Laboratory Measurement of Hydraulic Conductivity of Saturated Soil

An important soil property involved in the behavior of soil water flow systems is the conductivity of the soil to water. Qualitatively, the conductivity is the ability of the soil to transmit water. Measurements of conductivity of saturated soil have long been made. The data are of use in analysis of any saturated-soil water-flow system. These include drainage of soils for agricultural as well as engineering purposes. Drainage of highways, airports, and construction sites, and seepage below dams are among the latter. The data also provide indirect information about the structure and structural stability of soils. Soils that are low in permeability may have to be held between porous plates in a sealed cylinder, so that an increased hydraulic gradient can be applied to the sample. The streaming of water through a crack or hole in a laboratory sample may not be representative of the behavior of the soil in the field.