Two-Dimensional Soil Geometric Tortuosity Model Based on Porosity and Particle Arrangement

Abstract

Porosity and particle arrangement are important parameters affecting soil tortuosity, so it is of great significance to determine the intrinsic relationship between them when studying soil permeability characteristics. Theoretical derivation and geometric analysis methods are used to derive a two-dimensional geometric tortuosity model. The model is a function of particle arrangement parameters (m and θ) and porosity. An analysis of the model and its parameters shows that: (1) The arrangement of particles is one of the reasons for the different functional relationship between tortuosity and porosity, which proved that the tortuosity is not only related to the porosity but also affected by the particle arrangement. (2) The greater the anisotropy parameter m is, the greater the tortuosity is, indicating m varies when fluid passes through the soil from different sides resulting in different values of permeability. (3) The tortuosity increases with the increase in the blocking parameters θ. (4) With increasing porosity, the influence of the parameters m and θ on the tortuosity gradually decreases, suggesting that the influence of particle arrangement on tortuosity gradually decreases. The results presented here increase the understanding of the physical mechanisms controlling tortuosity and, hence, the process of fluid seepage through soil.