Abstract
Dual-porosity structures of fine-grained soils can noticeably affect their ability to retain water. This work jointly employs axis translation technique, filter paper method, and vapor equilibrium technique to study the soil–water retention curve (SWRC) over a wide suction range of Nanyang expansive soil characterized by double porosity. Mercury intrusion porosimetry tests are carried out to investigate the correlations between the aforementioned water-retention response and underlying pore structure characteristics. The test data show that dual-porosity distribution leads to bimodal SWRC. The change in void ratio mainly affects the median size of the inter-aggregate pores and consequently the portion of SWRC at low suction range. Based on these experimental observations, this work presents an SWRC equation for fine-grained soils with dual-porosity structures. Attracting water through capillary and adsorptive processes is explicitly distinguished. The capillary water is described by a relation that includes the characteristics of both inter- and intra-aggregate pore size distributions as parameters for representing bimodal characteristics. The adsorbed water is modeled by a relation that considers capillary condensation within intra-aggregate pores and allows for the decoupling between adsorptive water-retention mechanism and void ratio change. The latter feature is the foundation for the model to include the void ratio effect on SWRC in a way consistent with how it affects the pore structures of soils. By simulating test data in this work and in the literature, the proposed model is shown to be capable of representing the water-retention behavior of fine-grained soils with dual-porosity structures under different void ratios. To include the aforementioned key factors that influence the SWRC of fine-grained soils, seven parameters are required in the proposed model. This feature can reduce the practical applicability of the model. Future directions to enhance this aspect are discussed.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Alonso EE, Pereira JM, Vaunat J, Olivella S (2010) A microstructurally based effective stress for unsaturated soils. Geotechnique 60:913–925. https://doi.org/10.1680/geot.8.P.002
Alonso EE, Vaunat J, Gens A (1999) Modelling the mechanical behaviour of expansive clays. Eng Geol 54:173–183. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0013-7952(99)00079-4
Azizi A, Jommi C, Musso G (2017) A water retention model accounting for the hysteresis induced by hydraulic and mechanical wetting-drying cycles. Comput Geotech 87:86–98. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compgeo.2017.02.003
Azizi A, Musso G, Jommi C (2019) Effects of repeated hydraulic loads on microstructure and hydraulic behaviour of a compacted clayey silt. Can Geotech J 57:100–114. https://doi.org/10.1139/cgj-2018-0505
Bagherieh AR, Khalili N, Habibagahi G, Ghahramani A (2009) Drying response and effective stress in a double porosity aggregated soil. Eng Geol 105:44–50. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enggeo.2008.12.009
Cai G, Zhou A, Liu Y et al (2020) Soil water retention behavior and microstructure evolution of lateritic soil in the suction range of 0–286.7 MPa. Acta Geotech 15:3327–3341. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11440-020-01011-w
Campbell GS, Shiozawa S (1992) Prediction of hydraulic properties of soils using particle-size distribution and bulk density data. In: van Genuchten MT, Leij FJ, Lund LJ (ed) Indirect methods Estim Hydraul Prop unsaturated soils. Univ California, River- side, Calif. pp 317–328
Chandler RJ, Gutierrez CI (1986) The filter-paper method of suction measurement. Geotechnique 36:265–268. https://doi.org/10.1680/geot.1986.36.2.265
Chen R, Liu P, Liu X et al (2019) Pore-scale model for estimating the bimodal soil–water characteristic curve and hydraulic conductivity of compacted soils with different initial densities. Eng Geol 260:105199. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enggeo.2019.105199
Delage P, Audiguier M, Cui Y, Howat MD (1996) Microstructure of a compacted silt. Can Geotech J 33:150–158. https://doi.org/10.1139/t96-030
