Abstract

In the previous chapter, an analytical expression based on the equilibrium of the solid particles of an unsaturated soil sample subjected to loading was established in order to determine Bishop´s parameter X. This parameter can be written as a function of the saturated fraction, the unsaturated fraction and the degree of saturation of the unsaturated fraction of the sample. However, the determination of these three parameters cannot be made from current experimental procedures. In order to quantify these parameters, a porous-solid model capable of simulating the structure of real soils is proposed herein. The data required to build the porous-solid model are the grain and pore size distributions in addition to the void ratio of the material.