ABSTRACT
The article presents an experimental study on compacted natural sand of Missillac in France using two different suction methods:
Filter paper to measure the soil matrix suction;
Tensiometer to measure the matrix suction range between 0 and 100 kPa.
All the applied techniques permit to obtain the SWRC of the compacted samples. These experimental results, beside their modelling applications, provide a good database to compare the accuracy of each applied method in a suction range very close to the saturated state. Generally, we can find a good correspondence between these curves.
Additionally, the Soil Water Retention Curve (SWRC) is used to add the suction parameter in a non linear elasticity model (respectively shakedown elastoplastic model) for the finite element modelling of the resilient behaviour (respectively long term behaviour) of road pavement under traffic loading. Unfavorable moisture conditions are one of the most common mechanisms of deterioration of low traffic pavements, with unbound granular bases.