Delage P, Howat MD, Cui Y (1998) The relationship between suction and swelling properties in a heavily compacted unsaturated clay. Eng Geol 50:31–48. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0013-7952(97)00083-5
Do Guimarães LN, Gens A, Sánchez M, Olivella S (2013) A chemo-mechanical constitutive model accounting for cation exchange in expansive clays. Geotechnique 63:221–234. https://doi.org/10.1680/bcmpge.60531.002
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, Morgenstern NR (1977) Stress state variables for unsaturated soils. ASCE J Geotech Eng Div 103:447–466. https://doi.org/10.1061/ajgeb6.0000423
Fredlund DG, Xing A (1994) Equations for the soil-water characteristic curve. Can Geotech J 31:521–532
Gallipoli D, Wheeler SJ, Karstunen M (2003) Modelling the variation of degree of saturation in a deformable unsaturated soil. Geotechnique 53:105–112. https://doi.org/10.1680/geot.2003.53.1.105
Gao Y, Sun D (2017) Soil-water retention behavior of compacted soil with different densities over a wide suction range and its prediction. Comput Geotech 91:17–26. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compgeo.2017.06.016
Gao Y, Sun D, Zhou A (2016) Hydromechanical behaviour of unsaturated soil with different specimen preparations. Can Geotech J 53:909–917. https://doi.org/10.1139/cgj-2015-0381
Genuchten V (1980) A closed-form equation for predicting the hydraulic conductivity of unsaturated soils. Soil Sci Soc Am J 17:892–898. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pan.2017.07.214
Gerke HH, van Genuchten MT (1993) A dual-porosity model for simulating the preferential movement of water and solutes in structured porous media. Water Resour Res 29:305–319. https://doi.org/10.1029/92WR02339
Han Z, Vanapalli SK (2016) Stiffness and shear strength of unsaturated soils in relation to soil-water characteristic curve. Geotechnique 66:627–647. https://doi.org/10.1680/jgeot.15.P.104
Khlosi M, Cornelis WM, Douaik A et al (2008) Performance evaluation of models that describe the soil water retention curve between saturation and oven dryness. Vadose Zo J 7:87–96. https://doi.org/10.2136/vzj2007.0099
Konrad JM, Lebeau M (2015) Capillary-based effective stress formulation for predicting shear strength of unsaturated soils. Can Geotech J 52:2067–2076. https://doi.org/10.1139/cgj-2016-0101
Leong EC, He L, Rahardjo H (2002) Factors affecting the filter paper method for total and matric suction measurements. Geotech Test J 25:322–333. https://doi.org/10.1520/gtj11094j
Li X, Li J, Zhang L (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 J, Yin Z, Cui Y, Hicher PY (2017) Work input analysis for soils with double porosity and application to the hydromechanical modeling of unsaturated expansive clays. Can Geotech J 54:173–187. https://doi.org/10.1139/cgj-2015-0574
Likos WJ, Lu N (2002) Filter paper technique for measuring total soil suction. Transp Res Rec J Transp Res Board 1786:120–128. https://doi.org/10.3141/1786-14
Liu Q, Xiang W, Cui D, Cao L (2011) Mechanism of expansive soil improved by ionic soil stabilizer. Yantu Gongcheng Xuebao/Chin J Geotech Eng 33:648–654 (in Chinese)
Lu N (2016) Generalized soil water retention equation for adsorption and capillarity. J Geotech Geoenviron Eng 142:04016051. https://doi.org/10.1061/(asce)gt.1943-5606.0001524
Lu N, Likos WJ (2006) Suction stress characteristic curve for unsaturated soil. J Geotech Geoenviron Eng 132:131–142. https://doi.org/10.1061/(asce)1090-0241(2006)132:2(131)
Ma T, Wei C, Yao C, Yi P (2020) Microstructural evolution of expansive clay during drying–wetting cycle. Acta Geotech 15:2355–2366. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11440-020-00938-4
Marquardt DW (1963) An algorithm for least-squares estimation of nonlinear parameters. J Soc Ind Appl Math 11:431–441. https://doi.org/10.1137/0111030
Miao L, Liu S, Lai Y (2002) Research of soil-water characteristics and shear strength features of Nanyang expansive soil. Eng Geol 65:261–267. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0013-7952(01)00136-3
De la Morena G, Asensio L, Navarro V (2018) Intra-aggregate water content and void ratio model for MX-80 bentonites. Eng Geol 246:131–138. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enggeo.2018.09.028
