Effects of gravel on the water absorption characteristics and hydraulic parameters of stony soil

The eastern foothills of the Helan Mountains in China are a typical mountainous region of soil and gravel,where gravel could affect the water movement process in the soil.This study focused on the effects of different gravel contents on the water absorption characteristics and hydraulic parameters of stony soil.The stony soil samples were collected from the eastern foothills of the Helan Mountains in April 2023 and used as the experimental materials to conduct a one-dimensional horizontal soil column absorption experiment.Six experimental groups with gravel contents of 0%,10%,20%,30%,40%,and 50%were established to determine the saturated hydraulic conductivity(K_(s)),saturated water content(θ_(s)),initial water content(θ_(i)),and retention water content(θ_(r)),and explore the changes in the wetting front depth and cumulative absorption volume during the absorption experiment.The Philip model was used to fit the soil absorption process and determine the soil water absorption rate.Then the length of the characteristic wetting front depth,shape coefficient,empirical parameter,inverse intake suction and soil water suction were derived from the van Genuchten model.Finally,the hydraulic parameters mentioned above were used to fit the soil water characteristic curves,unsaturated hydraulic conductivity(K_(θ))and specific water capacity(C(h)).The results showed that the wetting front depth and cumulative absorption volume of each treatment gradually decreased with increasing gravel content.Compared with control check treatment with gravel content of 0%,soil water absorption rates in the treatments with gravel contents of 10%,20%,30%,40%,and 50%decreased by 11.47%,17.97%,25.24%,29.83%,and 42.45%,respectively.As the gravel content increased,inverse intake suction gradually increased,and shape coefficient,K_(s),θ_(s),andθ_(r)gradually decreased.For the same soil water content,soil water suction and K_(θ)gradually decreased with increasing gravel content.At the same soil water suction,C(h)decreased with increasing gravel content,and the water use efficiency worsened.Overall,the water holding capacity,hydraulic conductivity,and water use efficiency of stony soil in the eastern foothills of the Helan Mountains decreased with increasing gravel content.This study could provide data support for improving soil water use efficiency in the eastern foothills of the Helan Mountains and other similar rocky mountainous areas.

Topographic differentiations of biological soil crusts and hydraulic properties in fixed sand dunes, Tengger Desert

Biological soil crusts （BSCs） play an important role in surface soil hydrology. Soils dominated with moss BSCs may have higher infiltration rates than those dominated with cyanobacteria or algal BSCs. However, it is unnown whether improved infiltration in moss BSCs is accompanied by an increase in soil hydraulic conductivity or water retention capacity. We investigated this question in the Tengger Desert, where a 43-year-old revegetation program has promoted the formation of two distinct types of BSCs along topographic positions, i.e. the moss-dominated BSCs on the interdune land and windward slopes of the fixed sand dunes, and the al- gal-dominated BSCs on the crest and leeward slopes. Soil water retention capacity and hydraulic conductivity were measured using an indoor evaporation method and a field infiltration method. And the results were fitted to the van Genuchten-Mualem model. Unsaturated hydraulic conductivities under greater water pressure （〈-0.01 MPa） and water retention capacities in the entire pressure head range were higher for both crust types than for bare sand. However, saturated and unsaturated hydraulic conductivities in the near-saturation range （〉-0.01 MPa） showed decreasing trends from bare sand to moss crusts and to algal crusts. Our data suggested that topographic differentiation of BSCs significantly affected not only soil water retention and hydraulic conductivities, but also the overall hydrology of the fixed sand dunes at a landscape scale, as seen in the reduction and spatial variability in deep soil water storage.

An Analytical Method for Relationship Between Hydraulic Diffusivity and Soil Sorptivity

A simple method was developed to relate soil sorptivity to hydraulic diffusivity and water absorption experiments were conducted utilizing one-dimensional horizontal soil columns to validate the relationship. In addition, an estimation method for hydraulic diffusivity with disc infiltrometer was developed. The results indicated a favorable fit of the theoretical relation to the experimental data. Also, the experiment with disc infiltrometer for estimating the diffusivity showed that the new method was feasible.

