The paper presents an experimental study on water retention behaviour of two reconstituted soils, a silty clay (Speswhite kaolin) and a sandy clayey silt ( Barcelona silt) and two compacted soils, a silty clay ( Speswhite kaolin) and a silty sandy gravel (Adige river embankment). These soils were used with the aim of encompassing a wide range of soil types and soil fabrics. Specimens were subjected to drying and wetting 'hydraulic' paths by removing or adding water under zero total stress and to 'mechanical' wetting paths by compressing specimens at constant water content. To investigate a broad range of void ratios, the reconstituted sandy clayey silt was initially reconstituted from slurry by applying different consolidation vertical stresses, whereas the compacted Speswhite kaolin and Adige river embankment were compacted to a broad range of water contents and compaction energy. On the basis of the experimental data, a modification to the van Genuchten's model is proposed to account for the effect of void ratio on 'main drying' and 'main wetting' behaviour. The model is based on parameters having clear physical meaning and can properly describe water retention at medium and low degrees of saturation. It is formulated in such a way that effect of void ratio on 'scanning' behaviour can potentially be accounted for. The model applies to both the compacted and reconstituted soils investigated in this programme and describes water retention behaviour regardless of whether the degree of saturation is changed in a mechanical or hydraulic fashion

This paper presents an experimental study of the compaction behaviour of non-active clay. One-dimensional static compaction tests were carried out at high and medium water content with matric suction monitoring using Trento high-capacity tensiometers. At lower water contents, a transistor psychrometer was used to measure post-compaction suction. Samples were compacted on the dry side of optimum to cover a wide range of compaction water contents and vertical stresses. Three water content regions were identified in the compaction plane depending on whether post-compaction suction increased, decreased or remained constant as the degree of saturation was increased at constant water content. Hydraulic paths of specimens subjected to loading-unloading cycles at constant water content have clearly shown that post-compaction suction may increase as the degree of saturation increases. This non-intuitive behaviour was demonstrated to be associated with the coupling between mechanical and water retention behaviour. To this end, a coupled mechanical water retention model was formulated. Irreversible one-dimensional mechanical paths were modelled by a boundary surface in the space average skeleton vertical stress, modified suction and void ratio. Irreversible hydraulic 'wetting' paths were modelled by a boundary surface in the space suction, degree of saturation, and void ratio. This study was completed by investigating the pore size distribution of compacted samples through MIP tests

An experimental study was carried out to investigate the shear strength of a compacted non-active clay (Speswhite kaolin). A total of 33 statically compacted specimens were prepared, at vertical stresses of 300, 600 and 1200 kPa and water contents ranging from 0·24 to 0·34. This made it possible to explore a broad range of initial compaction-induced conditions and hence to examine whether differences in water retention characteristics and shear strength are due to differences in initial compaction-induced state or are to be attributed to fundamentally different microfabrics. A shearbox was modified to allow the direct measurement of negative pore water pressure using Trento high-suction tensiometers. Tests were carried out at constant water content by monitoring suction changes. In these tests, it was possible to investigate the transition from unsaturated to saturated states. In the first stage of the test, the specimen was compressed at constant water content. The specimen was therefore wetted, in the sense that its degree of saturation increased. Compression data were then used to investigate the influence of void ratio on the main wetting curve. Shear data were used to put forward a critical state framework for unsaturated compacted clay. This is described by three equations linking shear stress, normal total stress, suction, void ratio and water ratio

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The paper presents an experimental investigation into the micro-mechanisms controlling the behaviour of non-active clays. Clay microstructural behaviour was investigated via Mercury Intrusion Porosimetry accompanied by Scanning Electron Microscope images. To gain insight into the mechanisms underlying reversible and non-reversible compression, samples for MIP testing were taken along both normal compression and unloading-reloading lines. To investigate the nature of inter-particle forces, the response of clay samples prepared with deionised water (characterised by acidic pH) was compared with clay samples prepared with alkaline water. A high pH 'deactivate' the edge-to-face contacts that are indeed active in the clay prepared with deionised (acidic) water. The pore-size distribution data clearly highlighted that the smaller pores are associated with particles in non-contact configuration, i.e. only interacting via the overlap of the repulsive electrical field generated by the negatively charged faces. On the other hand, larger pores are associated with contact configuration, generated by the attraction between the positively charged edge and the negatively charged face of the clay particle. The pore-size distribution data also allowed inferring that reversible behaviour is mainly associated with the reversible overlap of the repulsive electrical field in contact configuration whereas the plastic response appears to be associated, at the micro-scale, with the loss of edge-to-face contacts. Finally, an embryonic 1-D discrete element model was developed to show the potential of the micromechanical conceptual model to be implemented into a DEM model

Eroding foreshores endanger the floodplains of many estuaries, as such, effective and environmentally friendly interventions are sought to stabilise slopes and mitigate erosion. As a step in forestalling these losses, we developed laboratory microcosms to simulate tidal cycles and examined the mechanisms of erosion and failure on sandy foreshore slopes. As an experimental aim, we applied microbially induced calcite precipitation (MICP) to selected slopes and compared the effectiveness of this microbial geo-technological strategy to mitigate erosion and stabilise slopes. To assess shoreline stability, thirty cycles of slowly simulated tidal currents were applied to a sandy slope. Significant sediment detachment occurred as tides moved up the slope surface. For steeper slopes, one tidal event was sufficient to cause collapse of the slopes to the soil's angle of repose (~35°). Subsequent tidal cycles gradually eroded surface sediments further reducing slope angle (on an average 0.2° per tidal event). These mechanisms were similar for all slopes irrespective of initial slope inclination. MICP was evaluated as a remedial measure by treating a steep slope of 53° and an erosion-prone slope angle of 35° with Sporosarcina pasteurii and cementation solution (0.7 M CaCl2 and urea) before tidal simulations. MICP produced 120 kg calcite per m 3 of soil, filling 9.9% of pore space. Cemented sand withstood up to 470 kPa unconfined compressive stress and showed significantly improved slope stability; both slopes showed negligible sediment erosion. With efforts towards optimisation for upscaling and further environmental considerations (including effect of slope saturation on MICP treatment, saline water and estuarine/coastal ecology amongst others), the MICP process demonstrates promise to protect foreshore slope sites.

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Experimental equipment for the measurement of matric suction in unsaturated soils using hydraulic tensiometers and the axis translation technique share a common working principle; that is, the measurement of a pressure differential across a high air entry porous ceramic. In this paper, the current state of the art in these two suction measurement techniques is presented and discussed together with the underlying physics thereby giving the reader the necessary basis to use and interpret the results obtained from those two techniques.