Abstract
Numerical modelling development for capillary barrier investigation considering unsaturated soil–geotextile interface has been studied and evaluated in recent years. Most engineering constructions involving geomaterials and geotextiles application, such as reinforced walls, slopes, embankments, and roads, require understanding the hydraulic performance of those systems for design purposes (capillary barrier, drainage, filtration, etc.). Considering that the hydraulic behavior of those materials is directly dependent on their saturated–unsaturated state over time, unsaturated principles should be applied for their long-term evaluation. This paper presents a 1D (one-dimensional) numerical analysis of an unsaturated system composed of soil and gravel layers separated by a geotextile in a column laterally impermeable (2.0 m). A non-woven geotextile was applied considering different soil types from the literature, such as silty sand, sandy, compacted residual silty, bimodal, and compacted residual sandy soils. A SEEP/W finite element numerical model was developed to perform transient analyses through the system to evaluate its hydraulic performance in terms of capillary barrier formation considering different geomaterials combinations in different hydraulic conditions. A significant influence of geotextile hydraulic conductivity and water flow rate were verified on the capillary barrier effect. Also noticed were the different height and duration of capillary barrier formation for different soil profiles. A design chart-table was proposed to evaluate soil–geotextile performance in terms of capillary barrier for new geotechnical designs. Finally, it could be inferred that fine-grained soils demonstrated to develop higher and longer water column (positive pore pressure) compared to coarse-grained soils, independently of their initial suction.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution.
Data Availability
The datasets generated during and/or analysed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request. All data generated or analysed during this study are included in this published article. Some of the data analysed during this study is properly cited in the manuscript and referenced in the References section.
Change history
17 June 2022
A Correction to this paper has been published: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10706-022-02205-7
References
Adu-Wusu C, Yanful EK, Lanteigne L, O’Kane M (2007) Prediction of the water balance of two soil cover systems. Geotech Geol Eng 25:215–237. https://doi.org/10.1007/-006-9106-3
Albino UR, Futai MM, Portelinha FH (2017) Numerical modeling of 1D infiltration on unsaturated interfaces between soil and geosynthetics. In: International conference on soil mechanics and geotechnical engineering, Seoul
Albino UR, Portelinha FHM, Futai MM (2020) Numerical simulation of a geotextile soil wall considering soil–atmosphere interaction. Geosynth Int 1:1–40. https://doi.org/10.1680/jgein.20.00003
Albino UR, Portelinha FHM, Zornberg J, Futai MM (2019) Numerical simulation of infiltration into the fill of a wall reinforced with nonwoven geotextiles. Comput Geotech 108:27–39. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compgeo.2018.12.006
Bahador M, Evans TM, Gabr MA (2014) Numerical studies on the effect of temperature on the unsaturated hydraulic response of geotextiles. Comput Geotech 59:161–170. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compgeo.2014.03.010
Bathurst RJ, Ho AF, Siemens G (2007) A column apparatus for investigation of 1-D unsaturated-saturated response of sand–geotextile systems. ASTM Geotech Test J 30(6):433–441. https://doi.org/10.1520/GTJ100954
Bouazza A (2002) Geosynthetic clay liners. Geotext Geomembr J 20(1):3–7. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0266-1144(01)00025-5
Bouazza A, Zornberg J, McCartney JS, Singh RM (2013) Unsaturated geotechnics applied to geoenvironmental engineering problems involving geosynthetics. Eng Geol 165:143–153. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enggeo.2012.11.018
Durner W (1992) Predicting the unsaturated hydraulic conductivity using multiporosity water retention curves. In: van Genuchten MT et al (eds) Indirect methods for estimating the hydraulic properties of unsaturated soils. University of California, Riverside, pp 185–202
Durner W (1994) Hydraulic conductivity estimation for soils with heterogeneous pore structure. Water Resour Res 30:211–223. https://doi.org/10.1029/93WR02676
Fredlund DG, Rahardjo H (1993) Soil mechanics for unsaturated soils. Wiley, New York
GeoStudio (2018) Heat and mass transfer modelling with GeoStudio. Geo-Slope. Geo-Slope International Ltd., Calgary
Harnas FR, Rahardjo H, Leong EC, Wang JY (2014) Experimental study on dual capillary barrier using recycled asphalt pavement materials. Can Geotech J 51(10):1165–1177. https://doi.org/10.1139/cgj-2013-0432
