ISSN: 1945-7545
CODEN: GTJODJ
Page Count: 5

Sidewall Leakage in Hydraulic Conductivity Testing of Asphalt Concrete Specimens

Bowders, JJ
Associate Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Missouri-Columbia, Columbia, MO

Neupane, D
Graduate Research Assistant, Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Missouri-Columbia, Columbia, MO

Erik Loehr, J
Assistant Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Missouri-Columbia, Columbia, MO

(Received 2 March 2001; accepted 17 September 2001)

Abstract

Asphalt specimens with irregular sidewalls can require special testing considerations when measuring hydraulic conductivity in a flexible wall permeameter. The hydraulic conductivity of laboratory prepared, dense asphalt concrete with high asphalt cement content (6–8.5% asphalt cement) was measured in the laboratory. Hydraulic conductivities were found to be excessive and were shown to be caused by sidewall leakage. Applying a thin layer of silicone vacuum grease to the sides of the asphalt specimens arrested the sidewall leakage, thereby permitting more accurate measurement of the hydraulic conductivity of the asphalt concrete.

Keywords:
asphalt, asphalt concrete, permeability, sidewall leakage, hydraulic conductivity, soil testing, hydraulic barriers, waste containment

Paper ID: GTJ11364J
DOI: 10.1520/GTJ11364J
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