THEORY OF WATER

FLOW THROUGH
UNSATURATED SOILS
PREPARED BY : ALY L. ARQUILLANO JR.
 INTRODUCTION

• The rate of flow of water through a porous medium is

regulated by the hydraulic conductivity or coefficient

of permeability of the soil
 COEFFICIENT OF PERMEABILITY
• a measure of the ease with which water can flow in the space available for
water flow in the unsaturated soil.

• Is generally assumed to be constant when analyzing flow through saturated

soil.

• However for unsaturated soils, it can vary widely depending on the stress
state (or degree of saturation) of the soil.

• Water can only flow through that portion of a porous medium that consists of
water.
THEORY OF WATER FLOW
WATER FLOW BY VOLUMETRIC WATER CONTENT

• Assumes water flows from high water content to low water content

• Does not form a fundamental basis since water can flow from low water
content to high water content due to variations in soil, stress history, or
hysteric effects

• Therefore this cannot be used as the fundamental driving potential for water
flow.
WATER FLOW BY MATRIC SUCTION
Matric suction

Left side Right side

Case 1 : 25 Case 1 : 50

Case 2 : 150 Case 2 : 150

Case 3 : 300 Case 3 : 200

 WATER FLOW BY HYDRAULIC HEAD GRADIENT

• The flow of water through any soil is governed by the pressure head gradient in the water
phase in addition to a gradient due to elevation head differences

• Hydraulic head is a measurable quantity and the difference in hydraulic head between two
points provides a gradient value that describes the available energy to cause water flow in
saturated and unsaturated soils
 SOIL WATER POTENTIAL
• In classical physics, we know that there is kinetic and potential energy.
• Since the movement of water in soils is relatively slow, its kinetic energy is
negligible.
• Therefore, water moves in the direction of potential energy
• Soil water tends to move from high potential energy to lower potential energy
(wet to dry soil)
DRIVING POTENTIAL FOR WATER PHASE

• The driving potential for the flow of

water can be defined in terms of the
energy or capacity to do work. The
energy at a point is computed
relative to an elevation datum.
HYDRAULIC HEAD
 OSMOTIC SUCTION?

• Some have argued the inclusion of the osmotic suction in addition to the
matric suction for the pressure head

• However, it is better to view the osmotic suction as an independent driving

potential but for the osmotic diffusion process.
• The bulk flow of solutions (i.e., pure water and dissolved salts) in the absence
of a semipermeable membrane is governed by the hydraulic head gradient
HYRDAULIC HEAD
 DARCY’S LAW
• The flow of water in soil can be described using Darcy’s law
 DARCY’S LAW
• Water can be visualized as flowing only through the pore spaces that are filled
with water.

• Air-filled pores are nonconductive channels to the flow of water.

• Since in unsaturated soils the coefficient of permeability is a variable, it is a

function water content and matric suction
Experiments to verify Darcy’s law for
unsaturated soils
• A column of unsaturated soil held at a uniform water
content and a constant-water-pressure head was
subjected to various gradients of gravitational head

• The results indicate that at a specific water content the

coefficient of permeability kw is constant for various
hydraulic head gradients applied to the unsaturated soil
 Coefficient of Permeability with Respect to
Water Phase
• The coefficient of permeability depends upon the properties of the fluid and
the properties of the porous medium.

• Different types of fluid (e.g., water and oil) or different types of soil (e.g., sand
and clay) produce different values for the coefficient of permeability kw.
 Relationship between Permeability and
Volume-Mass Properties
• The onset of desaturation causes water to flow through the smaller pores.
The pathway through the smaller pores leads to increased tortuosity.

• An increase in matric suction in the soil leads to a further decrease in the pore
volume occupied by water.

• The coefficient of permeability in an unsaturated soil is significantly affected

by combined changes in void ratio and degree of saturation (or water content)
of the soil
Relationship between Permeability and
Volume-Mass Properties
Effect of Variations in Degree of Saturation
on Coefficient of Permeability
• changes in degree of saturation
generally produce large changes in
the coefficient of permeability.

• The coefficient of permeability is often

described as a singular function of S

• The degree of saturation is related to

matric suction and is referred to as
SWCC
Relationship between Coefficient of Permeability
and Degree of Saturation
• Burdine (1953) and Brooks and Corey (1964)
suggested that the permeability function
could be obtained using the saturated
coefficient of permeability and the matric
suction versus degree of saturation
relationship
Relationship between Coefficient of Permeability
and Degree of Saturation
Hysteresis of Permeability Functions
The coefficient of permeability is directly related to the
volumetric water content (or degree of saturation) and will
also show significant hysteresis when plotted versus soil
suction.
Hysteresis of Permeability Functions
When the coefficient of permeability is cross-plotted
against volumetric water content, there is essentially no
hysteresis.

This elimination of hysteresis, however, is of little value

when solving practical engineering problems because the
PDE solutions used in seepage problems usually require a
relationship between the soil suction and water content

Consequently, it is just as easy to use the permeability

function (i.e., soil suction versus coefficient of
permeability) when solving the partial differential seepage
equation for hydraulic heads in an unsaturated soil
 Water Vapor Flow

• Diffusion of water vapor is driven by a gradient in water vapor pressure

• Vapor advection is governed by the flow of air and is a function of vapor

content in the air

• Water vapor behaves as a gas and in fact can be considered as one

component of air.
 Lower Limit for Water Coefficient
of Permeability
• The liquid water coefficient of permeability kW decreases with increasing soil suction.

