Darcy's law in saturated kaolinite

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Abstract
Data obtained with a new laboratory technique for measuring the hydraulic conductivity of saturated clays show that Darcy's law is obeyed at low gradients in saturated kaolinite over a wide range of porosities. The new technique involves producing arbitrary constant flow rates through a rigidly confined clay sample, using a multispeed syringe pump, and measuring the gradients induced thereby with a differential pressure transducer. This procedure avoids the errors in the conventional technique that arise from atmospheric contamination and from the long time intervals needed to obtain measurable flow rates. The results presented, together with the previous evidence, suggest that Darcy's law is valid in many saturated natural clays and clayey sediments, but that exceptions may occur in extremely fine‐grained clays and also where high gradients are present in shallow, unconfined sediments or in granular soils containing small amounts of clay. (Key words: Permeability; porous mediums.)

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