Hydraulic Conductivity Question

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jaa046

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Can someone help me solve this:

Bore-hole logs show interbedded soil layers with the following characteristics. What is the overall hydraulic conductivity through the soil layers?

Layer Thickness (cm) Soil Class

1 70 SP

2 109 GC

3 88 SM

4 46 SC

(a) 5.0 x 10-8 cm/s

(B) 1.3 x 10-7 cm/s

© 1.3 x 10-4 cm/s

(d) 5.0 x 10-4 cm/s

Thank you

 
I think this problem is too open ended for the PE.

There are two formulas to use to get the equivalent overall permeability of a layered system depending on which way your layers are oriented with respect to your flow direciton. However, the permeability of the material types you have listed have a wide range, and many references will not report the exam same range of permeability for the material type.

 
Seems like a question where they would give you the expected permeability for the soil class...anything you would get from a reference for those classes would have a range of at least a few orders of magnitude.

 
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