O conhecimento das propriedades hidráulicas do solo referentes ao movimento da água é essencial para a solução de problemas que envolvem a poluição de mananciais e aquíferos, a conservação da água e o controle da erosão. Neste contexto, as propriedades hidráulicas do solo de maior importância são a curva de retenção da água no solo, a condutividade hidráulica e a difusividade hidráulica em função do conteúdo de água no solo. O método do perfil instantâneo é um dos métodos mais utilizados na determinação da condutividade hidráulica do solo não saturado, no entanto, a suposição do gradiente de potencial total unitário, adotado nos modelos de simplificação do método do perfil instantâneo, é ainda muito questionada em perfis de solo que não sejam estritamente homogêneos e com conteúdo de água afastado da saturação. Nesse sentido, os objetivos do projeto são: (1) obter e comparar a função condutividade hidráulica do solo pelo modelo de Hillel et al. (1972) com o modelo propostos por Libardi et al. (1980) e por van Genuchten (1980); (2) verificar a influência da adoção do gradiente de potencial total unitário no modelo de Libardi et al. (1980). O método simplificado de Libardi et al. (1980) apresenta boa concordância com o método padrão de Hillel et al. (1972) em estimar a condutividade hidráulica do solo não saturado para tempos de observação superiores a 24 horas, mesmo quando o gradiente de potencial total fica relativamente distante da unidade. Para tempos de observação inferiores a 24 horas, onde o conteúdo de água é maior, o modelo de Libardi et al. (1980) superestima o valor de condutividade hidráulica. A aplicação do método de Libardi et al. (1980), também em tempos de redistribuição inferiores a 24 horas, permite obter valores mais precisos de condutividade hidráulica do solo, expressos assim por duas funções com relação ao tempo de redistribuição observado. A presença de horizontes pedológicos ocasionou o impedimento hidráulico ao movimento da água, ou seja, reduziram a condutividade hidráulica do solo não saturado. O impedimento foi proporcional à maior proximidade dos horizontes. O aumento do valor médio e da variação do gradiente de potencial total se correlacionou exponencialmente com a redução da concordância do modelo simplificado de Libardi et al. (1980) com o modelo padrão de determinação da condutividade hidráulica do solo não saturado (Hillel et al., 1972). / The knowledge of the soil hydraulic properties related to the water movement is essential for the solution of problems involving the pollution of water sources and aquifers, water conservation and erosion control. In this context, the most important hydraulic properties of the soil are the soil water retention curve, the hydraulic conductivity and the hydraulic diffusivity as a function of soil water content. The instantaneous profile method is one of the most used methods to determine the unsaturated soil hydraulic conductivity, however, the assumption of the total potential gradient, adopted in the simplification models of the instantaneous profile method, is still very questioned in soil profiles that are not strictly homogeneous and with water content far from saturation. In this sense, the objectives of the project are: (1) obtain and compare the hydraulic conductivity function of the soil by the model of Hillel et al. (1972) with the model proposed by Libardi et al. (1980) and van Genuchten (1980); (2) verify the influence of the adoption of the unit total potential gradient in the model of Libardi et al. (1980). The simplified method of Libardi et al. (1980) shows good agreement with the standard method of Hillel et al. (1972) to estimate the hydraulic conductivity of the unsaturated soil for observation times greater than 24 hours, even when the total potential gradient is relatively far from the unit. For observation times shorter than 24 hours, where the water content is higher, the method by Libardi et al. (1980) overestimates the value of hydraulic conductivity. The application of the method, also in redistribution times less than 24 hours, allows to obtain more precise values of hydraulic conductivity of the soil, thus expressed by two functions with respect to the redistribution time observed. The presence of pedological horizons caused the hydraulic impedance to the water movement, that is, has reduced the hydraulic conductivity. The impediment was proportional as greater proximity the horizons have from each other. The increase in the mean value and variation of the total potential gradient correlated exponentially with the reduction of the agreement index comparing the simplified model of Libardi et al. (1980) with the standard model for determining the hydraulic conductivity of the unsaturated soil (Hillel et al., 1972).

