshallallowformeasure-mentoftheappliedheadloss,thushydraulicgradient,to65%orbetteratanytime.Inaddition,theratioofinitialheadlossdividedbyfinalheadlossoveranintervaloftimeshallbemeasuredsuchthatthiscomputedratioisaccurateto65%orbetter.Theheadlossshallbemeasuredwithapressuregage,electronicpressuretransducer,engineer’sscale,graduatedpipette,oranyotherdeviceofsuitableaccuracytoaminimumofthreesignificantdigits.Thelastdigitmaybeduetoestimation,see5.1.1.1.Fallingheadtestsmaybeperformedwitheitheraconstanttailwaterelevation(MethodB)orarisingtailwaterelevation(MethodC),seeFig.1.ThisschematicofahydraulicsystempresentsthebasiccomponentsneededtomeettheobjectivesofMethodC.Otherhydraulicsystemsorschematicsthatmeettheseobjectivesareacceptable.5.1.3ConstantRateofFlow—Thesystemmustbecapableofmaintainingaconstantrateofflowthroughthespecimento65%orbetter.Flowmeasurementshallbebycalibratedsyringe,graduatedpipette,orotherdeviceofsuitableaccuracy.Theheadlossacrossthepermeametershallbemeasuredtoaminimumofthreesignificantdigitsandtoanaccuracyof65%orbetterusinganelectronicpressuretransducer(s)orotherdevice(s)ofsuitableaccuracy.Thelastdigitmaybeduetoestimation,see5.1.1.1.Moreinformationontestingwithaconstantrateofflowisgivenintheliterature(4).5.1.4ConstantVolume-ConstantHead(CVCH)—Thesys-tem,withmercurytocreatetheheadloss,mustbecapableofmaintainingaconstantheadlosscrossthepermeameterto65%orbetterandshallallowformeasurementoftheappliedheadlossto65%orbetteratanytime.Theheadlossshallbemeasuredtoaminimumofthreesignificantdigitswithanelectronicpressuretransducer(s)orequivalentdevice,(5)orbaseduponthepressureheadcausedbythemercurycolumn,see10.1.2.Thelastdigitmaybeduetoestimation,see5.1.1.1.5.1.4.1SchematicsoftwoCVCHsystemsareshowninFig.2andFig.3.Ineachofthesesystems,themercury-filledportionofthetubingmaybecontinuousforconstantheadlosstobemaintained.ForthesystemshowedinFig.2,theheadlossremainsconstantprovidedthemercurycolumnisverticalandisretainedinonlyonehalfoftheburettesystem(leftburetteinFig.2).InthesystemshowninFig.3,theheadlossremainsconstantprovidedthewater-mercuryinterfaceontheeffluentendremainsintheupperhorizontaltube,andthewater-mercuryinterfaceontheinfluentendremainsinthelowerhorizontaltube.TheseschematicspresentthebasiccomponentsneededtomeettheobjectivesofMethodE.Otherhydraulicsystemsorschematicsthatmeettheseobjectivesareacceptable.5.1.4.2Thesetypesofhydraulicsystemsaretypicallynotusedtostudythetemporalorpore-fluideffectonhydraulicconductivity.Thetotalvolumeofthespecimenismaintainedconstantusingthisprocedure,therebysignificantlyreducingeffectscausedbyseepagestresses,porefluidinteractions,etc.Rather,thesesystemsareintendedfordeterminingthehydrau-licconductivityofamaterialasrapidlyaspossible.5.1.4.3Hazards—Sincethishydraulicsystemcontainsmer-cury,specialhealthandsafetyprecautionshavetobeconsid-ered.SeeSection7.5.1.4.4Caution—Forthesetypesofhydraulicsystemstofunctionproperly,theseparationofthemercurycolumnhastobeprevented.Topreventseparation,themercuryand“constanthead”tubehavetoremainrelativelyclean,andtheinsidediameterofthistubecannotbetoolarge;typicallyacapillarytubeisused.Thelargerdiameterflushingtube(Fig.2)isaddedtoenableflushingcleanwaterthroughthesystemwithoutexcessivemercurydisplacement.Trapstopreventtheacciden-talflowofmercuryoutofthe“ConstantHead”tubeorflushingtubearenotshowninFig.2andFig.3.5.1.5ConstantVolume-FallingHead(CVFH)—Thesystem,withmercurytocreatetheheadloss,shallmeetthecriteriaD5084–033CopyrightbyASTMInt'l(allrightsreserved);SunJun300:43:36EDT2007Downloaded/printedby(NationalChin-YiUnivofTech)pursuanttoLicenseAgreement.Nofurtherreproductionsauthorized.givenin5.1.2.Theheadlossshallbemeasuredtoaminimumofthreesignificantdigitswithanelectronicpressuretransduc-er(s)orequivalentdevice(s),(5)orbaseduponthedifferentialelevationbetweenthetopsurfacesofthemercurylevelintheheadwaterandtailwatertubes.Thelastdigitmaybeduetoestimation,see5.1.1.1.5.1.5.1AschematicdrawingofatypicalCVFHhydraulicsystemisshowninFig.4(5).Typically,thetailwatertubehasasmallerareathantheheadwatertubetoincreasethesensi-tivityofflowmeasurements,andtoenableflushingcleanwaterthroughthesystemwithoutexcessivemercurydisplacementintheheadwatertube.TheschematicofthehydraulicsysteminFig.4presentsthebasiccomponentsneededtomeettheobjectivesofMethodF.Otherhydraulicsystemsorschematicsthatmeettheseobjectivesareacceptable.ThedevelopmentofthehydraulicconductivityequationforthistypeofsystemisgiveninAppendixX1.5.1.5.2See5.1.4.2.5.1.5.3Hazards—Sincethishydraulicsystemcontainsmer-cury,specialhealthandsafetyprecautionshavetobeconsid-ered.SeeSection7.5.1.5.4Caution—Forthesetypesofhydraulicsystemstofunctionproperly,theseparationofthemercurycolumnandentrapmentofwaterwithinthemercurycolumnhavetobeprevented.Topreventsuchproblems,themercuryandtubeshavetoremainrelativelyclean.Inaddition,ifdifferentsizeheadwaterandtailwatertubesareused,capillaryheadmighthavetobeaccountedfor,seeAppendixX1,X1.2.3.2,andX1.4.TrapstopreventtheaccidentalflowofmercuryoutofthetubesarenotshowninFig.4.5.1.6SystemDe-airing—Thehydraulicsystemshallbedesignedtofacilitaterapidandcompleteremovaloffreeairbubblesfromflowlines;e.g.,usingproperlysizedtubingandballvalvesandfittingswithoutpipethreads.Properlysizedtubing,etc.,meanstheyaresmallenoughtoprevententrap-mentofairbubbles,butnotsosmallthattherequirementsof5.2.3cannotbemet.5.1.7BackPressureSystem—Thehydraulicsystemshallhavethecapabilitytoapplybackpressuretothespecimentofacilitatesaturation.Thesystemshallbecapableofmaintain-ingtheappliedbackpressurethroughoutthedurationofhydraulicconductivitymeasurements.Thebackpressuresys-temshallbecapableofapplying,controlling,andmeasuringthebackpressureto65%orbetteroftheappliedpressure.Thebackpressuremaybeprovidedbyacompressedgassupply,adeadweightactingonapiston,oranyothermethodcapableofapplyingandcontrollingthebackpressuretothetoleranceprescribedinthisparagraph.FIG.1FallingHead–RisingTailSystem,MethodCD5084–034CopyrightbyASTMInt'l(allrightsreserved);SunJun300:43:36EDT2007Downloaded/printedby(NationalChin-YiUnivofTech)pursuanttoLicenseAgreement.Nofurtherreproductionsauthorized.NOTE2—Applicationofgaspressuredirectlytoafluidwilldissolvegasinthefluid.Avarietyoftechniquesareavailabletominimizedissolutionofgasinthebackpressurefluid,includingseparationofgasandliquidphaseswithabladderandfrequentreplacementoftheliquidwithde-airedwater.5.2FlowMeasurementSystem—Bothinflowandoutflowvolumesshallbemeasuredunlessthelackofleakage,conti-nuityofflow,andcessationofconsolidationorswellingcanbeverifiedbyothermeans.Flowvolumesshallbemeasuredbyagraduatedaccumulator,graduatedpipette,verticalstandpipeinconjunctionwithanelectronicpressuretransducer,orothervolume-measuringdeviceofsuitableaccuracy.5.2.1FlowAccuracy—Requiredaccuracyforthequantityofflowmeasuredoveranintervaloftimeis65%orbetter.5.2.2De-airingandComplianceoftheSystem—Theflow-measurementsystemshallcontainaminimumofdeadspaceandbecapableofcompleteandrapidde-airing.Complianceofthesysteminresponsetochangesinpressureshallbeminimizedbyusingastiffflowmeasurementsystem.Rigidtubing,suchasmetallicorrigidthermoplastictubing,orglassshallbeused.5.2.3HeadLosses—Headlossesinthetubes,valves,po-rousendpieces,andfilterpapermayleadtoerror.Toguardagainstsucherrors,thepermeametershallbeassembledwithnospecimeninsideandthenthehydraulicsystemfilled.5.2.3.1ConstantorFallingHead—Ifaconstantorfallingheadtestistobeused,thehydraulicpressuresorheadsthatwillbeusedintestingaspecimenshallbeapplied,andtherateofflowmeasuredwithanaccuracyof65%orbetter.Thisrateofflowshallbeatleasttentimesgreaterthantherateofflowthatismeasuredwhenaspecimenisplacedinsidethepermeameterandthesamehydraulicpressuresorheadsareapplied.5.2.3.2ConstantRateofFlow—Ifaconstantrateofflowtestistobeused,therateofflowtobeusedintestingaspecimenshallbesuppliedtothepermeameterandtheheadlossmeasured.Theheadlosswithoutaspecimenshallbelessthan0.1timestheheadlosswhenaspecimenispresent.5.3PermeameterCellPressureSystem—Thesystemforpressurizingthepermeametercellshallbecapableofapplyingan