Novel Approach to Determine Soil–Water Retention Surface
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VIEW THE REPLYPublication: International Journal of Geomechanics
Volume 20, Issue 6
Abstract
Models have been developed to represent soils, thereby establishing the unsaturated soil theory. Accurate models include physical deductions based on soil properties. The soil–water retention surface (SWRS) represents the general soil–water retention curve (SWRC), considering the void ratio changes. This study presents a novel model that describes the surface physical behavior. The proposed model demonstrated physical consistency and dependence between the soil hydraulic properties and the void ratio. Additionally, sensitivity analyses were performed to verify the influence of soil parameters on the hydraulic behavior. Literature data of SWRCs at different void ratios were used to generate a 3D surface model by fitting the data points. A continuum SWRS of the specified soil was plotted, soil parameters were calculated, and SWRCs at different void ratios were analyzed. The mathematical relationship between the air-entry value of the soil and its void ratio was also defined. By modeling and validating literature experiments, the proposed model demonstrated the ability to accurately represent hydraulic properties of soils without excessive deformation due to suction increase.
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Data Availability Statement
The code generated during the study to determine the soil–water retention surface is available from the corresponding author by request.
Acknowledgments
The authors acknowledge the support provided by the following institutions for funding this research: the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq, Grant No. 304721/2017-4); Support Research of the Federal District Foundation (FAP-DF, Grant Nos. 0193.001563/2017 and 0193.002014/2017-68); Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Level Personnel (CAPES); and the University of Brasilia.
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© 2020 American Society of Civil Engineers.
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Received: Feb 17, 2019
Accepted: Nov 12, 2019
Published online: Apr 3, 2020
Published in print: Jun 1, 2020
Discussion open until: Sep 3, 2020
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