Darcy apparatus

FIGURE 3-6 A simple permeameter, or Darcy apparatus, used to measure hydraulic conductivity. The column, a pipe filled with the soil sample under test, has cross-sectional area A and length L specific discharge q is therefore equal to total column flow Q divided by A. Hydraulic conductivity K is estimated using Darcy s law K = —q/(Ah/L). In this apparatus, it is assumed that negligible head loss occurs in the hoses connecting the soil column to the constant head water reservoirs I and II and in the screens used to hold the soil in the column. 

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