Explicit approximate analytical solutions of seepage‐deformation in unsaturated soils

Abstract

SummaryAn approximate analytical solution is presented for the coupled seepage and deformation problem of unsaturated soils. Because of the matric suction dependence of both saturation and permeability coefficient, the coupled governing equations are strongly nonlinear. To obtain an analytical solution, these coupled governing equations are linearized and analytically solved for a specified saturation using the eigenfunction method. Then, the obtained analytical solutions are extended to the entire saturation range. Comparison between the current solution and the previous theoretical solution indicates that the proposed solution yields excellent results. Due to its analytical nature, the proposed procedure can be effectively used to obtain the solution of the coupled seepage and deformation of unsaturated soils.