ISSN: 1945-7553
CODEN: JTEVAB
Page Count: 6

Development of an Innovative Computer-Controlled Water Deairing System for Hydraulic Testing of Geosynthetics

Aydilek, AH
Assistant Professor, University of Maryland, College Park, MD

Kutay, ME
Graduate Research Assistant, University of Maryland, College Park, MD

(Received 4 January 2003; accepted 21 October 2003)

Abstract

Use of deaired water is essential in many hydraulic tests conducted on geosynthetics. This is because air bubbles present in tap water adversely affect the test results. Additionally, long-term flow should be maintained, which requires large quantities of deaired water. An innovative computer-controlled fully automated system was developed to provide this continuous supply of deaired water and the approach is presented in this paper. The system is composed of two water deairing tanks and a control unit (hardware and software). These units were constructed to take advantage of the most recent technology available in the area of instrumentation. The efficiency of the system was checked through gradient ratio tests conducted on various soil/geotextile combinations.

Keywords:
water deairing system, automation, geosynthetics, hydraulic testing, long-term flow testing

Paper ID: JTE11852
DOI: 10.1520/JTE11852
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