Measurement of Permeability of Cohesive Soils Using Electrokinetics
The phenomenon of electrokinetic migration of water due to imposed voltage gradients
in fine-grained soils was exploited to determine the hydraulic conductivity of
resedimented Georgia Kaolin and natural Chicago glacial clay. The imposition of
a voltage gradient across a saturated sample of a clay soil can induce water migration
causing excess pore pressures to develop. By relating the electro-osmotic migration
of the water in the pores and the pore pressures developed during a test, the
hydraulic conductivity of the sample may be determined. To prevent the chemical
and physical reactions that occur at the cathode and anode when a current is passed
through a soil sample from interfering with the test, an alternating current approach
was developed. This technique can rapidly evaluate the hydraulic conductivity
of cohesive soils.
Related Publications
Yin, J., Feldkamp, J.R., Chung, K.-Y., and Finno, R.J., "Electro-osmotic
Pore Pressures in Soil Due to an Alternating Electrical Field,"
Transport in Porous Media, 18, 37-63, 1995.
Yin, J., Finno, R.J., Feldkamp, J.R., and Chung, K.-Y., "Coefficient of
Permeability from A/C Electroosmosis Experiments: Theory," Journal of
Geotechnical Engineering, ASCE, 122, 5, 1996.
Finno, R.J., Chung, K.-Y., and Feldkamp, J.R., "Coefficient of
Permeability from A/C Electroosmosis Experiments: Results," Journal of
Geotechnical Engineering, ASCE, 122, 5, 1996.
Yin, J., Finno,R.J. and Feldkamp, J.R., "Electro-Osmotic Mobility
Measurement for Kaolinite Clay," Proceedings, Geoenvironment 2000, ASCE,
New Orleans, 1995.
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For more information contact:
Dr. Richard J. Finno
r-finno@northwestern.edu