[pt] A estabilidade de encostas constituídas por solos residuais não saturados sofre grande influência das variações das condições de fluxo locais, uma vez que, em muitos casos, grande parte de sua resistência ao cisalhamento é conferida pela coesão aparente acarretada pelo fenômeno de sucção. Sabendo disso, o presente trabalho avaliou, através de análises de estabilidade e de fluxo realizadas em modelos bi e tridimensionais, a possibilidade de se criar um modelo onde o resultado final de estabilidade independa da distribuição de sucção inicial. As análises e modelagens de fluxo e estabilidade foram executadas com auxílio dos softwares SVDesigner, SVSlope e SVFlux-GE integrantes do pacote SVoffice, desenvolvido pela SoilVision. Buscou-se quantificar a influência da distribuição da sucção inicial nos casos estudados. Os parâmetros de solo utilizados como dados de entrada nos modelos derivaram de estudos desenvolvidos por de Oliveira (2013) sobre os mecanismos de ruptura de movimentos de massa que ocorreram em Nova Friburgo durante o megadesastre que ocorreu na Região Serrana do Rio de Janeiro em 2011, e os dados climáticos advieram de registros contemporâneos e pretéritos ao evento. Nos modelos 2D foi possível, ao se considerar aproximadamente oito meses de dados climáticos, que diferentes condições iniciais de sucção homogêneas convergissem para um resultado único de estabilidade. Nas modelagens também foi observado que o comportamento do fluxo diferiu entre os modelos 2D e 3D o que teve um significativo impacto em suas análises de estabilidade. / [en] The stability of slopes consisting of unsaturated residual soils is strongly influenced by variations in local flow conditions, since in many cases much of their shear strength is conferred by the apparent cohesion caused by the suction phenomenon. With this in mind, the present study evaluated the possibility of creating a model where the final stability result is independent of the initial suction distribution through stability and flow analyzes performed in two and three-dimensional models. Flow and stability analyzes and modeling were performed using the SVDesigner, SVSlope and SVFlux-GE software components of the SVoffice package developed by SoilVision. It was tried to quantify the influence of the initial suction distribution in the cases studied. The soil parameters used as input data in the models were derived from studies developed by de Oliveira (2013) on the mechanisms of rupture of the mass movements that occurred in Nova Friburgo during the disaster that occurred in the Serrana Region of Rio de Janeiro in 2011, and the climatic data came from records in the region during and before the event. In the 2D models, it was possible, considering approximately eight months of climatic data, that different initial homogeneous suction conditions converged to a single stability result. It was also observed that the flow behavior differed between the 2D and 3D models, which had a significant impact on their stability analyzes.

To acquire deeper understanding and insights into the mechanical behaviour of fibre reinforced saturated/unsaturated cohesive soils, a programme of work was designed and included. 1) Conducting standard Consolidation Undrained (CU) tests to investigate mechanical behaviour of non-reinforced fully saturated soil. 2) Studying the strength of fibre reinforced clay though unconfined compression tests. 3) Testing the behaviour of unsaturated reinforced soil in unsaturated triaxial tests. 4) Determining the soil-water characteristic curves (SWCC) on soil sample with different fibre content. The investigation was undertaken on a clay of low plasticity index. Samples tested with addition of 1, 3 and 5 % fibre content and different values of matric suction of 50, 100 and 200 kPa, one of the challenges that were encountered in this research are how to prepare homogenous samples. A method for prepared compacted fibre reinforced soils with improved fibre distribution and density profile has been proposed and examined. The test results indicated that waste carpet fibres increase the shear strength of unsaturated clay soils. It was also found that relative increase in strength is also a function of applied suction. An increase in waste carpet fibres was found to reduce the hysteresis of soil. A data analysis conducted on the results of unsaturated tests as a function of fibre content and matric suction. The behaviour modelled was shown to be a perfect fit with the experimental data.

