Author(s)

JIRI MLS & DAGMAR TRPKOSOVA

Abstract

The problem of the reliability of capillary-barriers’ modelling is studied making use of tipping trough measurements. In its first part, the article describes laboratory measurements of saturated hydraulic conductivities and retention curves of four materials of two different capillary barriers. Both the main branches of the retention curves were measured, and the unsaturated hydraulic conductivities and capacity functions were determined. The second part of the article describes numerical modelling of two tipping trough experiments. The obtained results are compared with the measured data. The comparison shows a good agreement that is presented and discussed. It is concluded that, in the case of capillary barrier materials, the laboratory measurements made on samples and the subsequent math- ematical modelling can substitute for the tipping trough experiments.

Keywords

Capillary barrier, retention curve, hydraulic characteristics, suction apparatus, hydraulic conductivity, tipping trough