Instruction 07.

19 QUICK START GUIDE

Falling Head,
Rising Tail Permeability
Master Controller HM-4150 Distribution Panel

35.00
VACUUM VACUUM VACUUM
PRESSURE

OFF VENT OFF VENT OFF VENT

PRESSURE PRESSURE PRESSURE

AIR SUPPLY
INCREAS E

INCREAS E INCREAS E INCREASE

CELL BASE TOP

PRESSURE PRESSURE PRESSURE

VACUUM SUPPLY
INCREAS E

OFF
DEAIRED WATER TANK
VACUUM OFF

BIAS ON BRIDGE ON
OFF

PRESSURE

FILL

OFF

OFF OFF OFF

DRAIN
EXTERNAL EXTERNAL EXTERNAL

TAP WATER
OFF OFF OFF

OFF
BURETTE BURETTE BURETTE

DEAIRED WATER
CELL BASE TOP
OUTPUT
FILL FILL FILL
PRESSURE

OFF OFF OFF

OFF

DRAIN DRAIN DRAIN

VACUUM
OUTPUT
 QUICK START GUIDE
1. Base and Top Burette cross-sectional Area
(inflow and outflow) check /Verification

Master Controller HM-4150 Distribution Panel

35.00
VACUUM VACUUM VACUUM
PRESSURE

Master Controller OFF VENT OFF VENT OFF VENT HM-4150 Distribution Panel
PRESSURE PRESSURE PRESSURE

AIR SUPPLY
INCREAS E
35.00
INCREAS E INCREAS E INCREASE

VACUUM VACUUM VACUUM

PRESSURE
CELL BASE TOP
PRESSURE PRESSURE OFF
PRESSURE VENT
OFF VENT OFF VENT

VACUUM SUPPLY

PRESSURE PRESSURE PRESSURE

INCREAS E

AIR SUPPLY OFF

DEAIRED WATER TANK
VACUUM INCREAS E
OFF

BIAS ON
INCREAS E
BRIDGE ON INCREASE INCREASE

OFF

PRESSURE

2.8

FILL 3.0
CELL BASE 3.2 TOP
OFF PRESSURE PRESSURE 3.4 PRESSURE
OFF OFF OFF 3.6
DRAIN
3.8
EXTERNAL EXTERNAL EXTERNAL

TAP WATER
VACUUM SUPPLY 4.0

4.2
INCREAS E
OFF OFF OFF
4.4
OFF
BURETTE BURETTE BURETTE 4.6

4.8
DEAIRED WATER
CELL BASE TOP
OUTPUT OFF 5.0
FILL FILL FILL 5.2
PRESSURE DEAIRED WATER TANK
OFF
5.4
VACUUM
OFF OFF OFF 5.6
OFF

DRAIN DRAIN DRAIN BIAS ON 5.8

BRIDGE ON
VACUUM 6.0
OUTPUT OFF

PRESSURE

A. Determine the
FILL
burette reading.
B. MeasureOFF the length of the known volume of the

burette usingDRAIN
a steel ruler.
OFF OFF OFF

Example: In this example 2.00 CC is equal

EXTERNAL
to 4.00
EXTERNAL EXTERNAL FILL

TAP WATER
inches in length. OFF OFF OFF

C. ConvertOFFthe length into cm.

BURETTE
DRAIN
BURETTE BURETTE

Example:DEAIRED
(4.00 x 2.54) = 10.18
WATER
CELL cm BASE TOP
OUTPUT
D. The area ofPRESSURE
the burette equals the known FILL volume, FILL

divided by the measured OFF

length. OFF OFF
OFF
Example: Area = 2.00 divided by 10.18 cm = 0.196 cm2
DRAIN DRAIN
VACUUM
OUTPUT
3
QUICK START GUIDE

Master Controller HM-4150 Distribution Panel

35.00
VACUUM VACUUM VACUUM
PRESSURE

OFF VENT OFF VENT OFF VENT 2

PRESSURE PRESSURE PRESSURE

AIR SUPPLY
INCREAS E

INCREAS E INCREAS E INCREASE

CELL BASE TOP

PRESSURE PRESSURE PRESSURE

VACUUM SUPPLY
INCREAS E

OFF
DEAIRED WATER TANK
VACUUM OFF

BIAS ON BRIDGE ON
OFF

PRESSURE

FILL

OFF

OFF OFF OFF

DRAIN
EXTERNAL EXTERNAL EXTERNAL

TAP WATER
OFF OFF OFF

OFF
BURETTE BURETTE BURETTE

DEAIRED WATER
CELL BASE TOP
OUTPUT

3
FILL FILL FILL
PRESSURE

OFF OFF OFF

OFF

DRAIN DRAIN DRAIN

VACUUM
OUTPUT

2. Fill the top burette, if it is not filled.

3. Connect the tubing to Top Burette Assembly
(far right) on the pressure panel.

4
 4 QUICK START GUIDE

4. Connect the tubing from the Top Burette Assembly

on the pressure panel to the Top Input on the right-
hand side of the Triaxial cell.

