Extending water retention curves to a quasi-saturated zone subjected to a high water pressure up to 1.5 Megapascals

Sakaki, Toshihiro*; Komatsu, Mitsuru*; Takeuchi, Ryuji  

In the Groundwater Recovery Experiment in Tunnel which is underway at the MIU, water saturation is one of the key parameters to monitor in order to understand the recovery processes. In this study, the process of saturation increase in the quasi-saturated zone where trapped discrete air phase affects saturation due to further increase in water pressure was studied. The relationship between the positive water pressure and saturation was measured by laboratory test using sands with trapped air bubbles and the effect of compression of bubbles on the changes in saturation was analyzed. The experimental results showed that the water pressure-saturation curves closely followed the relationship estimated solely based on the air bubble compression using Boyle's law. Based on this observation, a mathematical model was established to define the water pressure - saturation curve for the region where the water pressure is positive.