Design, Fabrication, Evaluation and Calibration of an Improvised Soil Permeameter for Measurement of Soil Hydraulic Conductivity

Abstract

This study aimed at the design, fabrication, evaluation and calibration of an improvised soil permeameter for measuring saturated soil hydraulic conductivities. A metal support frame with a permissible strength of 50e-4 N/mm2 was made using steel galvanized pipes of 6 cmØ (internal  diameter) and metal flat bars of 8cm long and 0.4cm thick. The water tank (thickness 0.6 cm, height 28 cm, internal diameter 19 cmØ) and permeameter cylinder (thickness 0.6 cm, height 23 cm, internal diameter 19 cmØ) were both made of Perspex glass material. An electromechanical measuring device which was programmed and operated wirelessly was designed and constructed to measure head-in and head-out parameters. To calibrate the improvised soil permeameter, sampled and particle analysed soils from different locations within Zaria metropolis, were a test run on both foreign and improvised soil permeameters and their respective Ksat readings were subjected to regression analysis. According to the R² values, the generated 3rd order polynomial regression equation from the Ksat readings of both foreign and improvised soil permeameter had a satisfactory R² value of 0.985.

Keywords: Permeameter, Hydraulic Conductivity, Electromechanical, Saturated, Automation