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Abstract: Fredlund and Rahardjo indicated that the behavior of unsaturated soil is significantly dependent on its soil-water characteristic curve (SWCC). There are many conventional methods for determining SWCC. Tempe and pressure plate apparatuses are commonly utilized in the laboratory to measure it. A Tempe cell is used to generate SWCC up to 100 kPa since it is provided with 1 bar high air-entry disc. A pressure plate cell (provided with a 5 or 15 bar high air-entry ceramic disc) is used to establish SWCC at suction ranges from 100 to 1500 kPa in combination with SWCC tests using the Tempe cell. These methods are known to be reliable for SWCC determination; however, they are tedious and time consuming.

The manuscript deals with a topic of considerable interest to geotechnical engineers who encounter problems that involve unsaturated soils. The Authors attempt to address one of the key concerns related to the measurement and use of soil-water characteristic curves, SWCC, namely, the length of time required for the laboratory measurement of the relationship between the amount of water in the soil and soil suction. The study involves the testing of three soil mixes with slight differences in their air-entry values. The manuscript is of interest to the geotechnical engineering profession.

综合蒸发法和冷镜露点法测量水-土特征曲线和非饱和渗透系数

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