Determination of Saturated Hydraulic Conductivity in Unsaturated Zone from Field and Lab Methods

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Recent Advances in Civil Engineering (CTCS 2021)

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Abstract

In many geotechnical and hydrological studies, there is a significant increase in the field investigation of hydraulic properties in unsaturated zone. Hydraulic conductivity is one such parameter that is used as an input in many physically based models. As hydraulic conductivity is a highly spatially variable property, estimating the representative values are required for any modeling processes. The present study aimed at determining the saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ks) at two different land covers by Guelph permeameter in the field, permeability tests in the lab, and the Rawls–Brakensiek regression equation as a function of textural properties of the soil. Also, the study involves the comparison of the Ks values measured from field, lab, and Rawls regression equation. The results of this study indicate that, although there is slight variability in the results of hydraulic conductivity measurement methods, the graphical plots show a good correlation between the field, lab, and estimated values by Rawls equation.

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Correspondence to B. M. Vasanth Kumar .

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Vasanth Kumar, B.M., Chandramouli, P.N. (2023). Determination of Saturated Hydraulic Conductivity in Unsaturated Zone from Field and Lab Methods. In: Nandagiri, L., Narasimhan, M.C., Marathe, S. (eds) Recent Advances in Civil Engineering. CTCS 2021. Lecture Notes in Civil Engineering, vol 256. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-19-1862-9_19

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-19-1862-9_19

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