Shallow foundations are widely used in different types of soils for supporting the loads from the lightly loaded superstructures of various civil infrastructures both on level and sloping ground. Design of shallow foundations in geotechnical engineering practice is widely based on the principles of saturated soil mechanics because they are relatively simple. However, the soil near the ground surface (i.e., vadose zone) in which the shallow foundations are typically placed is in an unsaturated state. The water content variation in unsaturated soils is influenced by hydrological events such as the snow melt, rainfall infiltration, evaporation, and the plant transpiration. Due to this reason, the hydro-mechanical properties (i.e., coefficient of permeability, shear strength and volume change) of unsaturated soils are sensitive to the variation in soil suction associated with water content changes. These properties in turn have a significant impact on the bearing capacity and settlement behavior of the shallow foundations. Therefore, it is rational to investigate shallow foundations’ behavior extending the principles of unsaturated soil mechanics. During the last two decades, there has been a significant interest towards investigating shallow foundations based on unsaturated soil mechanics. Laboratory, field, and model studies highlight that matric suction variation in unsaturated soils has a significant influence on the bearing capacity and settlement behavior of shallow foundations. However, the focus of most of the presently available studies in the literature consider mostly vertical loading conditions on level soil ground. There are limited studies related to the design of shallow foundations on sloping ground and subjected to inclined and eccentric loading conditions. Also, there are only few studies that consider the effect of the steady state and transient flow conditions on the foundation bearing capacity evaluation. Therefore, one of the key objectives of this thesis is directed toward developing rational tools for investigating shallow foundations considering the steady state and transient flow conditions associated with water infiltration and evaporation in unsaturated soils. Comprehensive investigation studies are undertaken to interpret the influence of the steady state and transient flow conditions on the shallow foundations related to: (i) bearing capacity on the sloping ground in different types of soils including expansive soils, and (ii) bearing capacity under the inclined and eccentric loading conditions with homogeneous soil properties and considering spatial variation of soil properties. Succinct details related to investigated studies are summarized below: (1) An analytical method is proposed for quantifying the bearing capacity of the shallow foundations on unsaturated soil slopes considering different rainfall infiltration conditions. The proposed method is a novel tool for considering the simultaneous influence of several parameters that include the flow rates, the infiltration duration, the foundation set-back distance and the ground water table depth on the foundation bearing capacity. (2) Another analytical method is proposed for evaluating the foundation bearing capacity under inclined and eccentric loading considering both the steady state and transient flow conditions. Semi-empirical equations are proposed for describing the failure envelops in vertical and horizontal (V - H) loading space and in the vertical and moment (V - M) loading space. These equations are capable to describe the variation of failure envelops considering the influence of the groundwater table depth variation, internal friction angles, surface flux boundary conditions and different infiltration durations. (3) The influence of infiltration on the combined performance of both the foundation and the slope in cracked expansive soils is evaluated with the aid of a numerical technique. A semi-empirical model that describes the elastic modulus and the matric suction is implemented into the numerical model. Bimodal soil water characteristic curve is used as a tool for understanding the influence of surface cracks in the numerical study in a simplified manner. The influence of the rainfall intensity, rainfall duration, foundation setback distance and foundation loading on the combined performance of foundation and slope were investigated. Results combined with some suggestions for rational design procedures are presented that can be useful for geotechnical engineers in practice applications. (4) Numerical analyses are conducted for shallow foundations under vertical and combined loading subjected to different flow conditions. A numerical code procedure is exclusively developed as a part of this study to: (i) consider the variation of soil properties along with the matric suction fluctuations in the commercial software ABAQUS with the aid of a user developed subroutine USDFLD; (ii) incorporate the spatial variability of soil properties into the finite element model. Comparisons are provided between the numerical study and other methods such as the experimental investigations, the analytical methods, and the semi-empirical equations for bearing capacity failure envelopes. In addition, comparisons are also made between the failure envelopes and the failure mechanisms contour using the model considering soil spatial variability and homogeneous soil properties. The proposed methods in this thesis are simple to use for evaluating bearing capacity of shallow foundations that are subjected to steady state and transient state flow conditions considering two scenarios: (i) foundation on sloping ground (ii) foundation under inclined and eccentric loading. The results from the above studies reveal that it is the relationship between the soil permeability and the rainfall characteristics that mainly control the water infiltration rates. The soil suction and the effective degree of saturation are influenced by the water infiltration rates and have a significant impact on the foundation as well as the slope behavior. More importantly, the investigations undertaken in this thesis contribute towards addressing the research gaps related to the behavior of foundations in unsaturated soils. Various scenarios considered in this thesis include the influence of unsaturated flow have not been considered earlier in the literature. The results of the studies summarized in this thesis are expected to be useful for practicing geotechnical engineers in the optimal design of shallow foundations extending the principles of unsaturated soil mechanics for various soils. Moreover, the proposed methods can be used for interpreting the foundation behavior for their entire life span service. In addition, these methods can be employed to rationally explain the field-measured data and can also be used in the forensics analyses of failed slopes and shallow foundations.

