scholarly journals Laboratory testing of seepage in concrete

2020 ◽  
Vol 195 ◽  
pp. 03030
Author(s):  
Miklós Pap ◽  
András Mahler ◽  
Salem Georges Nehme
Keyword(s):  
Water Retention ◽  
Water Retention Curve ◽  
Underground Structures ◽  
Pore System ◽  
Retention Curve ◽  
Soil Function ◽  
Concrete Mixtures ◽  
Permeability Function ◽  
Flow Through

Due to the construction of underground structures and hazardous waste storages, understanding and modelling of water flow through concrete has become a major topic for life-span analyses. The water retention curve (WRC) is an essential unsaturated soil function, which can be determined not only for soil samples, but also for other porous media. This paper deals with the determination of drying water retention curve for six different concrete mixtures that provide a substantial characteristic for the investigation and modelling of seepage through the pores of concrete. According to the complex pore system of the concrete, the bimodal function of van Genuchten (1980) and Fredlund and Xing (1994) models were used for curve fitting. The fitted curves were used to estimate the permeability function using Fredlund et. al (1994) model.

Determination of soil water hydraulic parameters from infiltration data

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yan Gao ◽  
Kai Chang ◽  
Xuguang Xing ◽  
Jiaping Liang ◽  
Nian He ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Soil Water ◽  
Water Retention ◽  
Test Method ◽  
Water Retention Curve ◽  
Absorption Method ◽  
Retention Curve ◽  
Content Type ◽  
One Dimensional ◽  
Water Diffusivity

PurposeTraditional laboratory measurements of soil water diffusivity (D) and soil water retention curve (SWRC) are always time-consuming and labor-intensive. Therefore, this paper aims to present a simple and robust test method for determining D and SWRC without reducing accuracy.Design/methodology/approachIn this study, a D model of unsaturated soil was established based on Gardner–Russo model and then a combination of Gardner–Russo model with one-dimensional horizontal absorption method to obtain n and a parameters of Gardner–Russo model. One-dimensional horizontal absorption experiments on loam, silt loam and sandy clay loam were conducted to obtain the relationships between measured infiltration rate and cumulative infiltration with wetting front distance. Based on the obtained relationships, the measured infiltration data from the one-dimensional horizontal absorption tests were used to calculate n and a parameters and further constructing D and SWRC.FindingsBoth the calculated D and SWRC inversed from the infiltration data were in good agreement with the measured ones that obtained from the traditional horizontal absorption method and the centrifuge method, respectively. Error analysis indicated that only the infiltration data are enough to reliably synchronously determine D and SWRC.Originality/valueA simple and robust method is proposed for synchronous determination of soil water diffusivity and water retention curve.

How well do standard laboratory methods represent the field water retention curve of volcanic ash soils (Andosols)?

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giovanny Mosquera ◽  
Franklin Marín ◽  
Jan Feyen ◽  
Rolando Célleri ◽  
Lutz Breur ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Retention ◽  
Volcanic Ash ◽  
Accurate Determination ◽  
Water Retention Curve ◽  
Standard Laboratory ◽  
Laboratory Methods ◽  
Retention Curve ◽  
Mountainous Regions ◽  
Volcanic Ash Soils

<p>Accurate determination of the water retention curve (WRC) of a soil is essential for the understanding and modelling of the subsurface hydrological, ecological, and biogeochemical processes. Volcanic ash soils with andic properties (Andosols) are recognized as important providers of ecological and hydrological services in mountainous regions worldwide due to their outstanding water holding capacity. Previous comparative analyses of in situ (field) and standard laboratory (hydrostatic equilibrium based) methods for the determination of the WRC of Andosols showed contrasting results. Based on an extensive analysis of laboratory, experimental, and field measured WRCs of Andosols in combination with data extracted from the published literature we show that standard laboratory methods using small soil sample volumes (≤300 cm<sup>3</sup>) mimic the WRC of these soils only partially. The results obtained by the latter resemble only a small portion of the wet range of the Andosols’ WRC (from saturation up to -5 kPa, or pF 1.7), but overestimate substantially their water content for higher matric potentials. The disagreement limits our capacity to infer correctly subsurface hydrological behavior, as illustrated through the analysis of long-term soil moisture and matric potential data from an experimental site in the tropical Andes. These findings imply that results reported in past research should be used with caution and that future research should focus on determining laboratory methods that allow obtaining a correct characterization of the WRC of Andosols.</p>

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