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Measuring the Hydraulic Conductivity of Peats and Organic Clays with Various Characteristics

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Abstract

This paper discusses the hydraulic conductivity (k) of peat and organic clay as measured by laboratory and in-situ tests. The k of various peat soils and organic clay soils in Hokkaido, Japan, was investigated by the following tests: in-situ hydraulic conductivity test using a borehole, electric cone penetration test, oedometer test, and laboratory hydraulic conductivity test. The k of peat and organic clay dramatically decreases during consolidation. The index of change in k, which indicates consolidation-related changes in k, increases linearly with the increase in the in-situ void ratio and the ignition loss. The k of peat measured by oedometer test was found to range from approximately 1/20 to 1/180 of that measured by in-situ hydraulic conductivity test, which is considered to provide the macroscopic k of peat ground. Since large plant remnants must be removed for the oedometer testing of peat, the laboratory k obtained from this test underestimates the macroscopic k of the peat layer. The ratio of laboratory k to in-situ k can be simply expressed as a function of the ignition loss. Based on the results of a dissipation test of pore water pressure that used the electric cone penetration test, an equation for estimating the in-situ k of peat ground is presented. Using the above-mentioned experimental correlations, a suitable procedure for determining the permeability parameters of peat ground in practical applications is proposed.

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Acknowledgements

The authors wish to express deep gratitude to Emeritus Prof. Hiroyuki Tanaka of Hokkaido University and Associate Prof. Nobutaka Yamazoe of the National Institute of Technology, Akita College, for their valuable advice.

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  1. Civil Engineering Research Institute for Cold Region (CERI), 1-3 Hiragishi, Toyohira-ku, Sapporo,, Hokkaido, 062-8602, Japan

    Hirochika Hayashi & Osamu Hatakeyama

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  1. Hirochika Hayashi
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  2. Osamu Hatakeyama
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Correspondence to Hirochika Hayashi.

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Hayashi, H., Hatakeyama, O. Measuring the Hydraulic Conductivity of Peats and Organic Clays with Various Characteristics. Geotech Geol Eng 39, 517–531 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10706-020-01510-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10706-020-01510-3

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