Pore network modeling approach for simulating soil water retention curve under different stress conditions

The field of unsaturated soil mechanics has recently seen the introduction pore network models, which attempt to replicate void structure porous materials. They are robust physically-based simulation tools and have been used simulate constitutive relationships like water retention curves (SWRC) hydraulic conductivity functions. This work aims present a networkmodeling approach for predicting hysteretic SWRC at various stress states using only grain size distribution porosity data granular soils. sample subjected given conditions is simulated Discrete Element Method obtain stable packing spherical particles representing structure. From this packing, an algorithm based on medial axis availed extract pores throats that describes geometry topology Various pore-scale mechanisms piston-like advance, corner flow, body filling, snap-off then model fluid displacements scale along drying wetting paths. modeled under compared with measured obtained soils from literature, predictions in good agreement experimental results.