Design, Fabrication and Testing of a Constant Head Permeameter

Abstract

Hydraulic conductivity describes how easily a fluid is transported through a porous medium. The permeability of soils is a very important feature which plays the crucial role in issues connected with the flow of ground water and the migration of pollutions. The laboratory device used to measure hydraulic conductivity is a ‘permeameter’. This laboratory device is not readily available, probably due to its cost, there is a need to initiate and develop a design that will meet the demands of projects that has to do with the hydraulic conductivity property of soil samples. The improvised constant head permeameter consist of a transparent constant head permeameter box made of Perspex glass material, a rubber water tank, a 0.5hp centrifugal water pump, glass siphons made from Pyrex capillary tubes, plastic funnels, PVC pipes, a metal stand, a graduated movable pin, core sampler holders, and a 4amps step down transformer. The constant head permeameter is designed and able to determine hydraulic conductivity of soil samples with particle sizes within the range of 0.001mm – 2mm. The T-Test result between the improvised and Imported Permeameter mean K_sat values was 0.03 which is less than the critical value of 0.05 (5%). It is therefore recommended that a water tight medium should be put in place between the core sampler and the core sampler holder.

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