De la Morena G, Navarro V, Asensio L, Gallipoli D (2021) A water retention model accounting for void ratio changes in double porosity clays. Acta Geotech 16:2775–2790. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11440-020-01126-0
Navarro V, Asensio L, De la Morena G et al (2015) Differentiated intra-and inter-aggregate water content models of mx-80 bentonite. Appl Clay Sci 118:325–336. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clay.2015.10.015
Ng CWW, Sadeghi H, Hossen SKB et al (2016) Water retention and volumetric characteristics of intact and re-compacted loess. Can Geotech J 53:1258–1269. https://doi.org/10.1139/cgj-2015-0364
Ng CWW, Zhan L, Cui Y (2002) A new simple system for measuring volume changes in unsaturated soils. Can Geotech J 39:757–764. https://doi.org/10.1139/t02-015
Nuth M, Laloui L (2008) Advances in modelling hysteretic water retention curve in deformable soils. Comput Geotech 35:835–844. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compgeo.2008.08.001
Qian J, Lin Z, Shi Z (2021) Soil-water retention curve model for fine-grained soils accounting for void ratio-dependent capillarity. Can Geotech J. https://doi.org/10.1139/cgj-2021-0042
Qiao Y, Xiao Y, Laloui L et al (2019) A double-structure hydromechanical constitutive model for compacted bentonite. Comput Geotech 115:103173. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compgeo.2019.103173
Rahardjo H, Aung KK, Leong EC, Rezaur RB (2004) Characteristics of residual soils in Singapore as formed by weathering. Eng Geol 73:157–169. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enggeo.2004.01.002
Rahardjo H, Satyanaga A, D’Amore GAR, Leong EC (2012) Soil-water characteristic curves of gap-graded soils. Eng Geol 125:102–107. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enggeo.2011.11.009
Revil A, Lu N (2013) Unified water isotherms for clayey porous materials. Water Resour Res 49:5685–5699. https://doi.org/10.1002/wrcr.20426
Romero E, Della Vecchia G, Jommi C (2011) An insight into the water retention properties of compacted clayey soils. Geotechnique 61:313–328. https://doi.org/10.1680/geot.2011.61.4.313
Satyanaga A, Rahardjo H, Leong EC, Wang JY (2013) Water characteristic curve of soil with bimodal grain-size distribution. Comput Geotech 48:51–61. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compgeo.2012.09.008
Sibley JW, Smyth GK, Williams DJ (1990) Suction-moisture content calibration of filter papers from different boxes. Geotech Test J 13:257–262. https://doi.org/10.1520/gtj10165j
Silva MM, Coutinho RQ (2009) Geotechnical characterization of an unsaturated residual soil of granite from Pernambuco, Brazil. In: Proceedings of the 17th international conference on soil mechanics and geotechnical engineering: the academia and practice of geotechnical engineering
Simms PH, Yanful EK (2004) A discussion of the application of mercury intrusion porosimetry for the investigation of soils, including an evaluation of its use to estimate volume change in compacted clayey soils. Geotechnique 54:421–426. https://doi.org/10.1680/geot.2004.54.6.421
Sun W, Cui Y (2018) Investigating the microstructure changes for silty soil during drying. Geotechnique 68:370–373. https://doi.org/10.1680/jgeot.16.P.165
Sun D, Gao Y, Zhou A, Sheng D (2016) Soil–water retention curves and microstructures of undisturbed and compacted Guilin lateritic clay. Bull Eng Geol Environ 75:781–791. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10064-015-0765-2
Sun D, Sheng D, Cui H, Sloan SW (2007) A density-dependent elastoplastic hydro-mechanical model for unsaturated compacted soils. Int J Numer Anal Methods Geomech 31:1257–1279. https://doi.org/10.1002/nag
Sun D, Sun W, Xiang L (2010) Effect of degree of saturation on mechanical behaviour of unsaturated soils and its elastoplastic simulation. Comput Geotech 37:678–688. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compgeo.2010.04.006
Tang AM, Cui Y (2005) Controlling suction by the vapour equilibrium technique at different temperatures and its application in determining the water retention properties of MX80 clay. Can Geotech J 42:287–296. https://doi.org/10.1139/t04-082
