Experimental study on the hydraulic conductivity of calcareous sand in South China Sea

ABSTRACTCharacterization of the hydraulic property of a specific geomaterial is of fundamental importance in engineering design and application. This paper reports an experimental investigation to the hydraulic conductivity of a typical marine sand, i.e., calcareous sand, which becomes increasingly popular as sea-filling material for land reclamation or construction of artificial islands. A series of permeability tests have been performed using the calcareous sand collected from Nansha islands in South China Sea. Using the home-made permeability test apparatus (so-called velocity-controlled pressure-differential acquisition flow apparatus), the relationship between flow velocity and hydraulic gradient was obtained and the hydraulic conductivity of calcareous sand was then determined accordingly. The effects of important parameters, including particle shape and particle size distribution on the hydraulic conductivity of calcareous sand, were assessed. To investigate the effect of particle size distribution...