Fractal-based estimation of hydraulic conductivity from soil–water characteristic curves considering hysteresis Available to Purchase

A fractal-based approach is presented to estimate hydraulic conductivity from soil–water characteristic curves (SWCCs) exhibiting hydraulic hysteresis. By treating the pore geometry as a fractal it is possible to derive the hydraulic conductivity functions and water retention properties from the same set of parameters. A direct link exists between microstructural properties of the soil and the parameters. It is demonstrated, for a range of soils, that the hydraulic conductivity can be reasonably well estimated from known SWCCs. Analysis of flow in large unsaturated soil samples produced simulations of moisture content distribution in good agreement with measured data.