Modelling the Hysteretic Water Retention Capacity of Soil for Reclamation Research as a Part of Underground Development

Abstract

The mathematical model of the hysteretic water-retention capacity of soil is submitted. The model describes the main and scanning curves of soil drainage and moistening, as well as reversal points. Physically reasonable assumption is used to build the model. According to this assumption the function of differential moisture capacity at each point on the hysteretic curves takes only two values, which correspond to sorption and desorption equilibria of soil moisture. This assumption is consistent with the shape of the curves, which generate the water-retention capacity hysteresis loops without "pump effect". The model parameters are interpreted based on the concepts of capillarity and lognormal distribution of the effective soil pore radii, needful for underground researches.