Study of the Infiltration of Water Through Collapsible Soil

Laboratory infiltration tests have been performed to predict the extent of wetting zone within a collapsible soil. During these tests, the rainfall water was simulated in laboratory to investigate the infiltration of rain water around and beneath a footing model resting on collapsible soil. Distribution of soil water content beneath and around the footing model was assessed. Consequently, accurate details of the progression of wetting zone front were also measured. The effect of the relative density of the formed soil, the initial water content of soil, and the intensity of induced water are studied. A relationship between depth of wetting zone and time was established, and a proposed mathematical formula for predicting the optimum depth of wetting zone is presented.