A fractal basis for soil-water characteristics curves with hydraulic hysteresis

Abstract

A soil-water characteristic curve with hydraulic hysteresis is derived using fractals by treating pores as either bodies or throats. As suction is increased along the main drying curve, drying of a body is controlled by the largest throat connected to it. As suction is reduced along the main wetting curve, the absorbed water collects in the smallest bodies and throats first, and then fills larger bodies and throats in order of size. The curve is fitted to data for a silt loam. The fit is reasonable for main drying and wetting curves, but less good for scanning curves.