• There is, however, a “shutoff” of liquid water flow at some value of suction

• Liquid water flow may occur at relatively high soil suctions, but there should be some
point where there is a transfer from liquid water flow to predominantly vapor water
flow

• Ebrahimi-Birang et al.(2004) presented two approaches for the determination of a

minimum value for the water coefficient of permeability kW
Liquid Water Permeability at Residual
Conditions
• Ebrahimi-Birang et al.(2004) selected
45 soils from the literature and
compiled the measured SWCCs,
saturated coefficients of permeability,
and volume-mass properties
• The results show a considerable
variation in the water permeability
coefficient of permeability, and volume-
mass properties
 Water Vapor Permeability Functions
The coefficient of vapor permeability kv has
its lowest value as the soil approaches
saturation and begins to increase as air
occupies a portion of the soil pores.

The intersection point of liquid water and water

vapor coefficients of permeability is the point
after which the vapor permeability coefficient
begins to be dominant.

It has been suggested that a reasonable lower limit for the

water coefficient of permeability is 1 x10-14 m/s.
PDE FOR STEADY-STATE WATER FLOW
• Geotechnical engineers are often interested in knowing the direction and
quantity of flow through porous media as well as the pore-water pressures
(or hydraulic heads).
• Hydraulic head and coefficient of permeability of water is invariant with time.

• The quantity of flow of a fluid is usually expressed in terms of flux q. Flux is

equal to flow rate multiplied by the cross-sectional area.

• The governing PDE’s in seepage are derived based on the conservation of

mass. Meaning the quantity that goes in is equal to what goes what, Therefore
the net flux is equal to zero.
 SEEPAGE ANALYSIS
• The slow movement of water through soil

• Seepage analyses may form an important part of studies related to slope

stability, groundwater contamination control, earth dam design, and many
other geotechnical engineering applications

• Seepage analyses involve the computation of the rate and direction of water
flow and the pore-water pressure distributions within the flow regime.
 Permeability Conditions in Unsaturated Soils

• Heterogenous, Isotropic Conditions

• Heterogenous, Anisotropic Conditions
• Continuous variation of permeability with space
 Heterogeneous, Isotropic Steady-State Seepage

A soil is called heterogeneous, isotropic if the coefficient of permeability in the x-direction, kx , is

equal to the coefficient of permeability in the y-direction at any point within the soil mass
 Heterogeneous, Anisotropic Steady-State Seepage

The ratio of the coefficient of permeability in the x-direction, kx , to the coefficient of permeability in
the y-direction, ky , is a constant at any point
 Continuous variation of permeability with space

• The permeability ratio kx/ky may not be a constant from one location to another (i.e., kx/ky at A
not equal to kx/ky at B), and different directions may have different permeability functions.

• All steady-state seepage analyses assume that the pore-air pressure has reached a constant
equilibrium value
Ability of Unsaturated Soil to Store
and Release Water
• The simulation of transient flow processes
requires a characterization of a water storage
property that changes with the degree of
saturation (or volumetric water content) of the
soil.

• The water storage soil property associated

with water flow through an unsaturated soil is
given the symbol mw2 and

• Is equal to the arithmetic slope of the

(volumetric water content) SWCC
STEADY STATE EVAPORATION FROM SOIL
STEADY STATE EVAPORATION FROM SOIL

h = h1 > 0, y = y1 Ψ1 >Ψ

y+
h=0,y=0 ψ
ONE-DIMENSIONAL FLOW IN
UNSATURATED SOILS
ONE-DIMENSIONAL FLOW IN
UNSATURATED SOILS
ONE-DIMENSIONAL FLOW IN UNSATURATED
SOILS
TWO-DIMENSIONAL FLOW IN UNSATURATED
SOILS
• Assume the flow in the perpendicular
plane is negligible.

• Water flows through both saturated

and unsaturated zones in response to
hydraulic head driving potential
TWO-DIMENSIONAL FLOW IN UNSATURATED
SOILS
THREE-DIMENSIONAL FLOW THROUGH
UNSATURATED SOIL
 PARTIAL DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS
FOR TRANSIENT SEEPAGE
• The steady-state water flow partial differential equations can be expanded to
include transient or unsteady-state formulations.

• Many situations are encountered in engineering practice where the ground

surface is a moisture flux boundary

• In other words, the climatic conditions at a site give rise to a varying moisture
flux at the ground surface
 PARTIAL DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS
FOR TRANSIENT SEEPAGE
• The steady-state water flow partial differential equations can be expanded to
include transient or unsteady-state formulations.

• Many situations are encountered in engineering practice where the ground

surface is a moisture flux boundary

• In other words, the climatic conditions at a site give rise to a varying moisture
flux at the ground surface
Anisotropic Permeability
Anisotropic Permeability
Anisotropic Permeability
Anisotropic Permeability