Changes in climatic regimes and land use have led to increases in wildfire activities around the world. Wildfires are now happening more frequently, at higher altitudes, and higher severities. Adverse impacts of wildfires can last years after the fire has been contained through post-fire geohazards, such as shallow landslides. Post-wildfire shallow landslides are often mobilized by rainfall and due to fire-induced changes in soil and land cover properties and near-surface processes. This study aims to develop a physics-based framework to evaluate the stability of burned hillslopes against rainfall-triggered shallow landslides. A coupled hydromechanical infiltration model is developed by employing a closed-form solution of the Richards equation. The model is integrated into an infinite slope stability analysis to capture the effect of temporal changes in the pressure head profile of an unsaturated vegetated slope on its stability. The proposed model considers the antecedent condition of soil and vegetation cover, the time-varying nature of rainfall intensity, and wildfire-induced changes in soil properties, root reinforcement, transpiration rate, and canopy interception. The efficacy of the proposed framework is illustrated through modeling a case study in the Las Lomas watershed in California, USA. The watershed was a part of a larger area that was burned in the San Gabriel Complex Fire (consisting of two separate fires, the Fish Fire and the Reservoir Fire) in 2016. Three years later, during a heavy rainstorm in January 2019, the affected area, including the Las Lomas watershed, experienced widespread landslides. The proposed framework is then integrated into a geographic information system (GIS) to generate a susceptibility map of post-wildfire rainfall-triggered shallow landslides. The applicability of the proposed framework at a regional scale is tested for the entire area affected by the San Gabriel Complex Fire to model the observed shallow landslides within the boundaries of the Fish Fire and the Reservoir Fire. The findings of this study can be used to warn the community of post-wildfire shallow landslides activities.

[pt] A curva característica de água no solo é uma ferramenta importante na análise mecânica e hidráulica de solos não saturados, uma vez que expressa a relação entre a saturação e a sucção do solo. O objetivo principal dessa pesquisa foi, através da curva de retenção, analisar a viabilidade da utilização de uma estrutura porosa, criada com impressão 3D, como medidor de sucção. Além da curva de retenção, também se estudou a acurácia e precisão da metodologia de confecção com análise de imagem e pesagem das amostras. Empregou-se duas técnicas de manufatura aditiva. Com a primeira, Fused Deposition Modelling, não foi possível imprimir poros com diâmetro inferior a 1 mm, tendo essa técnica sido descartada. A segunda técnica foi a Vat Photopolymerization, tendo se atingido diâmetro mínimo do furo de 0,6 mm. Foram confeccionados nove corpos de prova (CP) cilíndricos, com furos idênticos de 0,6 mm de diâmetro e mesmo espaçamento entre si. Cinco CPs foram impressos com 30 mm de raio e 20 mm de altura, os demais com 20 mm de raio e 10 mm de altura. O método utilizado para a medição da sucção foi o do papel filtro. Como o objetivo da pesquisa não era obter a curva exata do corpo impresso, mas sim observar uma tendência de comportamento, optou-se por um período de equalização de apenas 7 dias. Posicionando um papel no topo e outro na base do CP foi possível analisar a equalização. A diferença entre topo e base constatada foi aproximadamente constante para todo o intervalo da curva, com exceção apenas no trecho de inflexão, no qual essa diferença foi significativamente