Groundwater

Soils consist of mineral particles in contact surrounded by voids or pores. The voids contain fluid which may be liquid, gas or a mixture of the two.

The relative volumes can be described by the void ratio e, specific volume v, or porosity n.

In dry soils (S_r = 0) the single pore fluid is air.
In saturated soils (S_r = 1) the single pore fluid is water.

Discussion of groundwater is usually concerned with saturated soils.

• Pore water pressure
• Permeability
• Analytical solutions
• Flow nets
• Quick condition and piping
• Measurement
• Groundwater control
• Some case histories

English version produced by Dr. Leslie Davison, University of the West of England, Bristol, May 2000
in association with Prof. Sarah Springman, Swiss Federal Technical Institute, Zurich

Based on part of the GeotechniCAL reference package by Prof. David Muir Wood, University of Bristol