ABSTRACT
Bauxite is the primary aluminum ore which may liquefy because of high water content, seepage and dynamic motions from the vessel during maritime transportation. To evaluate the seepage behavior and further the liquefaction potential of bauxite, hydraulic conductivity (k) of bauxite in saturated and unsaturated conditions was directly measured by the permeability tests, and it was compared with that estimated based on the soil water characteristics curve. In the permeability tests, the membrane filter technique and pin type pressure sensor were applied to a triaxial apparatus. It was found that the experimental k increased associated with the increase in degree of saturation with a reasonably good test repeatability. On the other hand, the SWCC-based k estimations generally matched with experimental ones though they may vary about one order depending on SWCC used.