maior. Observou-se dois trechos lineares (na escala semi-log) conectados por uma descontinuidade. Assim, um modelo bi-modal, como os utilizados no papel filtro, descreveram melhor os resultados obtidos. A curva de calibração obtida resultou em um erro na leitura de sucção de 13,7 por cento no primeiro trecho e 27,5 por cento no segundo. No entanto, considerou-se que o medidor ainda não é adequado devido a região de descontinuidade, que inviabilizou leituras entre 10 e 1500 kPa. Em relação ao método de confecção, entendeu-se que a impressora possui precisão adequada, tendo sido observado comportamento homogêneo entre os diferentes CPs, mesmo com geometrias distintas. A resolução da impressora utilizada impediu a confecção de CPs com vazios menores para a otimização das curvas. No entanto, o comportamento da curva e a precisão do equipamento sugerem que a manufatura aditiva pode ser capaz de contribuir para a mecânica dos solos com a criação de um novo tipo de medidor de sucção, desde que se utilize uma melhor configuração/geometria de vazios para otimizar o comportamento da curva de retenção. / [en] The soil water characteristic curve is an important tool in the mechanical and hydraulic analysis of unsaturated soils as it expresses the relationship between soil saturation and suction. The main objective of this research was to analyze, through the retention curve, the feasibility of using a porous structure created with 3D printing as a suction meter. In addition to the retention curve, the accuracy and precision of the manufacturing methodology were also studied through image analysis and sample weighing. Two additive manufacturing techniques were employed. With the first, Fused Deposition Modelling, it was not possible to print pores with a diameter smaller than 1 mm, and, because of this, the technique was discarded. The second technique was Vat Photopolymerization, a minimum pore diameter of 0.6 mm was achieved. Nine cylindrical specimens (CPs) were produced, with identical 0.6 mm diameter pores and the same spacing between them. Five CPs were printed with a radius of 30 mm and a height of 20 mm, and the remaining ones with a radius of 20 mm and a height of 10 mm. The suction measurement method used was the filter paper method. Since the research s goal was not to obtain the exact curve of the printed body but to observe a behavioral trend, an equilibration period of only 7 days was chosen. Placing a paper at the top and another at the base of the CP allowed the analysis of the equilibrium. The difference between the top and base was approximately constant throughout the curve interval, except for the inflection section, where this difference was significantly higher. Two linear sections (on a semi-log scale) connected by a discontinuity were observed. Therefore, a bi-modal model, like those used in filter paper experiments, better described the obtained results. The calibration curve resulted in a suction reading error of 13.7 percent in the first section and 27.5 percent in the second. However, it was considered that the meter is not yet suitable due to the discontinuity region, which made readings between 10 and 1500 kPa unfeasible. Regarding the manufacturing method, it was understood that the printer has adequate precision, with a homogeneous behavior observed among different CPs, even with distinct geometries. The printer s resolution prevented the production of CPs with smaller voids to optimize the curves. However, the curve behavior and equipment precision suggest that additive manufacturing may be capable of contributing to soil mechanics with the creation of a new type of suction gauge, provided a better void configuration/geometry is used to optimize the retention curve behavior.

