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Construction and Application of an Automated Apparatus for Calculating the Soil-Water Characteristic Curve  

Song, Young-Suk (Geologic Environment Division, Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources)
Lee, Nam-Woo (Geologic Environment Division, Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources)
Hwang, Woong-Ki (Department of Civil Engineering, Korea Maritime University)
Kim, Tae-Hyung (Department of Civil Engineering, Korea Maritime University)
Publication Information
The Journal of Engineering Geology / v.20, no.3, 2010 , pp. 281-295 More about this Journal
Abstract
A new, automated apparatus is proposed for calculating the Soil-Water Characteristic Curve (SWCC), representing a simple and easily applied testing device for continuous measurements of the volumetric water content and suction of unsaturated soils. The use of this apparatus helps to avoid the errors that arise when performing experiments. Consequently, the apparatus provides greater accuracy in calculating the SWCC of unsaturated soils. The apparatus is composed of a pressure panel, flow cell, water reservoir, air bubble trap, balance, sample-preparation accessories, and measurement system, among other components. The air pressure can attain 300 kPa, and a general test can be completed in a short time. The apparatus can simply control the drying process and wetting process. The changes in volumetric water content that occur during the drying and wetting processes are shown directly in the SWRC program, in real time. As a case study, we performed an SWCC test of Joomunjin sand (75% relative density) to measure matric suction and volumetric water content during both the drying and wetting processes. The test revealed hysteresis behavior, whereby the water content on the wetting curve is always lower than that on the drying curve for a specific matric suction, during the wetting and drying processes. Based on the test results, SWCCs were estimated using the Brooks and Corey, van Genuchten, and Fredlund and Xing models. The van Genuchten model performed best for the given soil conditions, as it yielded the highest coefficient of determination.
Keywords
Automated soil-water characteristics curve; Volumetric water content; Matric suction; Drying process; Wetting process; Sand;
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