Ho AF (2000) Experimental and numerical investigation of infiltration ponding in one dimensional sand–geotextile columns, Dissertation, Queen’s University
Iryo T, Rowe RK (2003) On the hydraulic behavior of unsaturated nonwoven geotextiles. Geotext Geomembr 21:381–404. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0266-1144(03)00046-3
Jana A, Dey A (2017) Combined functioning of geotextile as barrier and drainage material in unsaturated earth retaining structures. Indian Geotech J. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40098-017-0268-0
Kalonji Kabambi A, Bussière B, Demers I (2017) Hydrogeological behaviour of covers with capillary barrier effects made of mining materials. Geotech Geol Eng 35:1199–1220. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10706-017-0174-3
Kämpf M, Holfelder T, Montenegro H (2003) Identification and parameterization of flow processes in artificial capillary barriers. Water Resour Res 39:1–9. https://doi.org/10.1029/2002WR001860
Krisdani H, Rahardjo H, Leong EC (2009) Use of instantaneous profile and statistical methods to determine permeability functions of unsaturated soils. Can Geotech J 46:869–874. https://doi.org/10.1139/T09-027
Li X, Li JH, Zhang LM (2014) Predicting bimodal soil–water characteristic curves and permeability functions using physically based parameters. Comput Geotech 57:85–96. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compgeo.2014.01.004
Li X, Zhang LM, Fredlund DG (2009) Wetting front advancing column test for measuring unsaturated hydraulic conductivity. Can Geotech J 46:1431–1445. https://doi.org/10.1139/T09-072
Lu N, Likos WJ (2004) Unsaturated soil mechanics. Wiley, Hoboken
Luckner L, Van Genuchten MT, Nielsen DR (1989) A consistent set of parametric models for the two-phase flow of immiscible fluids in the subsurface. Water Resour Res 25:2187–2193. https://doi.org/10.1029/WR025i010p02187
Mancarella D, Doglioni S, Simeoni V (2012) On capillary barrier effects and debris slide triggering in unsaturated layered covers. Eng Geol 147–148:14–27. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enggeo.2012.07.003
Mandal JN, Labhane L (1992) A procedure for the design and analysis of geosynthetic reinforced soil slopes. Geotech Geol Eng 10:291–319. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00880706
Martínez GSS (2003) Estudo do comportamento mecânico de solos lateríticos da formação barreiras. Thesis, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul
McCartney JS, Zornberg JG (2010) Effects of infiltration and evaporation on geosynthetic capillary barrier performance. Can Geotech J 47:1201–1213. https://doi.org/10.1139/T10-024
Morris CE, Stormont JC (1998) Evaluation of numerical simulations of capillary barrier field tests. Geotech Geol Eng 16:201–213. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1008853710339
Morris CE, Stormont JC (1999) Parametric study of unsaturated drainage layers in a capillary barrier. Geotech Geoenviron Eng 125(12):1057–1065. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)1090-0241(1999)125:12(1057)
Mualem Y (1976) A new model for predicting the hydraulic conductivity of unsaturated porous media. Water Resour Res 12(3):513–522. https://doi.org/10.1029/WR012i003p00513
Ng CW, Alonso E (2008) Monitoring the performance of unsaturated soil slopes. Geotech Geol Eng 26:799–816. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10706-008-9203-6
Ng CW, Coo JL, Chen ZK, Chen R (2016) Water infiltration into a new three-layer landfill cover system. J Environ Eng 142(5):04016007. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)EE.1943-7870.0001074
Ng CW, Liu J, Chen R, Xu J (2015) Physical and numerical modeling of an inclined three-layer (silt/gravelly sand/clay) capillary barrier cover system under extreme rainfall. Waste Manag 38:210–211. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wasman.2014.12.013
Nitao JJ, Bear J (1996) Potentials and their role in transport in porous media. Water Resour Res 32:225–250. https://doi.org/10.1029/95wr02715
Nobahar M, Khan MS, Ivoke J (2020) Combined effect of rainfall and shear strength on the stability of highway embankments made of Yazoo clay in Mississippi. Geotech Geol Eng 38:2787–2802. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10706-020-01187-8
Pabst T, Aubertin M, Bussiere B, Molson J (2017) Experimental and numerical evaluation of single-layer covers placed on acid-generating tailings. Geotech Geol Eng 35:1421–1438. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10706-017-0185-0
Parent SE, Cabral A (2006) Design of inclined covers with capillary barrier effect. Geotech Geol Eng 24:689–710. https://doi.org/10.10007/s10706-005-3229-9
Park KD, Fleming IR (2006) Evaluation of a geosynthetic capillary barrier. Geotext Geomembr 24:64–71. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geotexmem.2005.06.001
Portelinha FH, Zornberg JG (2017) Effect of infiltration on the performance of an unsaturated geotextile-reinforced soil wall. Geotext Geomembr J 45(3):211–226. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geotexmem.2017.02.002