The importance of applying unsaturated soil mechanics concepts to geotechnical engineering design has been widely recognized. Soil water characteristic curve (SWCC) and hydraulic conductivity function (HCF) are vital soil properties that govern engineering behavior of unsaturated soils. In this study, a transient water release and imbibitions method (TRIM) is used to measure the SWCC and HCF under drying and wetting states, which accommodates integrated experimental and modeling techniques. The results of saturated hydraulic conductivity tests through flexible wall method are then used as input parameters for simulating experimental data. In general, the model provides a satisfactory fit to experimental data. Soil water characteristic curves (SWCCs) and hydraulic conductivity functions (HCFs) are presented for a variety of soils that were prepared at different molding water contents and compactive efforts. The influences of dry density, molding water content, and hysteresis have been investigated. Dry density affects soil-water characteristic in terms of its air-entry value (AEV), rate of drying, and size of the hysteresis loop. The test results indicate that the SWCC and HCF obtained in terms of volumetric water content is more sensitive to the changes in dry density than molding water content. Based on cohesive soil results, some statistical relations are proposed to estimate wetting-path SWCC and HCF parameters from more easily measured drying curves. Changes in the van Genuchten's fitting parameters and residual volumetric water content are investigated for both drying and wetting conditions, with changes in the kaolin clay content. / Master of Science / Traditional soil mechanics practice has experienced considerable changes during the past few decades. Within that period, the necessity of unsaturated soil mechanics has gradually emerged and become a part of geotechnical engineering practice. Soil water characteristic curve (SWCC) and hydraulic conductivity function (HCF) are very important properties in the assessment of unsaturated soil behaviors. A transient water release and imbibitions method (TRIM) is used to investigate unsaturated soil properties of a variety of test soils under laboratory conditions. TRIM integrates a testing program and a modeling technique to measure SWCC and HCF concurrently for both drying (water release upon matric suction increase) and wetting (water imbibition upon matric suction decrease) conditions. Compaction, which is a classical application involving unsaturated soil, has the preferred practice for improving the mechanical and hydraulic properties of a soil. The structure and fabric of compacted material is very dependent on the compacted conditions, including compactive effort and molding water content. This paper evaluates the influence of such mentioned factors on the SWCC and HCF. The test results indicate that the SWCC and HCF obtained in terms of volumetric water content is more sensitive to the changes in compactive effort than molding water content. Hysteresis phenomena, the difference in the relationship between the water content of the soil and the corresponding water potential under drying and wetting path, is investigated. Based on cohesive soil results, some statistical relations are proposed to estimate wetting-path SWCC and HCF parameters from more easily measured drying curves.

Understanding the behavior of unsaturated soils under multi-physics loading is crucial for addressing several challenges related to emerging geo-energy technologies, climate change, and geohazard mitigation. The main objective of this research is to enhance the state of the art for modeling unsaturated soils under multi-physics loading conditions through physics-based and data-driven approaches. Toward this objective, this dissertation is divided into two distinct yet interrelated parts. In the first part (Chapters 2, 3, and 4), thermodynamic principles are employed to develop new constitutive functions to describe soil suction and stress-dilatancy of unsaturated soils under temperature-dependent conditions. Building upon the insights gained from the first part, the second part of the dissertation (Chapter 5) presents a novel physics-informed data-driven constitutive model for unsaturated soils under thermo-hydro-mechanical (THM) conditions via a generative machine learning method. In Chapter 2, a novel model for temperature-dependent suction is developed by expanding the Gibbs free energy to address both internal chemical exchanges and the thermodynamic system as a whole. The suction model is then utilized in Chapter 3 to establish a stress-dilatancy relationship for unsaturated soils, considering the difference between net and effective stresses to derive equations for dissipative and internal energies. The proposed dilatancy model is extended in Chapter 4 to temperature-dependent conditions considering various sources of energy dissipation, including entropy, water flow, friction, and energies associated with volume change and soil grain rearrangement. Based on the insights gained from the first section, Chapter 5 develops a new physics-informed data-driven constitutive model by utilizing a hybrid Variational Autoencoder (VAE) and Generative Adversarial Network (GAN) framework to predict the THM response of unsaturated soils. The hybrid VAE-GAN model integrates physical constraints such as physical consistency and conservation laws. Experimental data from triaxial tests under varying THM conditions were used to train, validate, and test the model. The findings of this research demonstrate the great yet unexplored potential of physics-informed data-driven models for modeling THM problems in unsaturated soils, offering a powerful tool for future research and practical applications.

