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Determination of Saturated-Unsaturated Flow Through Silty Sand

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Abstract

The main objective of this paper was to investigate saturated-unsaturated flow through a silty sand. Based on laboratory characterization, this research developed a simple method to determine the unsaturated hydraulic conductivity using a single sensor and a digital camera. Results indicated a soil with marginal water holding capacity (air entry value of 8 kPa and residual suction value of 21 kPa) and a distinct color change from desiccated (light grey) to saturated (dark grey) state. The modified test method successfully determined the hydraulic conductivity function following a newly developed sigmoidal equation. The difference between the upper bound and the lower bound gradually reduced with suction and converged at vapor conductivity.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to acknowledge the University of Regina for providing laboratory facilities.

Funding

This research is supported by Natural Science and Engineering Research Council of Canada

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Environmental Systems Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science, University of Regina, 3737 Wascana Parkway, Regina, SK, S4S 0A2, Canada

    Ilyas Akram & Shahid Azam

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  1. Ilyas Akram
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  2. Shahid Azam
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Contributions

IA conducted laboratory testing and data analyses and prepared the manuscript. SA provided project supervision and conceptual guidance and polished the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Shahid Azam.

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Akram, I., Azam, S. Determination of Saturated-Unsaturated Flow Through Silty Sand. Geotech Geol Eng 40, 469–481 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10706-021-01914-9

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