Bimodal Soil–Water Retention Curve and k-Function Model Using Linear Superposition
Publication: International Journal of Geomechanics
Volume 21, Issue 7
Abstract
Progress in the study of unsaturated soils and their application in practical geotechnics could be partially attributed to the advancement of their modeling and computational technologies. The soil–water retention curve (SWRC) and k-function are fundamental hydraulic properties of unsaturated soil that are important in the analysis of soil states. This study presents a new model to represent the hydraulic properties (SWRC and k-function) of bimodal soils using linear curve superposition. The resulting SWRC model was validated for common bimodal soils, and the k-function was then obtained. The relationship between the model and soil porosimetry was also deduced, leading to a better understanding of the physical influence of the model's parameters. In addition, based on the model, a solution was proposed to simulate the soil infiltration process involving partial differential equations and numerical methods. The model's efficiency in representing bimodal soils was proven, and the results from subsequent analyses confirmed its physical consistency. Therefore, the proposed model could address problems in real-world geotechnical practices.
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Data Availability Statement
All data, models, and code that support this study's findings are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
Acknowledgments
This study was financed in part by the Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel—Brasil (CAPES)—Finance Code 001. The authors also acknowledge the support from the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq Grant Nos. 304721/2017-4 and 435962/2018-3), the Foundation for Research Support of the Federal District (FAPDF) (Project Nos. 0193.002014/2017-68 and 0193.001563/2017), the CEB Geração S.A. (PD-05160-1904/2019), and the University of Brasília.
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Published In
International Journal of Geomechanics
Volume 21 • Issue 7 • July 2021
Copyright
© 2021 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Oct 7, 2020
Accepted: Feb 28, 2021
Published online: May 6, 2021
Published in print: Jul 1, 2021
Discussion open until: Oct 6, 2021
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