Surface water infiltration in a 1-dimensional soil–geotextile column

Abstract

This paper provides insight into laboratory experiments conducted to examine the one-dimensional unsaturated hydraulic behaviour of a layered soil-geotextile system under conditions of surface water infiltration. The main objective of the infiltration testing was to determine the transient pore-water pressure response and the corresponding advancement of the wetting front in a one- dimensional sand column containing a geotextile layer. Typical preliminary infiltration testing results are presented for a polyester needle-punched nonwoven geotextile embedded in a layer of sand. Testing was conducted for new geotextile specimens prepared under air-dry soil and gravity- drained soil conditions to simulate the possible range of geotextile conditions in the field. Based on the experimental results, the hydraulic behaviour of a one-dimensional soil-geotextile profile system during periods of infiltration is discussed.