Elastic-plastic solution and experimental study on critical water pressure inducing hydraulic fracturing in soil

It is widely believed that hydraulic fracturing will occur in the clay core of an earth-rockfill dam if the water pressure in the core increases to levels that are high enough to allow a fracture to form. An elastic-plastic solution to critical water pressure inducing hydraulic fracturing(fracture initiation pressure) in soil is derived based on Mohr-Coulomb shear failure criterion and the theory of cavity expansion. In order to verify the applicability of the criteria presented and study the relations among fracture initiation pressure, tensile strength and stress state of soil, laboratory tests are performed on compacted cuboid specimens by true triaxial apparatus. According to the test results, the cracks of hydraulic fracturing existed perpendicular to the minor principal stress plane. The hydraulic fracturing pressure pf increases with the increase of dry density of specimen, pf shows good linear relationship with σ2 and σ3. The prediction from presented equation is compared with test results and other three predictions, of which two are tensile failure(TS) criterion, and the other is Mohr-Coulomb(M-C) criterion. The presented solution is verified, and the other three approaches for pf are evaluated. The comparison indicates that the predicted values from the presented equations agree well with the test values for specimens of low dry density, and the error of the prediction is larger for those of high dry density, especially in lower minor stress states. The predicted average relative error of absolute value Ra from TS1 criterion is 13.3% for all specimens of different dry densities, and each prediction is lower than the test data. On the contrary, most of the predicted values from M-C criterion are greater than the test data, but the average relative error from the presented equation is the minimum. Considering the safety of soil works, an equation from TS1 criterion is suggested to evaluate the occurrence of hydraulic fracturing in earth-rockfill dam designing.

Effects of sediment load on the abrasion of soil aggregate and hydraulic parameters in experimental overland flow

The breakdown of soil aggregates under rainfall and their abrasion in overland flow are important processes in water erosion due to the production of more fine and transportable particles and,the subsequent significant effect on the erosion intensity.Currently,little is known about the effects of sediment load on the soil aggregate abrasion and the relationship of this abrasion with some related hydraulic parameters.Here,the potential effects of sediment load on soil aggregate abrasion and hydraulic parameters in overland flow were investigated through a series of experiments in a 3.8-m-long hydraulic flume at the slope gradients of 8.7 and 26.8%,unit flow discharges from 2×10^-3 to 6×10^-3 m^2 s^-1,and the sediment concentration from 0 to 110 kg m-3.All the aggregates from Ultisols developed Quaternary red clay,Central China.The results indicated that discharge had the most significant(P<0.01)effect on the aggregates abrasion with the contributions of 58.76 and 60.34%,followed by sediment feed rate,with contributions of 39.66 and 34.12%at the slope gradients of 8.7 and 26.8%,respectively.The abrasion degree of aggregates was found to increase as a power function of the sediment concentration.Meanwhile,the flow depth,friction factor,and shear stress increased as a power function along with the increase of sediment concentration at different slope gradients and discharges.Reynolds number was obviously affected by sediment concentration and it decreased as sediment concentration increased.The ratio of the residual weight to the initial weight of soil aggregates(Wr/Wi)was found to increase as the linear function with an increasing flow depth(P=0.008)or Reynolds number(P=0.002)in the sediment-laden flow.The Wr/Wi values followed a power function decrease with increasing friction factor or shear stress in the sediment-laden flow,indicating that friction factor is the best hydraulic parameter for prediction of soil aggregate abrasion under different sediment load conditions.The information regarding the soil aggregate abrasion under various sediment load conditions can facilitate soil process-based erosion modeling.

Saturated anisotropic hydraulic conductivity of a compacted lateritic soil

This study focuses on the saturated anisotropic hydraulic conductivity of a compacted lateritic clayey sandy soil. The effects of the molding water content and the confining stress on the anisotropic hydraulic conductivity are investigated. The hydraulic conductivity is measured with a flexible-wall permeameter. Samples are dynamically compacted into the three compaction states of a standard Proctor compaction curve： the dry branch, optimum water content and wet branch. Depending on the molding water content and confining stress, the hydraulic conductivity may increase or decrease. In addition, the results indicate that, when the samples are compacted to the optimum water content, lower hydraulic conductivity is obtained, except at a confining stress equal to 50 kPa. The increase of the confining stress decreases the hydraulic conductivity for each of the evaluated compaction states. In the wet branch, horizontal hy- draulic conductivity is about 8 times higher than the vertical value. The anisotropic hydraulic conduc- tivities of the dry and wet branches decrease when the confining stress increases, and the opposite is observed in the optimum water content state.

