Abstract
Because of the recent advancements in hardware and reconstruction algorithms, multiphase flow modeling in porous media is experiencing a shift toward using advanced imaging techniques such as X-ray computed tomography in conjunction with direct numerical simulations. This approach captures heterogeneities in soil samples utilized in laboratory testing and results in quick and less tedious predictions compared to the existing methods. In this paper, an experimental setup is developed specifically to validate numerical predictions of the soil water retention curve (SWRC) for two types of sands with identical size but distinct grain morphology of round (Ottawa sand) and angular particle shape (Q-Rok). The complex 3D pore network is captured noninvasively using high-resolution attenuation-based X-ray computed tomography. The numerical predictions are carried out by solving a Young-Laplace equation using the pore morphology method. The experimental results and numerical predictions match well, including the effect of hysteresis in SWRC measurements. The spatial distribution of pore water and pore air corresponding to different capillary suctions is obtained from numerical predictions, providing greater insights into the hydromechanical behavior of partially saturated soils. The sensitivity of the voxel size on simulations is quantified by predicting the pore size distribution of Ottawa sand at three different tomography resolutions.
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Acknowledgments
Dr. Penumadu would like to acknowledge DTRA support from Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) Grant No. HDTRA1-12-10045, managed by Dr. Douglas A. Dalton (Allen). The authors would also like to thank Mr. Andy Baker for providing help with the fabrication of specimen cells for evaluation of the partially saturated response of granular materials. The authors would like to thank Dr. Anna Herring for making experimental data on Leopard sandstone available on Digital Rocks Portal for public use.
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Published In
Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 146 • Issue 1 • January 2020
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©2019 American Society of Civil Engineers.
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Received: Nov 5, 2018
Accepted: Aug 23, 2019
Published online: Oct 25, 2019
Published in print: Jan 1, 2020
Discussion open until: Mar 25, 2020
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