<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><p>In this paper we describe a numerical model of transient water flow in unsaturated expansive soils and the resulting soil volume change. The unsaturated flow equation is solved in a 2D domain using a finite-volume method and an explicit time discretization scheme. Strains in the soil mass are calculated by two simplified approaches, assuming that the strain state is either 1D (in the vertical direction only) or 2D with equal strains in horizontal and vertical directions. The model is applied to two cases described in the literature, in which the strains were computed from the solution of the stress equilibrium equation. It is shown that the simplified methods give results which are reasonably close to the more complex approach based on the equilibrium equations. The proposed model can be used to predict time-varying soil shrinkage and swelling caused by natural and anthropogenic factors.</p></abstract>

In this paper we describe a numerical model of transient water flow in unsaturated expansive soils and the resulting soil volume change. The unsaturated flow equation is solved in a 2D domain using a finite-volume method and an explicit time discretization scheme. Strains in the soil mass are calculated by two simplified approaches, assuming that the strain state is either 1D (in the vertical direction only) or 2D with equal strains in horizontal and vertical directions. The model is applied to two cases described in the literature, in which the strains were computed from the solution of the stress equilibrium equation. It is shown that the simplified methods give results which are reasonably close to the more complex approach based on the equilibrium equations. The proposed model can be used to predict time-varying soil shrinkage and swelling caused by natural and anthropogenic factors.

Numerical Modeling of Water Flow in Expansive Soils with Simplified Description of Soil Deformation

Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering

Archives of Hydro-Engineering and Environmental Mechanics

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

In this paper we describe a numerical model of transient water flow in unsaturated expansive soils and the resulting soil volume change. The unsaturated flow...

Numerical Modeling of Water Flow in Expansive Soils with Simplified Description of Soil Deformation

Published Online: Jun 18, 2019

Page range: 301 - 313

Received: Nov 21, 2018

Accepted: Dec 28, 2018

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/heem-2018-0018

Keywords
expansive soils, unsaturated flow, hydro-mechanical coupling, root water uptake

© 2018 Sławomir Michalski et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Numerical Modeling of Water Flow in Expansive Soils with Simplified Description of Soil Deformation

Published Online: Jun 18, 2019

Page range: 301 - 313

Received: Nov 21, 2018

Accepted: Dec 28, 2018

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/heem-2018-0018

Keywordsexpansive soils, unsaturated flow, hydro-mechanical coupling, root water uptake

© 2018 Sławomir Michalski et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Keywords
expansive soils, unsaturated flow, hydro-mechanical coupling, root water uptake