LABORATORY TESTS ON GRANULAR FILTERS FOR EMBANKMENT DAMS. FINAL REPORT

Present Corps of Engineer (CE) filter criterion (EM 1110-2-1901, Appendix D) dates from the early 1950's, and some uncertainty exists as to the applicability and adequacy of this criterion under various conditions. Laboratory filter tests were conducted on uniform and poorly-graded cohesionless base materials protected by various filters, and internal stability tests were conducted on various graded filter materials. Based upon the limited tests conducted, the following changes to CE filter criterion are proposed. For a uniform (poorly-graded) cohesionless base material, the second stability ratio (the size filter material at 50 percent passing divided by the size of base material at 50 percent passing is equal to or less than 25) should not be used, and there is no need for requiring parallelism of filter and base gradations. For a poorly-graded cohesionless base material, the second stability ratio should not be used, but the requirement for parallelism of filter and base gradations should be retained. Poorly-graded gravelly sand and sandy gravel are internally unstable and should not be used as filters when the coefficient of uniformity (the size of filter material at 60 percent passing divided by the size of filter material at 10 percent passing) is equal to or greater than 20. Segregation during placement can occur when the coefficient of uniformity is equal to or greater than 10.

• Corporate Authors:

  U.S. Army Waterways Experiment Station

  Geotechnical Laboratory, 3909 Halls Ferry Road
  Vicksburg, MS  United States  39180-6199
• Authors:
  • Perry, E B
• Publication Date: 1987-8

Media Info

• Features: Appendices; Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 353 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Dams; Embankments; Filters; Granular materials; Laboratory tests; Standards; Test procedures
• Uncontrolled Terms: Criteria; Particle size distribution
• Subject Areas: Geotechnology; Highways; I42: Soil Mechanics;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00464794
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: GL-87-22
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Dec 31 1987 12:00AM