Soil-Water Characteristic Curve Equation with Independent Properties

The soil-water characteristic curve (SWCC) has traditionally been represented using equations whose fitting parameters do not individually correspond to clearly defined soil properties or to features of the curve. As a result, unique sets of parameters are often nonexistent, and sensitivity analyses...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of geotechnical and geoenvironmental engineering 2004-02, Vol.130 (2), p.209-212
Main Authors: de F. N. Gitirana, Gilson, Fredlund, Delwyn G
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Applied sciences
Buildings. Public works
Computation methods. Tables. Charts
Earth sciences
Earth, ocean, space
Engineering and environment geology. Geothermics
Engineering geology
Exact sciences and technology
Geotechnics
Structural analysis. Stresses
TECHNICAL NOTES
Water effect, drainage, ground water lowering, filtration
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Summary:The soil-water characteristic curve (SWCC) has traditionally been represented using equations whose fitting parameters do not individually correspond to clearly defined soil properties or to features of the curve. As a result, unique sets of parameters are often nonexistent, and sensitivity analyses and statistical assessments of SWCC parameters become difficult. In order to overcome these difficulties, a new class of equations to represent unimodal and bimodal SWCCs is proposed. The chosen fitting parameters are the air-entry value, the residual suction, the residual degree of saturation, and a parameter that controls the sharpness of the curvatures. The physical meaning for the soil parameters is discussed for different soil types. A unique relation between each of the equation parameters and the individual features of SWCCs is assured. The proposed equations are fitted to data corresponding to a variety of soil types and a good fit is observed.
ISSN:1090-0241
1943-5606
DOI:10.1061/(ASCE)1090-0241(2004)130:2(209)