[pt] O derramamento no solo de poluentes imiscíveis com a água (NAPLs) devido a vazamentos de tanques de armazenamento ou dutos e acidentes de transporte é de grande interesse, pois o NAPL e/ou seus constituintes podem migrar através da zona vadosa até atingir o lençol freático e contaminar as fontes de água potável. No Brasil, a maioria dos postos de combustível e terminais de armazenamento possui tanques de etanol, gasolina misturada com etanol e óleo diesel. Um eventual derramamento ou vazamento de hidrocarbonetos derivados de petróleo, conhecidos como LNAPL, misturados com etanol tem um maior potencial de contaminação em função do efeito de co- solvência. A motivação deste trabalho é que muitos estudos têm sido realizados com principal interesse na zona saturada e pouco se sabe sobre o comportamento destes contaminantes na zona não saturada (McDowell e Powers, 2003 e Österreicher et al., 2007). Portanto, foram realizados ensaios de coluna com esferas de vidro com o objetivo de simular os vazamentos de hidrocarbonetos líquidos na superfície e comparar a massa de benzeno que fica retida no meio poroso em um vazamento de gasolina pura ou com etanol. Para avaliar estes ensaios em uma dimensão foi utilizado um programa disponível no sítio da Agência de Proteção Ambiental dos Estados Unidos (EPA) chamado Hydrocarbon Spill Screening Model (Weaver et al., 1994) e implementado um modelo para efetuar o balanço de massa e considerar o efeito de co-solvência em função da adição de etanol na gasolina comercial brasileira. Os resultados dos ensaios de laboratório foram comparados com os obtidos através do modelo supracitado e apresentaram uma aproximação satisfatória da previsão do comportamento do contaminante. / [en] The subsurface release of water immiscible pollutants (NAPLs) due to leaks in storage tanks or pipelines and spilling transportation accidents is of great concern, since the NAPL or its constituents may migrate through the vadose zone until reaching the water table and eventually contaminate clean water sources. In Brazil, most of the gas stations store ethanol, pure and gasoline blended ethanol, diesel, among others in tanks. A spill or leak of petroleum hydrocarbons, known as LNAPL (light Nonaqueous phase liquid), combined with ethanol has a major contamination potential associated to cosolvency effects. The motivation of this work is that many studies have been developed with special interest in the saturated zone and little is known about the behavior of these pollutants in the vadose zone (McDowell e Powers, 2003 e Österreicher et al., 2007). Thus, one dimensional column tests were performed in a glass porous media to simulate the spill of hydrocarbons in the subsurface and compare the retained mass of benzene in the porous media after a release of a pure or ethanol blended gasoline. In order to evaluate these 1D tests results, the Hydrocarbon Spill Screening Model - HSSM (Weaver et al., 1994) was used. This program can be found in the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) website. A model was also implemented to consider the cosolvency effects in function of the ethanol addition in Brazilian`s commercial gasoline. The laboratory`s results were compared with the ones obtained by the model mentioned above and showed a satisfactory approximation for the prediction of the contaminant behavior.

Apresenta-se um estudo paramétrico acerca da infiltração de água e sua repercussão no Fator de Segurança de talude em solos não saturados. Na análise adota-se um talude de referência com geometria fixada conforme a inclinação típica para taludes em areia argilo siltosa, característica do Centro-Oeste do estado de São Paulo. A análise paramétrica foi desenvolvida a partir de uma simulação de fluxo em regime transiente utilizando o programa SEEP/W, que utiliza o método de elementos finitos, e posteriormente uma análise de estabilidade do talude de referência utilizando o método de Bishop simplificado conforme apresentado no programa SLOPE/W. Foram analisados taludes homogêneos compostos por três diferentes tipos de solo, uma areia, um silte argiloso e uma areia argilo siltosa. Os parâmetros analisados compreendem a curva de retenção de água, a função condutividade hidráulica do solo e a intensidade de precipitação. Verificou-se que a função condutividade hidráulica e a pressão de entrada de ar são os principais determinantes do comportamento da infiltração e conseqüentemente da estabilidade do talude. As simulações de fluxo evidenciaram que os taludes em solos mais arenosos apresentam taxas de infiltração maiores que as apresentadas pelos taludes compostos por solos siltosos. Consequentemente, os escorregamentos ocasionados pela perda da contribuição da sucção para a resistência ao cisalhamento ocorrem primeiramente nos taludes compostos por solos arenosos e posteriormente naqueles compostos por solos siltosos, fato este que pôde ser confirmado pelas análises de estabilidade do talude de referência. / A parametric study is presented about water infiltration and its repercussion in the safety factor of unsaturated soil slopes. In the analysis it is adopted a reference slope with determined geometry according to the typical inclination for slopes in silty clayey sand, characteristic of the mid-western region of São Paulo State, in Brazil. The parametric analysis was developed from a flux simulation in transient regime using the SEEP/W software, which uses the finite elements method, and thereafter, a stability analysis of the reference slope using simplified Bishop method, as presented in the SLOPE/W software. Homogeneous slopes composed by three different types of soil (sand, clayey silt and silty clayey sand) were considered. The analyzed parameters include the water retention curve, the hydraulic conductivity function and the precipitation intensity. It was verified that the hydraulic conductivity function and the air entry value are the main determinants of the infiltration behavior and, subsequently, of the slope stability. The flux simulations have evidenced that coarser soils slopes show higher infiltration rates than the ones presented in finer soil slopes. Consequently, the slides caused by the loss of the suction\'s contribution to shear strength occur primarily in coarser soil slopes than in fine soil slopes, what could be verified in the stability analysis of the reference slope.

