Assessment of Physical Properties of Water-Repellent Soils
Publication: Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 147, Issue 9
Abstract
This note reports the physical and mechanical properties of two postwildfire sands collected in Southern California and chemically induced hydrophobic sand. Hydrophobicity decreases the attraction between water molecules and solid surfaces and manifests a modification of hydraulic soil properties that lead to postwildfire rain soil erosion and mudflows. Wildfires induce different hydrophobicity levels in shallow soil layers based on fire severity, vegetation, and soil chemistry. This note assesses the applicability of laboratory-made hydrophobic soils for studying mudflows by comparing them to natural hydrophobic soils collected from two burned sites that will help understand and predict postwildfire soil erosion and mudflow mechanisms. Results show that soil water retention curve (SWRC) can be unreliable for assessing the hydraulic properties of burned soils on slopes impacted by rain because suction develops with significant time delay or is absent. Flash floods on inclined hydrophobic soil surfaces occur rapidly during rainfall, and the overflow water does not pond on slopes. The water entry value is linearly related to the water drop contact angle and characterizes the immediate hydrophobic soil response, which is relevant to mudflow onset.
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Data Availability Statement
All data, models, and code generated or used during the study appear in the published article.
Acknowledgments
Financial support of the Regents of the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) and Hellman Fellowship Foundation is gratefully acknowledged. The opinions expressed in this paper are those of the authors and not of UCSD or the Hellman Foundation.
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Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 147 • Issue 9 • September 2021
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© 2021 American Society of Civil Engineers.
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Received: Jul 23, 2020
Accepted: May 12, 2021
Published online: Jul 8, 2021
Published in print: Sep 1, 2021
Discussion open until: Dec 8, 2021
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