5
QUICK START GUIDE

5. Loosen the nut holding the tubing on the Top

Input valve of the triaxial cell.

6
 QUICK START GUIDE
Master Controller HM-4150 Distribution Panel

35.00
VACUUM VACUUM VACUUM
PRESSURE

OFF VENT OFF VENT OFF VENT

PRESSURE PRESSURE PRESSURE

AIR SUPPLY
INCREAS E

INCREAS E INCREAS E INCREASE

CELL BASE TOP

PRESSURE PRESSURE PRESSURE

VACUUM SUPPLY
INCREAS E

OFF
DEAIRED WATER TANK
VACUUM OFF

BIAS ON BRIDGE ON
OFF

PRESSURE

FILL

OFF

OFF OFF OFF

DRAIN

TAP WATER
EXTERNAL EXTERNAL EXTERNAL
6
OFF OFF OFF

OFF
BURETTE BURETTE BURETTE

DEAIRED WATER
CELL BASE TOP
OUTPUT
FILL FILL FILL
PRESSURE

OFF OFF OFF

OFF

DRAIN DRAIN DRAIN

VACUUM
OUTPUT

6. Turn the Top Pressure burette assembly’s Fill/Drain

valve to the Fill position, and allow the water to
drain, which flushes the Top Input valve and
tubing (Step 5).

7. Then, Tighten the nut we loosened in Step 5.

7
QUICK START GUIDE

Master Controller HM-4150 Distribution Panel

35.00
VACUUM VACUUM VACUUM
PRESSURE

OFF VENT OFF VENT OFF VENT

PRESSURE PRESSURE PRESSURE

AIR SUPPLY
INCREAS E

INCREAS E INCREAS E INCREASE

CELL BASE TOP

PRESSURE PRESSURE PRESSURE

VACUUM SUPPLY
INCREAS E

OFF
DEAIRED WATER TANK
VACUUM OFF

BIAS ON BRIDGE ON
OFF

PRESSURE

FILL

OFF

DRAIN
OFF

EXTERNAL
OFF

EXTERNAL
OFF

EXTERNAL
8
TAP WATER
OFF OFF OFF

OFF
BURETTE BURETTE BURETTE

DEAIRED WATER
CELL BASE TOP
OUTPUT
FILL FILL FILL
PRESSURE

OFF OFF OFF

OFF

DRAIN DRAIN DRAIN

VACUUM
OUTPUT

8. Turn the Top Pressure Burette assembly’s Fill/Drain

valve to the off position.

8
 QUICK START GUIDE
9

9. Close all of the valves on the Triaxial cell.

9
QUICK START GUIDE

10A
Master Controller HM-4150 Distribution Panel

35.00
VACUUM VACUUM VACUUM
PRESSURE

OFF VENT OFF VENT OFF VENT

PRESSURE PRESSURE PRESSURE

AIR SUPPLY
INCREAS E

INCREAS E INCREAS E INCREASE

CELL BASE TOP

PRESSURE PRESSURE PRESSURE

VACUUM SUPPLY
INCREAS E

OFF
DEAIRED WATER TANK
VACUUM OFF

BIAS ON BRIDGE ON
OFF

10B
PRESSURE

FILL

OFF

OFF OFF OFF

DRAIN
EXTERNAL EXTERNAL EXTERNAL

TAP WATER
OFF OFF OFF

OFF
BURETTE BURETTE BURETTE

DEAIRED WATER
CELL BASE TOP
OUTPUT
FILL FILL FILL
PRESSURE

OFF OFF OFF

OFF

DRAIN DRAIN DRAIN

VACUUM
OUTPUT

10A. Turn the Base Pressure Valve to the Vent position.

10B. Turn the External/Burette Valve for the Top

Pressure Burette to the Burette position.

