Influence of clay content on permeability of compacted lateritic soil

Abstract

This research studied the permeability of compacted lateritic soil in vertical and horizontal directions. The instrument for measuring the coefficient of permeability was performed in cubic mold shape. The soil samples were compacted by static compaction method. The relationship between the coefficient permeability in vertical (K_v) and horizontal (K_h)   directions were investigated. The influence of clay content on permeability of compacted laterite soil is studied. The results showed that the K_v and the K_h values sharply decrease when the dry density increases until the maximum dry density. Then they are nearly constant at the relative compaction less than 85% with the water content higher than optimum water content. The K_v/K_h decreases when the water content of the compacted soil increases. The K_v/K_h is in the range of 2-7 when the water content is higher than the optimum water content. The higher clay content is mixed, the lower K value is showed. The increasing in the clay content is especially subject to decrease in the K value by 80 percent.