A combinação entre a falta de planejamento urbano e o crescimento indiscriminado de áreas impermeáveis é responsável pela ocorrência de enchentes em centros urbanos. O emprego de dispositivos de controle do escoamento superficial na fonte geradora, como poços e trincheiras de infiltração, pavimentos permeáveis e jardins de infiltração (rain gardens), é uma alternativa que permite restabelecer o processo de infiltração em áreas urbanas densamente impermeabilizadas. Neste contexto, efetuou-se uma análise paramétrica acerca da influência das funções condutividade hidráulica e das curvas de retenção dos solos no processo de infiltração de água em poços cilíndricos instalados em solos inicialmente não saturados. Para a realização das análises paramétricas, foi empregado o programa SEEP/W do pacote GeoStudio 2004, que utiliza a técnica dos elementos finitos na solução numérica da equação de Richards que rege o fluxo de água em meio não saturado. As análises paramétricas mostraram que o coeficiente de condutividade hidráulica saturada do solo é o parâmetro que apresenta maior relevância no processo de infiltração de água em poços. Com isto, desenvolveu-se uma técnica de dimensionamento de poços de infiltração que permite determinar o volume de água infiltrada em um dado poço em função do tempo de precipitação, do coeficiente de condutividade hidráulica saturada do solo e da área total do poço. Por fim, comparou-se o volume estimado de água infiltrada obtido através da técnica de dimensionamento com o volume medido em um ensaio de infiltração realizado por Lima (2009) em uma trincheira de pequenas dimensões e pôde-se constatar que o a técnica de dimensionamento desenvolvida é consistente com o ensaio de infiltração realizado em campo. / The chief consequence of unplanned urban sprawl is the turning to impervious large tracts of land. Impervious developed areas are prone to floods during heavy rains. Flooding may be mitigated by installation of devices that can control runoff at the source. Examples of control devices are infiltration wells, infiltration trenches, permeable pavement, and rain gardens. By facilitating infiltration, such devices serve to return to the soil below the waterproofed area the waters that would otherwise be lost as runoff, which overloads urban drainage. A study of infiltration wells was conducted through parametric analyses of hydraulic conductivity function and soil-water characteristics curve of unsaturated soils in the process of infiltration. This research used the computer program SEEP/W by GeoStudio 2004 to carry out the parametric analysis. SEEP/W uses the finite element method for the numerical solution of Richards equation, which describes water flow in the unsaturated zone. The parametric analysis showed that the saturated hydraulics conductivity of the soil is the parameter that has greater relevance in the process of infiltration of water into the soil surrounding the wells. Based on the results obtained, a technical procedure was developed to assist the consulting professional to size the infiltration wells. The variables employed in the proposed design procedure consist of time of precipitation, saturated hydraulic conductivity, and total surface area of well. Further, it was compared the estimated volume of infiltrated water obtained through this procedure to the measured volume obtained by Lima (2009) in a small trench. It was observed that the scaling procedure proposed by this work yields results consistent with infiltration field experiments such as that conducted by Lima (2009).