Influence of soil-water retention characteristics in the suction in situ of a sandy soil

• Grant number: 11/11558-7
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Effective date (Start): November 01, 2011
• Effective date (End): October 31, 2012
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Civil Engineering - Geotechnical Engineering
• Principal Investigator: Roger Augusto Rodrigues
• Grantee: Nathalia Batista de Paiva
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Engenharia (FE). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Bauru. Bauru , SP, Brazil

Abstract

This work aims to study the hydraulic behavior of a tropical unsaturated soil from São Paulo State through in situ suction monitoring, hydraulic conductivity and soil-water retention curve. Soil suction is an important geotechnical variable because it affects the mechanical behavior of the unsaturated soils. The attempt to understand the unsaturated soils behavior has stimulated the development of theories, of experiments and of mathematical models. However, there is need of basic information. The works require continuous monitoring data of in situ suction and, currently, the behavior predictions are based on the punctual analysis. In this work, measurements of in situ suction monitoring will be correlated with the atmospheric variables and with the soil-water retention curves. Besides, suction profiles will help other research involving field tests and that have been conducted at the site studied. (AU)