A Water Retention Curve Model for the Simulation of Coupled Thermo-Hydro-Mechanical Processes in Geological Porous Media

Tong, Fuguo; Jing, Lanru; Tian, Bo

doi:10.1007/s11242-011-9857-z

Cited by 16 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 38 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Pore Water Pressure. Although the soil pore structure is composed of nonuniform pore size and the pore distribution is quite complex, most soils can be assumed to be a continuous, isotropic, and homogeneous porous medium, in which the distributions of pore water and air are also isotropic and homogeneous at a macroscopic scale [29]. Therefore, on per unit area of two-dimensional (2D) cross-section cutting through the soil for any angle, the total pore area A p , pore gas area A g , and pore water area A w are constant.…”

Section: Derivation Of the Porosity-dependent Swrc Modelmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…An elliptical pore randomly distributes on arbitrary cross-section. Each pore contains an identical elliptic air bubble (Figure 1(b)) [29]. The total normal force of a given crosssection is expressed as…”

Section: Derivation Of the Porosity-dependent Swrc Modelmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The first is FEBEX bentonite (clay: 92%; silt and sand: 8%), which is a kind of engineered clay [29]. Three dry densities were chosen here; they are ρ d1 = 1:6 g/cm 3 , ρ d2 = 1:65 g/cm 3 , and ρ d3 = 1:7 g/cm 3 , respectively.…”

Section: 3mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…But unsaturated soils are three-phase mixtures of solid, water, and air. Water and air flow in structured soils depend not only on soil texture but also on pore shape and pore distribution [29]. Some important intrinsic relations for the pore systems may not be satisfied.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Effect of Porosity on Soil-Water Retention Curves: Theoretical and Experimental Aspects

et al. 2020

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Porosity change is a common characteristic of natural soils in fluid-solid interaction problems, which can lead to an obvious change of the soil-water retention curve (SWRC). The influence of porosity on soil water retention phenomena is investigated by a theoretical model and an experimental test in this study. A model expressing the change in suction with porosity and effective saturation is put forward theoretically. The model is based on an idealization of three-phase porous materials, the pore structures of which are homogeneous and isotropic. It accounts for the porosity effect on soil water retention, using four parameters with clear physical meanings. The presented model can obtain the SWRC at any porosity, which will reduce the test number required in characterizing the hydraulic behavior of soil. A laboratory experiment for loamy sand with different porosities is performed. The test results show that suction has a significant variation with changes in porosity and decreases with the increase of porosity. The formulation is verified by both the test data and the literature data for FEBEX bentonite and Boom clay. The very good agreements between measured and predicted results show that the SWRC model is reliable and feasible for various soils.

show abstract

Section: Derivation Of the Porosity-dependent Swrc Modelmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Derivation Of the Porosity-dependent Swrc Modelmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: 3mentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Effect of Porosity on Soil-Water Retention Curves: Theoretical and Experimental Aspects

et al. 2020

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…One, based on surface tension-viscous flow theory [11,12], states that a change in temperature affects only the surface tension. For example, Philip and de Vries [13] established a relationship between suction and temperature change based on the Laplace equation, and Wang et al [14] and Tong [15] derived the effect of temperature on a SWCC model theoretically. However, the results of later experiments gradually revealed the insufficiency of this view, as they indicated that the effect of temperature on the capillary pressure of unsaturated soil cannot be attributed solely to its effect on surface tension [4,[16][17][18][19][20][21].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of Temperature Change on the Soil Water Characteristic Curve and a Prediction Model for the Mu Us Bottomland, Northern China

Xiao-ying

Pan

et al. 2019

Water

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The soil-water characteristic curve (SWCC) is the basis for obtaining the hydraulic conductivity parameters of a soil as well as for using soil water and heat transport models. At present, the curve can be obtained by two methods: by direct measurement and by empirical formula. Direct measurement is both difficult and time-consuming. By contrast, fitting the SWCC with a suitable empirical formula is stable and convenient. The van Genuchten (VG) model has the advantage of universal applicability due to its use of a statistical aperture distribution model for estimating hydraulic conductivity. This study selected the Mu Us Bottomland as a study area. Data on the water content and water potential of undisturbed soil from this site were obtained with a Ku-pF instrument and a self-designed soil column experiment with temperature settings of 13 °C, 18 °C, 23 °C, 27 °C, and 30 °C. The variation of four main parameters in the VG model with temperature was analyzed based on thermodynamic theory and considering the effect of temperature on soil capillary pressure via its effects on surface tension and contact angle. A prediction model for the soil-water characteristic curve of the Mu Us Bottomland was then constructed, and its applicability was further analyzed. The temperature dependence of the SWCC demonstrated here provides an important scientific basis for agricultural production, farmland water conservancy, and the design of soil and water conservation engineering projects.

show abstract

Numerical modelling on water retention and permeability of compacted GMZ bentonite under free‐swelling conditions

Liu

Guo

et al. 2020

Num Anal Meth Geomechanics

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

SummaryIn this study, a solid–liquid–gas coupled equation was established to simulate water retention characteristics of highly compacted GMZ bentonite. Then, modelling results were compared with laboratory test results. Results indicate that GMZ bentonite has a strong moisture expansion (or a limit drying shrinkage) characteristic. The control equation can simulate the water absorption and deformation characteristics very well at high relative humidity (or low suction). Environmental scanning electron microscope (ESEM) observation reveals the course grain soil texture of the surface under low relative humidity (RH), while the surface of GMZ bentonite becomes smooth (more fine‐grained soil texture) as RH increases. Differences were found between the porosities calculated by macroexperiment results and microscopic observations with ESEM method. This is because only the interaggregate pores can be observed by ESEM photographs. Additionally, we find that the simulated effective porosities are close to the results calculated by microscopic tests, while the effective porosity is considered as the main flow channel of flow. Further, the intrinsic permeability, the effective water and gas permeability are calculated based on the proposed model. The modelling results coincide well with the laboratory experimental results and support the reliability of the proposed model.

show abstract

A Water Retention Curve Model for the Simulation of Coupled Thermo-Hydro-Mechanical Processes in Geological Porous Media

Cited by 16 publications

References 38 publications

Effect of Porosity on Soil-Water Retention Curves: Theoretical and Experimental Aspects

Effect of Porosity on Soil-Water Retention Curves: Theoretical and Experimental Aspects

Effects of Temperature Change on the Soil Water Characteristic Curve and a Prediction Model for the Mu Us Bottomland, Northern China

Numerical modelling on water retention and permeability of compacted GMZ bentonite under free‐swelling conditions

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About