See discussions, stats, and author profiles for this publication at: https://www.researchgate.

net/publication/37407243

Soil Mechanics for Unsatured Soils

Article · January 1993

DOI: 10.1002/9780470172759 · Source: OAI

CITATIONS READS

2,718 4,690

2 authors:

Delwyn D. Fredlund H. Rahardjo

University of Saskatchewan Nanyang Technological University
647 PUBLICATIONS   30,220 CITATIONS    414 PUBLICATIONS   16,152 CITATIONS   

SEE PROFILE SEE PROFILE

Some of the authors of this publication are also working on these related projects:

Basic study on soil pore water pressure variations response to rainfall View project

Unsaturated soils View project

All content following this page was uploaded by H. Rahardjo on 11 April 2020.

The user has requested enhancement of the downloaded file.

 Soil Mechanics for
Unsaturated Soils
Delwyn G. Fredlund
University of Saskatchewan
Saskatoon, Sask., Canada

and

Harianto Rahardjo
Nanyang Technological University
Singapore

John Wiley & Sons

1993
Notes by: Jose Pereira, University of Brasilia, Brazil
 Pub
Wil lished
ey
& S by Jo
ons hn
, 19
93
 Soil Mechanics for Unsaturated Soils
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Chapter
1 Introduction to Unsaturated Soil Mechanics
2 Phase Properties and Relations
3 Stress State Variables
4 Measurement of Soil Suction
5 Flow Laws
6 Measurement of Permeability Estimations of ---
7 Steady State Flow
8 Pore Pressure Parameters
9 Shear Strength Theory
10 Measurement of Shear Strength Parameters Estimations of ---
11 Plastic and Limit Equilibrium
12 Volume Change Theory
13 Measurement of Volume Change Indices Estimations of ---
14 Volume Change Predictions
15 One-dimensional Consolidation and Swelling
16 Two- and Three-dimensional Unsteady-state Flow
and Non-isothermal Analyses
 Notes at the bottom of each PowerPoint Slide

• Notes:
ƒ Different approaches could be taken towards synthesizing the
material on the behavior of unsaturated soil mechanics. The
approach deemed most desirable was to maintain a relatively
close parallel to classical saturated soil mechanics.
ƒ The emphasis was not focused solely on “problematic soils”, but
rather on the areas of seepage, shear strength and volume
change of all soils with negative pore-water pressures.
ƒ The prepared notes closely follow the material in the textbook.
Additional notes have been prepared on new and important
subjects that have emerged during the years subsequent to 1993.
ƒ The textbook appears to have filled an important role in
centralizing our understanding of the behavior of unsaturated soils
from the standpoint of two independent stress state variables.
ƒ Additional notes:
Format For Each Constitutive Behavior

• Constitutive Relationship (e.g., seepage,

shear strength, volume change)
– Theory associated with the Constitutive
Relationship
– Measurement of the associated unsaturated
soil properties
– Estimation of the unsaturated soil property
functions (through use of SWCC)
– Application of the constitutive relationship
to practical engineering problems
Important Objective of This Course

• To teach Geotechnical Engineers to

think the way the Unsaturated Soil
behaves
• The Physics must be correct
• Many behavioral aspects related to
Unsaturated Soils are the opposite to
saturated soil behavior (e.g., hydraulic
conductivity of sands capillary
barriers)
Categorization of Soil Mechanics
CATEGORIES OF UNSATURATED
SOIL MECHANICS PROBLEMS

Based on Constitutive Behaviour

 CLIMATIC CHARACTERISTICS

Moisture flux
is an aspect
originally
omitted from
Soil Mechanics

Coupled mass-
transport & thermal
analysis
 CAPILLARY FLOW PHENOMENA

Water Table
 EXAMPLES OF PROBLEMS REQUIRING AN UNDER-
STANDING OF UNSATURATED SOIL MECHANICS

Compacted and Rapid Drawdown

Soils

Infiltration
Bernatzik, 1948

Problematic
Soils
 ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS DURING THE
OPERATION OF THE RESERVOIR

Water phase

SOME RELEVANT QUESTIONS MIGHT BE ASKED AS

STEADY STATE CONDITIONS ARE ESTABLISHED
?
 STABILITY OF VERTICAL OR
NEAR VERTICAL EXCAVATIONS

Cover of some type

?
SOME RELEVANT QUESTIONS THAT MIGHT BE ASKED ARE
REFERRED TO THE STABILITY OF THE EXCAVATION SLOPES
 LATERAL EARTH PRESSURES

Effect of a
membrane?

SOME RELEVANT QUESTIONS MIGHT BE ASKED

PERTAINING TO LATERAL EARTH PRESSURES
?
LATERAL EARTH PRESSURES
AGAINST WALLS

?
 IS THERE A NEED FOR
UNSATURATED SOIL MECHANICS? YES!

The Geotechnical Engineer has the greatest potential to assist

the public in circumventing problems associated with
Unsaturated Soils

Concern for the environment and advances in computing power

greatly assisted in the promotion of Unsaturated Soil Mechanics
AN UNSATURATED SOIL ELEMENT WITH
A CONTINUOUS AIR PHASE
TERMINOLOGY AND DEFINITIONS
 Categorization of Soil Mechanics
Based on Stress State Variables

Negative pore-water
Visualization pressures
of the World Net normal stress Matric suction
of Saturated- (σ - ua) (ua - uw)
Unsaturated
Soil
Mechanics (σ - uw)
Effective stress
Sa Positive pore-water
s
tu ra pressures i c
t ed S oil M ech an
 Stress State
(σy - ua)
at a Point in an (ua - uw)

Unsaturated Soil τyx τyz

and in a (ua - uw)

