FIELD TECHNIQUE OF PERMEABILITY TESTS IN HIGHLY FISSURED LIMESTONE STRATA

Abstract

A design of a dewatering system is necessary for site improvement prior to the construction of some structures. The design of an efficient dewatering system requires estimating the value of the in-situ coefficient of permeability. The available relationships for estimating the permeability coefficient were developed based on limited field measurements and conditions, and their predictions vary by several orders of magnitudes. Therefore, it was necessary to conduct field measurements of permeability and determine the relationship that best fits these measurements prior to the design of a dewatering system for specific geological and site conditions. This paper presents field measurements of permeability in complex chaotic and diagenetic limestone strata. It also offers comparative analysis of several relationships available in the literature for predicting the in-situ coefficient of permeability. The analysis is conducted for both steady and nonsteady conditions. The results show that the coefficient of permeability value is dependent on the water table level, which is affected by the tidal condition. The US Navy equation is shown to give the best correlation with field measurements.