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A novel framework for deriving water retention behavior of multimodal unsaturated soils based on pore size distribution data
The soil water retention curve (SWRC) strongly influences the hydro-mechanical properties of unsaturated soils. It plays a decisive role in geotechnical and geo-environmental applications in the vadose zone. This paper advances a novel framework to derive the water retention behavior of multimodal deformable soils based on the pore size distribution (PSD) measurements. The multiple effects of suction on the soil pore structure and total volume during SWRC tests are considered. The complete picture of soil microstructure is quantitatively described by the void ratio (for the pore volume) and a newly defined microstructural state parameter (for pore size distribution) from a probabilistic multimodal PSD model. Assuming a reversible microstructure evolution, a unique PSD surface for wetting and drying links the SWRC and PSD curves in the pore radius-suction-probability space. A closed-form water retention expression is obtained, facilitating the model's implementation in particle applications. The model is validated using the water retention data of four different soil types, showing a strong consistency between the measurement and the reproduced curve. The proposed method provides new insights into the pore structure evolution, the water retention behavior and the relationship between them for multimodal deformable soils.
A novel framework for deriving water retention behavior of multimodal unsaturated soils based on pore size distribution data
The soil water retention curve (SWRC) strongly influences the hydro-mechanical properties of unsaturated soils. It plays a decisive role in geotechnical and geo-environmental applications in the vadose zone. This paper advances a novel framework to derive the water retention behavior of multimodal deformable soils based on the pore size distribution (PSD) measurements. The multiple effects of suction on the soil pore structure and total volume during SWRC tests are considered. The complete picture of soil microstructure is quantitatively described by the void ratio (for the pore volume) and a newly defined microstructural state parameter (for pore size distribution) from a probabilistic multimodal PSD model. Assuming a reversible microstructure evolution, a unique PSD surface for wetting and drying links the SWRC and PSD curves in the pore radius-suction-probability space. A closed-form water retention expression is obtained, facilitating the model's implementation in particle applications. The model is validated using the water retention data of four different soil types, showing a strong consistency between the measurement and the reproduced curve. The proposed method provides new insights into the pore structure evolution, the water retention behavior and the relationship between them for multimodal deformable soils.
A novel framework for deriving water retention behavior of multimodal unsaturated soils based on pore size distribution data
Acta Geotech.
Yan, Wei (author) / Cudmani, Roberto (author)
Acta Geotechnica ; 19 ; 8071-8088
2024-12-01
18 pages
Article (Journal)
Electronic Resource
English
Constitutive relations , Partial saturation , Pore size distribution , Soil microstructure , Water retention behavior Engineering , Geoengineering, Foundations, Hydraulics , Solid Mechanics , Geotechnical Engineering & Applied Earth Sciences , Soil Science & Conservation , Soft and Granular Matter, Complex Fluids and Microfluidics
Springer Verlag | 2024
|British Library Online Contents | 2013
|Pore water pressures in unsaturated soils
Engineering Index Backfile | 1965
|British Library Online Contents | 2001
|