Abstract
Design of effective capillary barrier systems requires a thorough understanding of the soilwater interactions that take place in both coarse- and fine-grained unsaturated soils. Experimental observations of water flow through coarse porous media are presented to gain greater understanding of the processes and mechanisms that contribute to the movement and retention of water in coarse-grained unsaturated soils. The use of pendular ring theory to describe how water is held within a porous material with relatively low volumetric water contents is explored. Experimental measurements of seepage velocity and volumetric water content were obtained for columns of 12 mm glass beads using digital videography to capture the movement of a dye tracer front at several infiltration rates. An estimated curve for hydraulic conductivity versus matric suction is shown and compared to a theoretical curve. The method is shown to provide a reasonable predictive tool.Key words: soil-water characteristic curve, hydraulic conductivity curve, water permeability function, capillary barrier, matric suction.
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