10
 QUICK START GUIDE
Master Controller HM-4150 Distribution Panel

VACUUM VACUUM VACUUM

PRESSURE

OFF VENT OFF VENT OFF VENT

PRESSURE PRESSURE PRESSURE

AIR SUPPLY
INCREAS E

INCREAS E INCREAS E INCREASE

CELL BASE TOP

PRESSURE PRESSURE PRESSURE

VACUUM SUPPLY
INCREAS E

DEAIRED WATER TANK

OFF OFF
VACUUM
BIAS ON BRIDGE ON
OFF

PRESSURE

FILL

OFF

OFF OFF OFF

DRAIN

TAP WATER
EXTERNAL EXTERNAL EXTERNAL
11B
OFF OFF OFF

OFF
BURETTE BURETTE BURETTE

DEAIRED WATER
CELL BASE TOP
OUTPUT
FILL FILL FILL
PRESSURE

OFF OFF OFF

OFF

DRAIN DRAIN DRAIN

VACUUM
OUTPUT

11A

11A. Slowly Turn Base Fill/Drain to the Fill position,

setting the Burette level close to 0.00 mark.

11B. Slowly Turn Top Fill/Drain to Drain position,

setting the Burette level close to 10.00 mark.

11
QUICK START GUIDE

14
12
Master Controller HM-4150 Distribution Panel

VACUUM VACUUM VACUUM

PRESSURE

OFF VENT OFF VENT OFF VENT

PRESSURE PRESSURE PRESSURE

AIR SUPPLY
INCREAS E

INCREAS E INCREAS E INCREASE

CELL
PRESSURE
BASE
PRESSURE
TOP
PRESSURE
13
VACUUM SUPPLY
INCREAS E

DEAIRED WATER TANK

OFF OFF
VACUUM
BIAS ON BRIDGE ON
OFF

PRESSURE

FILL

OFF

OFF OFF OFF

DRAIN
EXTERNAL EXTERNAL EXTERNAL

TAP WATER
OFF OFF OFF

OFF
BURETTE BURETTE BURETTE

DEAIRED WATER
CELL BASE TOP
OUTPUT
FILL FILL FILL
PRESSURE

OFF OFF OFF

OFF

DRAIN DRAIN DRAIN

VACUUM
OUTPUT

12. Turn Top pressure valve to OFF.

13. Turn Bridge Valve to ON.

14. Turn Base pressure valve to Pressure.

12
 QUICK START GUIDE
15

16

15. Open The Cell valve located in the middle of

the Triaxial cell.

16. Open Top and Base valves, located on the

right-hand side of the Triaxial cell.

13
QUICK START GUIDE

17. Allow top and base burette to stabilize for 5 -10 minutes,
then start a timer and take a burette reading for both
base and top.

18. The base burette should go down and top burette

should go up.

19. When base burette drops to about 0.3 CC, record the
time expired, and the level readings of the base and
top burettes.

20. Continue recording the levels in the burettes.

21. Compute the inflow to the outflow ratio.

22. After computing four consecutive ratios of inflow to

outflow between 0.75 and 1.25, you can now compute
the Permeability.

23. Permeability K(cm/sec.) = ( ( ain (cm2)* aout (cm2)*

L (cm) ) / ( (ain + aout)* ∆A* Δt(sec.) ) ) ln (∆h1 /∆h2)

14
 QUICK START GUIDE
K= hydraulic conductivity, cm/s,
∆Q = quantity of flow for given time interval ∆t, taken
as theaverage of inflow and outflow, cm3,
L= length of specimen, cm,
A= cross-sectional area of specimen, cm2,
t∆ = interval of time, s, over which the flow ∆Q occurs
(t2 – t1),
t1 = time at start of permeation trial, date: hr:min:sec,
t2 = time at end of permeation trial, date:hr:min:sec,
∆h = average head loss across the permeameter/specimen
((∆h1 + ∆h2)/2), cm of water,
∆h1 = head loss across the permeameter/specimen at t1,
cm of water,
∆h2 = head loss across the permeameter/specimen at t2,
cm of water,
ain = cross-sectional area of the reservoir containing the
influent/inflow liquid, cm2, and
aout = cross-sectional area of the reservoir containing the
effluent/outflow liquid, cm2.

15
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©2018 HUMBOLDT Mfg. Co. All Rights Reserved. This manual or
parts thereof may not be reproduced in any form without the
expressed written permission of HUMBOLDT Mfg. Co.
UNPUBLISHED LICENSED PROPRIETARY WORK
©2016 HUMBOLDT Mfg. Co.

Humboldt Mfg. Co. U.S.A. Toll Free: 1.800.544.7220

875 Tollgate Road Voice: 1.708.456.6300
Elgin, Illinois 60123 U.S.A. Fax: 1.708.456.0137
Email: hmc@humboldtmfg.com