In this thesis, the coefficient of hydraulic conductivity of soils was analysed experimentally and computationally. Laboratory tests were carried out on karst clay, sand and mixtures of the two materials. The aim of the thesis was to compare laboratory-measured values of hydraulic conductivity with values estimated using empirical equations, and to evaluate the influence of grain-size distribution on the obtained results. In addition to the results obtained on laboratory-prepared compacted specimens, archival results for intact samples of fine-grained soils were also analysed. This made it possible to assess the influence of specimen preparation, namely intact and compacted specimens, on the measured and estimated values of hydraulic conductivity. The results show that the measured hydraulic conductivity decreases with increasing clay content. The comparison between measured and indirectly determined values of hydraulic conductivity showed that empirical equations often underestimate hydraulic conductivity, particularly for compacted specimens, while the agreement was generally somewhat better for intact samples. Based on the results, it was also found that empirical equations are mainly suitable for preliminary estimates of hydraulic conductivity and cannot replace targeted field and laboratory investigations adapted to the nature of the soil and the basis of limited data sets for specific soil types and therefore have a limited range of aplicability. Consequently, the reliability of the calculated values of hydraulic conductivity is also limited.
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