ABSTRACT
ABSTRACT: Main wetting and drying paths in terms of water ratio (volume of water to volume of solids) indicate a delimiting zone in the water retention curve of an aggregated clayey fabric separating a region of intra-aggregate porosity from an inter-aggregate porosity adjoining area. In the intra-aggregate region, water ratio is not dependent on void ratio and retention curve parameters are mainly dependent on specific surface. However, in the inter-aggregate region, water ratio is dependent on void ratio and strongly coupled to mechanical actions. The paper presents water retention curves in the inter-aggregate region under varying void ratios of expansive and collapsible clay fabrics. These results are described and interpreted in a multiple diagram, which includes the following plots: retention curve plane, isotropic compression plane, stress path plane and volumetric state variable plane. Reversible and irreversible features of water retention characteristics are also presented and discussed.
