Hydraulic conductivity of naturally sedimented and reconstituted clays interpreted from consolidation tests

Abstract The hydraulic conductivity of naturally sedimented and reconstituted clays is often interpreted using the settlement–time curves measured from consolidation tests. Understanding the accuracy of the interpreted hydraulic conductivity is essential in geological and geotechnical engineering. To the best knowledge of the authors, such a work has been little reported up to now. This study aims at investigating the errors of the interpreted hydraulic conductivity via the comparison between the interpreted values and the measurements. The ratios of the interpreted values of hydraulic conductivity over the measurements are examined based on the data from the consolidation–hydraulic conductivity tests performed in this study in conjunction with those published by our research team. The investigated clays cover wide geological origins and depositional states. The geological origins and depositional states are linked with the errors of the interpreted hydraulic conductivity for understanding the roles of these factors in the uncertainty of the interpreted hydraulic conductivity. The causes responsible for the discrepancy in hydraulic conductivity between the interpretations and the measurements are identified. The probability distribution of the errors of the interpreted hydraulic conductivity is also investigated.