A model to predict the water retention curve from basic geotechnical properties

Abstract

The water retention curve (WRC) has become a key material function to define the unsaturated behavior of soils and other particulate media. In many instances, it can be useful to have an estimate of the WRC early in a project, when little or no test results are available. Predictive models, based on easy to obtain geotechnical properties, can also be employed to evaluate how changing parameters (e.g., porosity or grain size) affect the WRC. In this paper, the authors present a general set of equations developed for predicting the relationship between volumetric water content, θ, (or the corresponding degree of saturation, Sr) and suction, ψ. The proposed model assumes that water retention results from the combined effect of capillary and adhesion forces. The complete set of equations is given together with complementary relationships developed for specific applications on granular materials and on fine-grained soils. It is shown that the model provides a simple and practical means to estimate the water retention curve from basic geotechnical properties. A discussion follows on the capabilities and limitations of the model, and on additional tools developed to complement its use. Key words: water retention curve, unsaturated soils, prediction, porosity, grain size, liquid limit.

Consequences on water retention properties of double-porosity features in a compacted silt

“…The water retention curve expressed in terms of water content or degree of saturation and suction is hysteretic, stress path dependent (void ratio) and depends on the pore network [1,10,16,18,19,21,23,25,27,28,31]. To properly describe its evolving water retention character, a multimodal retention model is proposed in the paper by considering a linear superposition of two subcurves of the van Genuchten [33] type.…”

Optimisation of in-situ dry density estimation

“…To verify the obtained results, a simulation was performed using a model developed by Aubertin et al [12]. This simulation, mainly based on grain size distribution, is compared to our experimental results in Samples where realised at a constant void ratio of 0.80.…”

Laterally Loaded Single Pile Response Considering the Influence of Suction and Non-Linear Behaviour of Reinforced Concrete Sections

“…The proposed method uses the "MK-Model" (Modified-Kovacs Model) described by Aubertin et al [35]. This model makes use of a parameter defined as the equivalent capillary rise h c0 in the porous medium.…”

“…The contribution of the capillary and the adhesion components to the total degree of saturation is defined as a function of h c0 and Ψ using the equations reported in Aubertin et al [35].…”