Consideration of microstructure in modelling the hydro-mechanical behaviour of unsaturated soils

Abstract

The hydro-mechanical behaviour of unsaturated soils is often highly influenced by the microstructure; therefore, it can be beneficial to consider the effect of microstructure in a hydro-mechanical constitutive model. This paper considers the use of a microstructure-related model that adopts the effective degree of saturation as a microstructural index. The model can be used to reproduce the hydro-mechanical behaviour while the effect of the microstructure is considered. For comparison, a non-microstructuredependent model is also employed. The models are applied to simulate the behaviour of two different soilsand a comparison of the models’ performance in simulating triaxial test behaviour is made. Based on the comparison with experimental results and the non-microstructure-dependent model, it can be concluded thatthe adoption of the effective degree of saturation is beneficial to studying the hydro-mechanical behaviour of unsaturated soils affected by the microstructure.