Tuller M, Dani O, Dudley LM (1999) Adsorption and capillary condensation in porous media: liquid retention and interfacial configurations in angular pores. Water Resour Res 35:1949–1964. https://doi.org/10.1029/1999WR900098
Vanapalli SK, Fredlund DG, Pufahl DE (1999) The influence of soil structure and stress history on the soil-water characteristics of a compacted till. Geotechnique 49:143–159. https://doi.org/10.1680/geot.1999.49.2.143
Wheeler SJ, Sivakumar V (2000) Influence of compaction procedure on the mechanical behaviour of an unsaturated compacted clay. Part 1: wetting and iostropic compression. Geotechnique 50:369–376. https://doi.org/10.1680/geot.2000.50.4.369
Wijaya M, Leong EC (2016) Equation for unimodal and bimodal soil-water characteristic curves. Soils Found 56:291–300. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sandf.2016.02.011
Zhai Q, Rahardjo H (2012) Determination of soil-water characteristic curve variables. Comput Geotech 42:37–43. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compgeo.2011.11.010
Zhai Q, Rahardjo H, Satyanaga A (2017) Effect of bimodal soil-water characteristic curve on the estimation of permeability function. Eng Geol 230:142–151. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enggeo.2017.09.025
Zhai Q, Rahardjo H, Satyanaga A et al (2020) Framework to estimate the soil-water characteristic curve for soils with different void ratios. Bull Eng Geol Environ 79:4399–4409. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10064-020-01825-8
Zhai Q, Rahardjo H, Satyanaga A, Dai G (2019) Estimation of unsaturated shear strength from soil–water characteristic curve. Acta Geotech 14:1977–1990. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11440-019-00785-y
Zhai Q, Rahardjo H, Satyanaga A, Dai G (2020) Estimation of tensile strength of sandy soil from soil–water characteristic curve. Acta Geotech 15:3371–3381. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11440-020-01013-8
Zhang L, Chen Q (2005) Predicting bimodal soil–water characteristic curves. J Geotech Geoenviron Eng 131:666–670. https://doi.org/10.1061/(asce)1090-0241(2005)131:5(666)
Zhang C, Lu N (2020) Unified effective stress equation for soil. J Eng Mech 146:04019135. https://doi.org/10.1061/(asce)em.1943-7889.0001718
Zhang J, Niu G, Li X, Sun D (2020) Hydro-mechanical behavior of expansive soils with different dry densities over a wide suction range. Acta Geotech 15:265–278. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11440-019-00874-y
Zhang J, Sun D, Zhou A, Jiang T (2016) Hydromechanical behaviour of expansive soils with different suctions and suction histories. Can Geotech J 53:1–13. https://doi.org/10.1139/cgj-2014-0366
Zhang Y, Ye W, Chen Y, Chen B (2017) Impact of NaCl on drying shrinkage behavior of low-plasticity soil in earthen heritages. Can Geotech J 54:1762–1774
Zhao H, Zhang L, Fredlund DG (2013) Bimodal shear-strength behavior of unsaturated coarse-grained soils. J Geotech Geoenviron Eng 139:2070–2081. https://doi.org/10.1061/(asce)gt.1943-5606.0000937
Zhou A, Huang R, Sheng D (2016) Capillary water retention curve and shear strength of unsaturated soils. Can Geotech J 53:974–987. https://doi.org/10.1051/e3sconf/20160914010
Zhou A, Sheng D, Carter JP (2012) Modelling the effect of initial density on soil-water characteristic curves. Geotechnique 62:669–680. https://doi.org/10.1680/geot.10.P.120
Zhou A, Wu S, Li J, Sheng D (2018) Including degree of capillary saturation into constitutive modelling of unsaturated soils. Comput Geotech 95:82–98. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compgeo.2017.09.017
Acknowledgements
This work is supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China through Grant No. 41877252.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
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
Qian, J., Lin, Z. & Shi, Z. Experimental and modeling study of water-retention behavior of fine-grained soils with dual-porosity structures. Acta Geotech. 17, 3245–3258 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11440-022-01483-y
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11440-022-01483-y