Made available in DSpace on 2017-07-10T19:24:55Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Gilberto Comiran.pdf: 1846926 bytes, checksum: 1b96f9d3924516f3c3a1814a89cd0014 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2006-07-21 / In this work, it is shown an application of a model to obtain the hydraulic conductivity of soils no saturated using concepts Fractal Geometry and the laws of Laplace and of Poiseuille. For the obtaining of the soil water retention curve it was used the camera of pressure of Richards and the experimental data of hydraulic conductivity in function of the soil water content were obtained through the Method of Hillel with the tensiometry use, according to a potency model. The equation van Genuchten with their parameters was used for the obtaining of the hydraulic conductivity. The application of the models of the Geometric Average and of the Neutral Pore suggested by Fuentes was shown simple and capable of predicting the hydraulic conductivity satisfactorily. / Neste trabalho, apresenta-se a aplicação de um modelo para se estimar a condutividade hidráulica de solos não saturados, utilizando os conceitos da Geometria Fractal e das leis de Laplace e de Poiseuille. Para a obtenção da curva de retenção de água, foi utilizada a câmara de pressão de Richards e os dados experimentais de condutividade hidráulica, em função da umidade do solo, foram obtidos através do Método de Hillel com a utilização de tensiometria, conforme um modelo de potência. A equação de van Genuchten, com seus parâmetros, foi utilizada para a obtenção da condutividade hidráulica. A aplicação dos modelos da Média Geométrica e do Poro Neutro sugerido por Fuentes mostrou-se simples e capaz de predizer a condutividade hidráulica satisfatoriamente.

Made available in DSpace on 2017-05-12T14:48:17Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Gilberto Comiran.pdf: 1846926 bytes, checksum: 1b96f9d3924516f3c3a1814a89cd0014 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2006-07-21 / In this work, it is shown an application of a model to obtain the hydraulic conductivity of soils no saturated using concepts Fractal Geometry and the laws of Laplace and of Poiseuille. For the obtaining of the soil water retention curve it was used the camera of pressure of Richards and the experimental data of hydraulic conductivity in function of the soil water content were obtained through the Method of Hillel with the tensiometry use, according to a potency model. The equation van Genuchten with their parameters was used for the obtaining of the hydraulic conductivity. The application of the models of the Geometric Average and of the Neutral Pore suggested by Fuentes was shown simple and capable of predicting the hydraulic conductivity satisfactorily. / Neste trabalho, apresenta-se a aplicação de um modelo para se estimar a condutividade hidráulica de solos não saturados, utilizando os conceitos da Geometria Fractal e das leis de Laplace e de Poiseuille. Para a obtenção da curva de retenção de água, foi utilizada a câmara de pressão de Richards e os dados experimentais de condutividade hidráulica, em função da umidade do solo, foram obtidos através do Método de Hillel com a utilização de tensiometria, conforme um modelo de potência. A equação de van Genuchten, com seus parâmetros, foi utilizada para a obtenção da condutividade hidráulica. A aplicação dos modelos da Média Geométrica e do Poro Neutro sugerido por Fuentes mostrou-se simples e capaz de predizer a condutividade hidráulica satisfatoriamente.

