ABSTRACT
In recent years, significant advancements were made in the geotechnical and geoenvironmental fields towards the implementation of the principles of unsaturated soil mechanics into engineering practice. Some of the key advances can be attributed to the developments achieved in our present understanding with respect to the soil water storage characteristics and the measurement of soil suction. Information related to the water storage characteristics of unsaturated soils can be derived from the soil–water characteristic curve (SWCC). This paper provides a brief summary of the SWCC and the various parameters that influence the SWCC behavior. Details about the commonly used direct and indirect methods for the measurement of suction both in the laboratory and field and the recent developments in this area are also presented. Finally, case study details of in situ matric suction measurements are presented and discussed.