Effect of an Anionic Surfactant on Hydraulic Conductivities of Sodium- and Calcium-Saturated Soils

The effect of sodium dodecylbenzenesulfonate (SDBS), an anionic surfactant used widely in household products and industrial processes, on saturated hydraulic conductivities (Ksat) of an Anthrosol saturated with sodium (Na-soil) or calcium (Ca-soil) was analyzed in a laboratory experiment using the constant head method, and adsorption and dispersion experiments were also conducted to infer the possible mechanisms of Ksat fluctuations. The results showed that SDBS was more intensely adsorbed in the Ca-soil than in the Na-soil. With an increase in the SDBS concentration, the stability of the Na-soil suspensions decreased when the SDBS concentration was less than 1.2 mmol L-1 and then above this concentration, increased markedly, while the stability of the Ca-soil suspensions increased gradually at all SDBS concentrations studied. With an increase in the SDBS concentration, the Ksat of the Na-soil increased, which resulted mainly from the increase of water channels in the soil because of the coagulation of the soil particles, while the Ksat of Ca-soil decreased mainly on account of the clogging of partial water channels by precipitated Ca(DBS)2 and the fine soil particles generated.

Relationship between soil surface roughness and hydraulic roughness coefficient on sloping farmland

The soil surface roughness and hydraulic roughness coefficient are important hydraulic resistance characteristic parameters. Precisely estimating the hydraulic roughness coefficient is important to understanding mechanisms of overland flow. Four tillage practices, including cropland raking, artificial hoeing, artificial digging, and straight slopes, were considered based on the local agricultural conditions to simulate different values of soil surface roughness in the Loess Plateau. The objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between the soil surface roughness and hydraulic roughness coefficient on sloping farmland using artificial rainfall simulation. On a slope with a gradient of 10°, a significant logarithmic function was developed between the soil surface roughness and Manning＇s roughness coefficient, and an exponential function was derived to describe the relationship between the soil surface roughness and Reynolds number. On the slope with a gradient of 15°, a significant power function was developed to reflect the relationship between the soil surface roughness and Manning＇s roughness coefficient, and a linear function was derived to relate the soil surface roughness to the Reynolds number. These findings can provide alternative ways to estimate the hydraulic roughness coefficient for different types of soil surface roughness.

Mechanisms of hydraulic fracturing in cohesive soil

Hydraulic fracturing in the soil core of earth-rockfill dams is a common problem affecting the safety of the dams. Based on fracture tests, a new criterion for hydraulic fracturing in cohesive soil was suggested. Using this criterion, the mechanisms of hydraulic fracturing in cubic soil specimens were investigated. The results indicate that the propagation of the crack in a cubic specimen under water pressure occurs in a mixed mode I-II if the crack face is not perpendicular to any of the principal stresses, and the crack most likely to propagate is the one that is perpendicular to the minor principal stress and propagates in mode I.

Spatiotemporal variations of sand hydraulic conductivity by microbial application methods

The spatiotemporal distributions of microbes in soil by different methods could affect the efficacy of the microbes to reduce the soil hydraulic conductivity.In this study,the specimens of bio-mediated sands were prepared using three different methods,i.e.injecting,mixing,and pouring a given microbial so-lution onto compacted sand specimens.The hydraulic conductivity was measured by constant-head tests,while any soil microstructural changes due to addition of the microbes were observed by scan-ning electron microscope(SEM)and mercury intrusion porosimetry(MIP)tests.The amount of dextran concentration produced by microbes in each type of specimen was quantified by a refractometer.Results show that dextran production increased exponentially after 5-7 d of microbial settling with the supply of culture medium.The injection and mixing methods resulted in a similar amount and uniform dis-tribution of dextran in the specimens.The pouring method,however,produced a nonuniform distri-bution,with a higher concentration near the specimen surface.As the supply of culture medium discontinued,the dextran content near the surface produced by the pouring method decreased dramatically due to high competition for nutrients with foreign colonies.Average dextran concentration was negatively and correlated with hydraulic conductivity of bio-mediated soils exponentially,due to the clogging of large soil pores by dextran.The hydraulic conductivity of the injection and mixing cases did not change significantly when the supply of culture medium was absent.

