Effects of hydraulic gradient and clay type on permeability of clay mineral materials

Abstract

Considering the relevance of clay mineral-bearing geomaterials in landslide/mass movement hazard assessment, various engineering projects for resource development, and stability evaluation of underground space utilization, it is important to understand the permeability of these clay mineral-based geomaterials. However, only a few quantitative data have been reported to date regarding the effects of the clay mineral type and hydraulic gradient on the permeability of clay mineral materials. This study was conducted to investigate the permeability of clay mineral materials based on the clay mineral type, under different hydraulic gradient conditions, through a constant-pressure permeability test. Comparative tests have revealed that the difference in the types of clay mineral influences the swelling pressure and hydraulic conductivity. In addition, it has been found that the difference in water pressure (hydraulic gradient) affects the hydraulic conductivity of clay mineral materials. The hydraulic conductivity has been found to be closely associated with the specific surface area of the clay mineral material. Furthermore, the hydraulic conductivity value measured is almost consistent with the value calculated theoretically using the Kozeny–Carman equation. Moreover, the hydraulic conductivity is also found to be closely associated with the hydrogen energy, calculated from the consistency index of clay. This result suggests that the hydraulic conductivity of clay mineral materials can be estimated based on the specific surface area and void ratio, or consistency index of clay.