τxz
Saturated Soil (ua - uw)
(σx - ua)
τzx τx
τzy y

(σz - ua)
d Soil Mech
aturate an
ns ics
U (σy - uw)

τyx τyz

τxz
Sa
tur i cs
ated Soil Me c ha n (σx - uw)
τzx τxy
τzy
(σz - uw)
 Summary of the
description of the
Stress State for an
Unsaturated Soil
Element with the
Preferred Stress
State Variables
Stress State Variables (Unsaturated Soils)
Net Total Stress Tensor

• Stress (σx− ua ) τ yx τzx 

Tensors form  τ (σy −ua ) 
τzy 
 xy
(σz − ua )
the basis for
a Science  τ xz τ yz
(ua − uw)
because we
live in a 3-D 0 0 
 
Cartesian
coordinate  0 (ua− uw) 0 
world  0 0 (ua− uw)
Matric Suction Stress Tensor
 Variations in Stress State Description
σ’ = (σ – ua) + χ (ua – uw)
σ’ = effective stress
χ = parameter related to saturation

σ *ij = σij – [S uw + (1 – S) ua ] δ ij
σij = total stress tensor,
δij = Kroneker delta or substitution tensor,
σ *ij = Bishop’s soil skeleton stress (Jommi
2000)
S = degree
Above proposed of saturation
equations are constitutive relations
 Separation of the Zones above the Water Table

Unsaturated Soil

Dry soil

Two
fluid phases
Capillary fringe

Legend
- Solids
- Water
- Air

Occluded air bubbles Saturated Soil

 Constitutive Relations for Classic
Problems in Unsaturated Soils
Mechanics
‰ Empirical, semi-empirical and theoretical
relationships are proposed and verified
– Volume change (Stress versus Strain)
– Shear strength (Stress versus Stress)
– Flow (Velocity versus Stress)
‰ Demanding laboratory experiments
- Careful experiments required for uniqueness
studies
- May alter test procedures for economic reasons
 Constitutive Relations for
Saturated/Unsaturated Soil Mechanics
Fundamentals of Soil
Mechanics in One Diagram
Seepage
vv== kkw(-u ∂h / ∂ y
(- uw)w)dh/dy
Shear Volume
strength change
Unsaturated
τ = c’ + ( σ - u ) tan φ ’ Soil
τ = c’ + (σnn – uaa) tan φ’ de de
= a= a1 1dd(( σ
σ –- uua) )++
a
++ (u
( ua –
a
-uwu) wtan φ bφ
) tan b
a2 d(u
a 2 ad(– uuaw)- u w )

τ τ==c’c’+ +( (σσn – -uwu) tan φ’ φ ’

) tan σ u
de== aa vd(dσ( –
de - u) w )
n w Saturated v w

Soil
vv== k ∂h / ∂ y
kww dh/dy
where: h = uw/γw + Y
 Selected Reading Materials
• Fredlund, D.G. (2000). “The 1999 R.M. Hardy Lecture: The
Implementation of Unsaturated Soil Mechanics into
Geotechnical Engineering”, Canadian Geotechnical Journal,
37 (5), 963-986
• Fredlund, D.G. (2002). “Use of the Soil-Water Characteristic
Curve in the Implementation of Unsaturated Soil Mechanics”,
Keynote Address, March 10-13,UNSAT 2002, Recife, Brazil,
Vol. 3.
• Ha, T.V. Pham, and Fredlund, D. G. (2002). “The Application of
Dynamic Programming to Slope Stability Analysis”, Canadian
Geotechnical Journal, pp. 830-847.
• Gitirana, Gilson, and Fredlund, D. G., (2003). “From
Experimental Evidence Towards the Assessment of Weather-
Related Railway Embankment Hazards" Proc. Of the Conf. on
“From Experimental Evidence Towards Numerical Modelling of
Unsaturated Soils”, Sept. 18-19.
Review of Procedure Typical to Saturated Soil Mechanics
1.) Define geometry of the problem (Surface
& Sratigraphy)
2.) Determine pore-water pressures
3.) Determine the soil parameters (c’ & φ’)
4.) Use analysis to incorporate total stresses

Pore-water pressures
must be assessed
because behavior is
controlled by (σ – uw)
 Additional Features to Accommodate
Rainfall Induced Landslides
• Slope must be visualized as a transient analysis on
a saturated-unsaturated soil profile
• Unsaturated soil has water storage capabilities
• Unsaturated soil has highly varying coefficient of
permeability and infiltration conditions
• Shear strength of the unsaturated soil must be
taken into account
• Actual (or real-time) flux moisture conditions (i.e.,
rainfall) must be taken into account
• Calculation of factor of safety must account for
unsaturated soil behavior
Analysis Can Be Viewed as a Combination
of the Following Elements of Physics

• Saturated-unsaturated seepage
analysis (Permeability and Storage)
• Stress analysis for the shear and
normal forces (Method of Slices or Stress
Analysis)
• Shear strength evaluation of the
unsaturated soil (angle φb )
• Evaluation of surface moisture flux
conditions (Percentage of ksat)
• Calculation of factor of safety, Fs
NATURAL SLOPES SUBJECTED TO
ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGES

RELEVANT QUESTIONS?
?
 Initial steady state conditions

2080 mm/ year = 6.6 x 10 -8 m/s

Quite an extreme condition
230 kPa
40 kPa

Initial steady state conditions

along Section X - X
Flux = 1.3 x 10 -5 m/s

After 120 minutes

 After 480 minutes
When the rain stops

Flux = 0.0
After 1080 minutes
Heavy rainfall creates
a wetting front
View publication stats

Loss of strength

Regain of strength

Rain stops

50% of φ’