Hydraulic and volume change behaviors of compacted highly expansive soil under cyclic wetting and drying

The wide engineered application of compacted expansive soils necessitates understanding their behavior under field conditions.The results of this study demonstrate how seasonal climatic variation and stress and boundary conditions individually or collectively influence the hydraulic and volume change behavior of compacted highly expansive soils.The cyclic wetting and drying(CWD)process was applied for two boundary conditions,i.e.constant stress(CS)and constant volume(CV),and for a wide range of axial stress states.The adopted CWD process affected the hydraulic and volume change behaviors of expansive soils,with the first cycle of wetting and drying being the most effective.The CWD process under CS conditions resulted in shrinkage accumulation and reduction in saturated hydraulic conductivity(k sat).On the other hand,CWD under CV conditions caused a reduction of swell pressure while has almost no impact on k sat.An elastic response to CWD was achieved after the third cycle for saturated hydraulic conductivity(k sat),the third to fourth cycle for the volume change potential under the CV conditions,and the fourth to fifth cycle for the volume change potential under the CS conditions.Finally,both swell pressure(s s)and saturated hydraulic conductivity(k sat)are not fundamental parameters of the expansive soil but rather depend on stress,boundary and wetting conditions.

Unraveling the hydraulic properties of loess for landslide prediction:A study on variations in loess landslides in Lanzhou,Dingxi,and Tianshui,China

Loess has distinctive characteristics,leading to frequent landslide disasters and posing serious threats to the lives and properties of local re sidents.The involvement of water repre sents a critical factor in inducing loess landslides.This study focuses on three neighboring cities sequentially situated on the Loess Plateau along the direction of aeolian deposition of loess,namely Lanzhou,Dingxi,and Tianshui,which are densely populated and prone to landslide disasters.The variations in hydraulic properties,including water retention capacity and permeability,are investigated through Soil Water Characteristic Curve(SWCC)test and hydraulic conductivity test.The experimental findings revealed that Tianshui loess exhibited the highest water retention capacity,followed by Dingxi loess,while Lanzhou loess demonstrated the lowest water retention capacity.Contrastingly,the results for the saturated permeability coefficient were found to be the opposite:Tianshui loess showed the lowest permeability,whereas Lanzhou loess displayed the highest permeability.These results are supported and analyzed by scanning electron microscopy(SEM)observation.In addition,the water retention capacity is mathematically expressed using the van Genuchten model and extended to predict unsaturated hydraulic properties of loess.The experimental results exhibit a strong accordance with one another and align with the regional distribution patterns of disasters.

Kozeny-Carman Equation and Hydraulic Conductivity of Compacted Clayey Soils

The saturated hydraulic conductivity of a soil is the main parameter for modeling the water flow through the soil and determination of seepage losses. In addition, hydraulic conductivity of compacted soil layers is critical component for designing liner and cover systems for waste landfills. Hydraulic conductivity can be predicted using empirical relationships, capillary models, statistical models and hydraulic radius theories [1]. In the current research work the reliability of Kozeny-Carman equation for the determination of the hydraulic conductivity of compacted clayey soils, is evaluated. The relationship between the liquid limit and the specific surface of the tested samples is also investigated. The resulting equation gives the ability for quick estimation of specific surface and hydraulic conductivity of the compacted clayey samples. The results presented here show that the Kozeny-Carman equation provides good predictions of the hydraulic conductivity of homogenized clayey soils compacted under given compactive effort, despite the consensus set out in the literature.

Ride quality evaluation of the soil compactor cab supplemented by auxiliary hydraulic mounts via simulation and experiment

In order to evaluate the ride quality of the soil compactor cab supplemented by the auxiliary hydraulic mounts (AHM), a nonlinear dynamic model of the soil compactor interacting with the off-road deformable terrain is established based on Matlab/Simulink sofware. The power spectral density (PSD) and the weighted root mean square (RMS) of acceleration responses of the vertical driver s seat, the cab s pitch and roll angle are chosen as objective functions in low-frequency range. Experimental investigation is also used to verify the accuracy of the model. The influence of the damping coefficients of the AHM on the cab s ride quality is analyzed, and damping coefficients are then optimized via a genetic algorithm program. The research results show that the cab s rubber mounts added by the AHM clearly improve the ride quality under various operating conditions. Particularly, with the optimal damping coefficients of the front-end mounts c a 1,2 = 1 500 N · s/m and of the rear-end mounts c a 3,4 =2 335 N · s/m, the weighted RMS values of the driver s seat, the cab s pitch and roll angle are reduced by 22.2%, 18.8%, 58.7%, respectively. Under the condition of the vehicle travelling, with the optimal damping coefficients of c a 1,2 = 1 500 N · s/m and c a 3,4 =1 882 N · s/m, the maximum PSD values of the driver s seat, the cab s pitch and roll angle are clearly decreased by 36.7%, 54.7% and 50.6% under the condition of the vehicle working.

