In the previous chapter, an analytical expression based on the equilibrium of
the solid particles of an unsaturated soil sample subjected to loading was established in
order to determine Bishop´s parameter X. This parameter can be written as a function of
the saturated fraction, the unsaturated fraction and the degree of saturation of the
unsaturated fraction of the sample. However, the determination of these three
parameters cannot be made from current experimental procedures. In order to quantify
these parameters, a porous-solid model capable of simulating the structure of real soils
is proposed herein. The data required to build the porous-solid model are the grain and
pore size distributions in addition to the void ratio of the material.
Keywords: Porous-solid model, soil structure, macropores, mesopores, micropores, sites, cavities, bonds, network porous models, random models, distinct element method, pore size distribution, grain size distribution, soil-waterretention curves, pore shrinkage.