Abstract
Coarse-grained soil, such as aggregate and coarse sand, is commonly selected to construct a capillary barrier system (CBS). The barrier effect in the CBS is mainly dependent on the hydraulic properties of the coarse-grained soils. It is noted that direct methods (such as experimental measurement) for the determination of the hydraulic properties (including the soil-water characteristic curve (SWCC) and coefficient of permeability) of soil are time-consuming and costly. As a result, indirect methods for the determination of the SWCC and permeability function of soil are commonly adopted by researchers and engineers. In this paper, a new method is proposed for the estimation of the SWCC from the grain-size distribution (GSD) of coarse-grained soils. The proposed method is based on the assumptions that the soil does not experience any volume change and the hysteresis of the SWCC is ignored. A contact angle larger than zero is adopted in this study. The results computed from the proposed model agree well with the experimental data from published studies.
Original language | English |
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Article number | 105502 |
Journal | Engineering Geology |
Volume | 267 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - Mar 20 2020 |
Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- Air-entry value
- Grain-size distribution function
- Random distribution
- Soil-water characteristic curve
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Geotechnical Engineering and Engineering Geology
- Geology