Effects of shrub-grass patterns on soil detachment and hydraulic parameters of slope in the Pisha sandstone area of Inner Mongolia,China

The characteristics of soil holding capacity for different shrub-grass patterns are important to research the mechanisms regulating vegetation on slopes.The objective of this study was to describe the characteristics and mecha-nisms of soil erosion and hydraulic parameters under differ-ent vegetation patterns in the Pisha sandstone area of Inner Mongolia on lands of 8°slope gradient.We carried out field scouring experiments on five different shrub-grass patterns as treatments,viz no shrubs(GL),shrubs on the upper part of the slope(SU),middle part of the slope(SM)and lower part of the slope(SL).We designated bare slope(BL)as the control.We employed three different water flow rates(15,20,30 L·min^(−1)).Our results showed that the contribution of plant root systems to slope sediment reduction ranged from 64 to 84%.The root systems proved to be the main contributing factor to reduction of erosion by vegetation.The relationship between soil detachment rate,stream flow power,and flow unit stream power under different scouring discharge rates showed that soil detachment declined in rank order as:BL>GL>SU>SM>SL.The SL pat-tern had the lowest soil detachment rate(0.098 g·m^(−2)·s^(−1)),flow stream power(2.371 W·m^(−2)),flow unit stream power(0.165 m·s^(−1))and flow shear stress(16.986 Pa),and proved to be the best erosion combating pattern.The results of decision coefficient and path analysis showed that stream power was the most important hydraulic parameter for describing soil detachment rate.The combination of stream power and shear stress,namely Dr=0.1ω−0.03τ−0.56(R^(2)=0.924),most accurately simulated the soil detachment characteristics on slopes.Our study suggests that the risk of soil ero-sion can be reduced by planting shrub-grass mixes on these slopes.Under the conditions of limited water resources and economy,the benefit of sediment reduction can be maxi-mized by planting shrubbery on the lower parts of slopes.

Soil hydraulic conductivity and its influence on soil moisture simulations in the source region of the Yellow River——take Maqu as an example

Saturated hydraulic conductivity and unsaturated hydraulic conductivity which are influenced by soil are two important factors that affect soil water transport.In this paper,data supplied by the Chinese Academy of Sciences are used to determine true unsaturated hydrology values.Furthermore,in combination with observed,model simulation and experimental data,an improved saturated hydraulic conductivity parameterization scheme is carried out in CLM4.5 at a single point in the summer.The main results show that:(1)After improving saturated hydraulic conductivity in CLM4.5 through a parameterization modification,it is found that shallow layer soil moisture increases compared to the initial value;and(2)The numerical values of unsaturated hydraulic conductivities in the model are obviously larger than experimental values.By substituting the BrooksCorey soil water characteristic curve into the Mualem model,the value of unsaturated hydraulic conductivity is modified;(3)By using the modified value,it is found that the attenuating magnitude of simulated soil moisture caused by each rainfall event is reduced.The soil moisture variation in shallow layers(5,10 and 20 cm)could be better displayed.

