{"title":"An iterative program to back-analyze grain-size distribution from a predetermined soil–water characteristic curve","authors":"Minh Nguyen , David Elwood","doi":"10.1016/j.trgeo.2025.101485","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Numerous methods for predicting unsaturated soil properties based on basic soil parameters have been introduced to reduce the cost of unsaturated soil testing. This research proposes an unsaturated soil estimation program that uses a predetermined soil–water characteristic curve (SWCC) to predict the grain-size distribution (GSD) using computer iteration. The results indicate back-calculating a GSD from a given SWCC is possible, and that different GSDs can produce the same SWCC. A Monte Carlo approach examining variations of the GSD was conducted and associated packing porosities are provided. The program was tested on coarse- and fine-grained soils to determine the program’s capability and indicate it is appropriate for samples dominated by silty sand and silt but not clay. The back-analysis program described here could bypass the arduous testing phase of multiple soils to find a suitable SWCC for a capillary break layer as it can start with a predetermined SWCC and estimate a suitable GSD. In such efforts, the most important characteristic (i.e., strength or stiffness) of a soil must be determined when considering the GSD required because an infinite number of GSDs with similar properties could produce the same SWCC.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":56013,"journal":{"name":"Transportation Geotechnics","volume":"51 ","pages":"Article 101485"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9000,"publicationDate":"2025-01-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Transportation Geotechnics","FirstCategoryId":"5","ListUrlMain":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214391225000042","RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"ENGINEERING, CIVIL","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Numerous methods for predicting unsaturated soil properties based on basic soil parameters have been introduced to reduce the cost of unsaturated soil testing. This research proposes an unsaturated soil estimation program that uses a predetermined soil–water characteristic curve (SWCC) to predict the grain-size distribution (GSD) using computer iteration. The results indicate back-calculating a GSD from a given SWCC is possible, and that different GSDs can produce the same SWCC. A Monte Carlo approach examining variations of the GSD was conducted and associated packing porosities are provided. The program was tested on coarse- and fine-grained soils to determine the program’s capability and indicate it is appropriate for samples dominated by silty sand and silt but not clay. The back-analysis program described here could bypass the arduous testing phase of multiple soils to find a suitable SWCC for a capillary break layer as it can start with a predetermined SWCC and estimate a suitable GSD. In such efforts, the most important characteristic (i.e., strength or stiffness) of a soil must be determined when considering the GSD required because an infinite number of GSDs with similar properties could produce the same SWCC.
期刊介绍:
Transportation Geotechnics is a journal dedicated to publishing high-quality, theoretical, and applied papers that cover all facets of geotechnics for transportation infrastructure such as roads, highways, railways, underground railways, airfields, and waterways. The journal places a special emphasis on case studies that present original work relevant to the sustainable construction of transportation infrastructure. The scope of topics it addresses includes the geotechnical properties of geomaterials for sustainable and rational design and construction, the behavior of compacted and stabilized geomaterials, the use of geosynthetics and reinforcement in constructed layers and interlayers, ground improvement and slope stability for transportation infrastructures, compaction technology and management, maintenance technology, the impact of climate, embankments for highways and high-speed trains, transition zones, dredging, underwater geotechnics for infrastructure purposes, and the modeling of multi-layered structures and supporting ground under dynamic and repeated loads.