A probabilistic permeability model and the pore size density function

Mathematical interpretation of the pore size disribution (PSD) data as measured by mercury intrusion porosimetry was revealed in detail. The PSD data were commonly presented as cumulative intruded volume per gram of specimen versus pore size. In this paper, however, they were expressed in a dimensionless term for convenient mathematical operations. The pore size density function was deduced from the PSD data using the finite difference approximation and curve‐fitting technique. For the prediction of permeability, first the published correlations between permeability and pore geometry were critically reviewed. A probabilistic permeability model based on the pore size density function was then developed, which can be thought of as a generalization of Childs and Collis‐George's model. Predictions of permeability of the compacted soils studied using the developed model were very good for a wide range of permeabilities.