Unsaturated Soil Moisture Drying and Wetting Diffusion Coefficient Measurements in the Laboratory

Mabirzi, Daniel; Bulut, Rifat

i

Unsaturated Soil Moisture Drying and Wetting Diffusion Coefficient Measurements in the Laboratory

2009-09-01
By Mabirzi, Daniel ; Bulut, Rifat

File Language:

English

Details

Creators:

Mabirzi, Daniel ; Bulut, Rifat
Corporate Creators:

Oklahoma State University. School of Civil & Environmental Engineering
Corporate Contributors:

Oklahoma Transportation Center
Subject/TRT Terms:
Publication/ Report Number:

OTCREOS7.1-11-F
Resource Type:

Tech Report
Geographical Coverage:

Oklahoma;United States
Corporate Publisher:

Oklahoma Transportation Center
Abstract:

Transient moisture flow in an unsaturated soil in response to suction changes is controlled by the unsaturated moisture diffusion coefficient. The moisture diffusion coefficient can be determined by measuring suction profiles over time. The laboratory testing approach involves measurement of the total suction changes with time using thermocouple psychrometers in cylindrical soil specimens with predetermined boundary conditions. The determination of the diffusion coefficient by this method is simple and relatively rapid and can be carried out on a routine basis in a geotechnical engineering laboratory. It is well-known that soils exhibit hysteresis with drying and wetting cycles. A similar hysteresis has been observed between the drying and wetting diffusion parameters for a number of undisturbed soil samples obtained from field borings across Oklahoma. The wetting diffusion coefficients are generally greater than the drying diffusion coefficients by a factor of up to 2.
Format:

PDF
Funding:

DTRT-06-G-0016
Download URL:

https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/20486/dot_20486_DS1.pdf
File Type:

[PDF - 1.94 MB]
Collection(s):

University Transportation Centers ; US Transportation Collection
Main Document Checksum:

urn:sha-512:ad567749ac0b62fb05b62392ecc5287df5eba8d3ef4e12f1350c0735589c5a2df3c9c538d4391d13f538d01702706b524a0372f14689a9416ec11b24ee6765e7

File Language:

English

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