This document discusses water flow through soil. It defines an elemental soil volume and introduces the concept of superficial velocity to describe the velocity of fluid flow through porous soil. It also considers whether gas bubbles in unsaturated soil remain attached to the soil skeleton or move with pore water as it flows through the soil. The document assumes for simplicity that any gas present remains attached to the soil structure. Finally, it introduces the concept of continuity by considering water flow into and out of an elemental soil volume, as well as storage of water within the volume over time due to various compressibilities.
This document discusses water flow through soil. It defines an elemental soil volume and introduces the concept of superficial velocity to describe the velocity of fluid flow through porous soil. It also considers whether gas bubbles in unsaturated soil remain attached to the soil skeleton or move with pore water as it flows through the soil. The document assumes for simplicity that any gas present remains attached to the soil structure. Finally, it introduces the concept of continuity by considering water flow into and out of an elemental soil volume, as well as storage of water within the volume over time due to various compressibilities.
This document discusses water flow through soil. It defines an elemental soil volume and introduces the concept of superficial velocity to describe the velocity of fluid flow through porous soil. It also considers whether gas bubbles in unsaturated soil remain attached to the soil skeleton or move with pore water as it flows through the soil. The document assumes for simplicity that any gas present remains attached to the soil structure. Finally, it introduces the concept of continuity by considering water flow into and out of an elemental soil volume, as well as storage of water within the volume over time due to various compressibilities.
Because of the convenience of using gross cross-sectional areas, most calcula
tions involving the velocity of fluid flow in soil make use of the superficial velocity v, which will be employed in future developments (unless otherwise stated). Another question arises at this point. If the soil is not completely saturated, does the gas constitute part of the soil structure, being thereby immobile, or do gas bubbles move with the pore fluid as it passes through the soil? There is little doubt that, in all probability, some gas bubbles remain attached to the soil skeleton while others move with the pore water, and in practice it is difficult to assess the proportions of the gas content which may be assigned to either process. If the bubbles do not move, they can be considered to constitute an especially compressible structural component, taking part in the process of change of fluid storage in the element but not in the flow mechanism. It seems possible that the major part of the gas in unsaturated soils performs this function, which is a convenient one to assume for the development of descriptive equations. If gas moves with the pore fluid, the equation of state of the fluid requires modification. In either eventuality the mass quantity of static or mobile gas must be assumed to be constant. Here we shall consider the gas, if present, to be attached to the soil structure. Continuity condition. Figure 3-1 represents an element within a mass of soil through which fluid flow is taking place. The discussion may be con fined to the consideration of flow of water, which is the fluid of most interest in soil engineering. We set up arbitrary boundaries to the element at right angles to each other, outline it by points A, B, C, D, E, F, G, and H and obtain a small prism of dimensions dx, dy, and dz aligned according to the convenient axes x, y, and z, which may have any orientation in space. Water may flow into or out of the element through each of its faces, and we must also take into account the possibility that water may be stored (positively or negatively) within the element during a time interval, for various reasons. Among these are : compressibility of the water, compressibility of any gas bubbles present in the soil, compressibility of the soil solids and of the soil structure.