Effects of Carboxymethylcelluloses (CMC) on Some Hydraulic Properties of Sandy Soil

The property of hydrophilic polymers capable absorbing huge volumes of water led to many practical applications of these new materials in arid regions for improving the water retention in sandy soils. Effects of four carboxymethylcelluloses （CMC） mixed at various rates with the sandy soil, on the water-holding capacity and hydraulic conductivity （Ks） when leached with distilled water （simulating rain）, tap water, and saline water were evaluated. The maximum water absorption of CMCs ranged between 80 and 100 kg. kg^-1 of polymer; however, the absorbent swelling capacity decreased significantly with increasing the salt concentration in the solution. The water absorption capacity of CMCs decreased significantly when incorporated in the sandy soil compared to that of the absorbent alone. Application of CMC increased significantly the available water content up to 3 ± 0.5 times. All soils treated with CMCs showed a significant lower in Ks compared to the control soil. Meanwhile, Ks was found increased with increasing the salt concentration in the leaching solution. This understanding of characteristics of the absorbents and the interactions among absorbents, soil, and irrigation water quality would be of help in water management of sandy soil

Variation of soil organic carbon and bulk density during afforestation regulates soil hydraulic properties

Grain to Green program on arable land has been conducted for decades in semi-arid regions of North China.However,it remains uncertain how afforestation practices affect soil hydraulic properties(SHP).Two afforestation types,i.e.shrubland(SL)and woodland(WL),and the adjacent cropland(CL)were investigated to determine afforestation effects on SHP in this area.Disturbed and undisturbed soil cores were collected in three experimental sites.Soil field capacity(FC),wilting point(WP),and available water capacity(AWC)increased in SL compared to the CL.Soil saturated water content,however,decreased significantly in both SL and WL.Correlation and redundancy analysis identified that bulk density(BD)and soil organic carbon(SOC)were the main factors regulating SHP across different land uses.Lower saturated water contents in afforestation sites were likely driven by the higher BD,compared to the adjacent cropland.FC,WP,and AWC were positively correlated to SOC content.While afforestation may not increase the saturated water content of a landscape,our results indicate that it can improve soil water retention and could be an effective practice for soil and water conservation.

Spatial variability of soil hydraulic and physical properties in erosive sloping agricultural fields

It is essential to minimize soil quality degradation in sloping agricultural fields through stabilization and improvement of soil hydraulic properties using sustainable soil management.This study aimed to analyze the impact of different tillage practices,including conventional tillage(CT),minimum tillage(MT),and zero tillage(ZT),on soil hydraulic conductivity in a sloping agricultural field under maizeewheat rotation.The results showed that the highest runoff volume(257.40 m3),runoff coefficient(42.84%),and soil loss(11.3 t)were observed when the CT treatment was applied.In contrast,the lowest runoff volume(67.95 m3),runoff coefficient(11.35%),and soil loss(1.05 t)were observed when the ZT treatment was adopted.The soil organic carbon and aggregate mean weight diameter were found to be significantly greater(with mean values of 0.79%and 1.19 mm,respectively)with the ZT treatment than with the CT treatment.With the tilled treatments(CT and MT),substantial changes in the saturated soil hydraulic conductivity(ks),near-saturated soil hydraulic conductivity(k),and water-conducting porosity(ε)were observed between two crop seasons.These three soil parameters were significantly higher in the period after maize harvesting than in the wheat growing period.In contrast,no significant difference in these soil parameters was found when the untilled treatment(ZT)was carried out.With regard to the slope positions,ks,k,andεshowed different behaviors under different treatments.The toe slope position showed significantly lower ks andεvalues than the summit and middle slope positions.Of the evaluated tillage practices,ZT was found to be the most promising means to improve the soil hydro-physical properties and effectively reduce surface runoff and soil erosion.

Fractional derivative statistical damage model of unsaturated expansive soil based on unified hydraulic effect

Unsaturated expansive soil is widely distributed in China and has complex engineering properties.This paper proposes the unified hydraulic effect shear strength theory of unsaturated expansive soil based on the effective stress principle,swelling force principle,and soil–water characteristics.Considering the viscoelasticity and structural damage of unsaturated expansive soil during loading,a fractional hardening–damage model of unsaturated expansive soil was established.The model parameters were established on the basis of the proposed calculation method of shear strength and the triaxial shear experiment on unsaturated expansive soil.The proposed model was verified by the experimental data and a traditional damage model.The proposed model can satisfactorily describe the entire process of the strain-hardening law of unsaturated expansive soil.Finally,by investigating the damage variables of the proposed model,it was found that:(a)when the values of confining pressure and matric suction are close,the coupling of confining pressure and matric suction contributes more to the shear strength;(b)there is a damage threshold for unsaturated expansive soil,and is mainly reflected by strength criterion of infinitesimal body;(c)the strain hardening law of unsaturated expansive soil is mainly reflected by fractional derivative operator.