Priesack E, Durner W (2006) Closed form expression for the multimodal unsaturated conductivity function. Vadose Zone 5:121–124. https://doi.org/10.2136/vzj2005.0066
Rahardjo H, Gofar N, Satyanaga A, Leong EC, Wang CL, Johnny Wong LH (2019) Effect of rainfall infiltration on deformation of geobarrier wall. Geotech Geol Eng 37:1383–1399. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10706-018-0693-6
Rowe RK, Iryo T (2004) Numerical study of infiltration into a soil–geotextile column. Geosynth Int 11:377–389. https://doi.org/10.1680/gein.2004.11.5.377
Salager S, Alessio M, Ferrari A, Laloui L (2013) Investigation into water retention behavior of deformable soils. Can Geotech J 50(2):200–208. https://doi.org/10.1139/cgj-2011-0409
Shackelford CD, Chang CK, Chiu TF (1994) The capillary barrier effect in unsaturated flow through soil barriers. In: 1st ICEG conference, Edmonton, CA, pp 789–793
Sharma P, Mouli B, Jakka RS, Sawant VA (2020) Economical design of reinforced slope using geosynthetics. Geotech Geol Eng 38:1631–1637. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10706-019-01118-2
Shin EC, Kim DH, Das BM (2002) Geogrid-reinforced railroad bed settlement due to cyclic load. Geotech Geol Eng 20:261–271. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1016040414725
Siacara AT, Beck AT, Futai MM (2020a) Reliability analysis of rapid drawdown of an earth dam using direct coupling. Comput Geotech J 118:103336–103341. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compgeo.2019.103336
Siacara AT, Napa-García GF, Beck AT, Futai MM (2020b) Reliability analysis of earth dams using direct coupling. J Rock Mech Geotech Eng 12(2):336–380. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrmge.2019.07.012
Siemens G, Bathurst RJ (2010) Numerical parametric investigation of infiltration in one-dimensional sand–geotextile columns. Geotext Geomembr J 28:460–474. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geotexmem.2009.12.009
Song W, Cui YJ, Tang AM, Ding WQ (2014) Experimental study on water evaporation from sand using environmental chamber. Can Geotech J 51:115–128. https://doi.org/10.1139/cgj-2013-0155
Stormont JC (1996) The effectiveness of two capillary barriers on a 10% slope. Geotech Geol Eng 14:243–267. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00421943
Stormont JC, Anderson CE (1999) Capillary barrier effect from underlying coarser soil layer. J Geotech Geoenviron Eng 125(8):641–664. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)1090-0241(1999)125:8(641)
Stormont JC, Morris CE (2000) Characterization of unsaturated nonwoven geotextiles. In: Advances in unsaturated geotechnics ASCE, pp 153–164. https://doi.org/10.1061/40510(287)10
Stormont JC, Zhou S (2005) Impact of unsaturated flow on pavement edge drain performance. J Transp Eng. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)0733-947X(2005)131
Tami D, Rahardjo H, Leong EC, Fredlund DG (2004) A physical model for sloping capillary barriers. Geotech Test J 27(2):173–183. https://doi.org/10.1520/GTJ11431
Thuo JN, Yang KH, Huang CC (2015) Infiltration into unsaturated reinforced slopes with nonwoven geotextile drains sandwiched in sand layers. Geosynth Int J 22:457–474. https://doi.org/10.1680/jgein.15.00026
Van Genuchten MT (1980) A closed-form equation for predicting the hydraulic conductivity of unsaturated soils. Soil Sci Soc Am J 44(5):892. https://doi.org/10.2136/sssaj1980.03615995004400050002x
Vanapalli SK, Sillers WS, Fredlund MD (1998) The meaning and relevance of residual state to unsaturated soils. In: Proceedings of the 51st Canadian geotechnical conference, pp 1–8
Zornberg JG (2010) Geosynthetic capillary barriers. In: 1st International GSI-Asia geosynthetic conference, pp 13–28
Acknowledgements
The authors thank the financial support by the Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (CAPES), the Brazilian National Council of Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq) and the State of São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP).
Funding
This research was supported by Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - Brasil (CAPES) - Finance Code 001, the Brazilian National Council of Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq) and the State of São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Conflict of interest
The authors declare that they have no known competing relevant financial or non-financial interests to disclose.
Additional information
Publisher's Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Castro, G.B., Siacara, A.T., Nardelli, A. et al. Numerical Analysis of Infiltration in One-Dimensional Unsaturated Soil–Geotextile Column. Geotech Geol Eng 40, 4121–4144 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10706-022-02144-3
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10706-022-02144-3