Coupled Thermo-Hydro-Mechanical (THM) behavior in geological porous media has been a subject of great interest in many geoengineering disciplines. Many attempts have been made to develop numerical prediction capabilities associated with topics such as the movement of pollutant plumes, gas injection, energy storage, geothermal energy extraction, and safety assessment of repositories for radioactive waste and spent nuclear fuel. This thesis presents a new numerical modeling approach and a new computer code for simulating coupled THM behavior in geological porous media in general, and compacted bentonite clays in particular, as buffer materials in underground radioactive waste repositories. New governing equations were derived according to the theory of mixtures, considering interactions among solid-phase deformation, flows of water and gases, heat transport, and phase change of water. For three-dimensional problems, eight governing equations were formulated to describe the coupled THM processes. A new thermal conductivity model was developed to predict the thermal conductivity of geological porous media as composite mixtures. The proposed model considers the combined effects of solid mineral composition, temperature, liquid saturation degree, porosity and pressure on the effective thermal conductivity of the porous media. The predicted results agree well with the experimental data for MX80 bentonite. A new water retention curve model was developed to predict the suction-saturation behavior of the geological porous media, as a function of suction, effective saturated degree, temperature, porosity, pore-gas pressure, and the rate of saturation degree change with time. The model was verified against experimental data of the FEBEX bentonite, with good agreement between measured and calculated results. A new finite element code (ROLG) was developed for modeling fully coupled thermo-hydro-mechanical processes in geological porous media. The new code was validated against several analytical solutions and experiments, and was applied to simulate the large scale in-situ Canister Retrieval Test (CRT) at Äspö Hard Rock Laboratory, SKB, Sweden, with good agreement between measured and predicted results. The results are useful for performance and safety assessments of radioactive waste repositories. / QC20100720 / THERESA

Die Berücksichtigung der flächenhaften bodenhydraulischen Variabilität gilt bei der Modellierung von Wasser- und Stofftransportprozessen als problematisch. Dies liegt vorrangig an ihrer Erfassung, die kosten- und zeitintensiv ist. Die vorliegende Arbeit untersucht verschiedene Messstrategien, die zur Abbildung der flächenhaften Bodenhydraulik mit wenigen, einfach zu bestimmenden und physikalisch begründeten Bodenparametern führen. Die Vorgehensweise erfolgt mit der Anwendung eines Ähnlichkeitskonzeptes, das die Böden in bodenhydraulisch ähnliche Klassen unterteilt. Innerhalb einer Klasse kann die Variabilität der Retentions- und hydraulischen Leitfähigkeitcharakteristik auf einen freien Parameter (Skalierungsparameter) reduziert werden. Die Analyse der Zusammenhänge zwischen Boden- und Skalierungsparametern führt letztendlich zu den geeigneten Parametern die eine flächenhafte Abbildung möglich machen. Diese Untersuchungen bilden die Grundlage für die weitere Entwicklung eines stochastischen Modellansatzes, der die Variabilität der Bodenhydraulik bei der Modellierung des Bodenwassertransportes im Feldmaßstab berücksichtigen kann. An Hand von drei Datensätzen unterschiedlicher Skalenausbreitung konnte dieses Konzept angewendet werden. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass die Beschreibung der hydraulischen Variabilität nur für die vertikale (Profil) nicht aber für die flächenhafte Ausbreitung mit einfachen Bodenparametern möglich ist. Mit einer ersten Modellanwendung konnte gezeigt werden, dass über die Variabilität der Bodenparameter Trockenrohdichte und Tongehalt auch die Variabilität der Bodenhydraulik und damit die Berechnung des Bodenfeuchteverlaufs am Standort darstellbar ist. / The consideration of the spatial variability of the unsaturated soil hydraulic characteristics still remains an unsolved problem in the modelling of the water and matter transport in the vadose zone. This can be mainly explained by the rather cumbersome measurement of this variability, which is both, time-consuming and cost-intensive. The presented thesis analyses various measurement strategies which aim at the description of the soil-hydraulic heterogeneity by a small number of proxy-parameters, which should be easily measurable and still have a soil-physical meaning. The developed approach uses a similarity concept, which groups soils into similar soil hydraulic classes. Within a class, the variability of the retention and hydraulic conductivity curves can be explained by a single parameter (scaling parameter). The analysis of the correlation between the soil parameters and the scaling parameters can eventually indicate which soil parameters can be used for describing the soil hydraulic variability in a given area. This investigation forms the basis for the further development of a stochastic model, which can integrate the soil-hydraulic variability in the modelling of the soil water transport. Three data sets, all covering different scales, were subsequently used in the application of the developed concept. The results show that depth development of the soil-hydraulic variability in a soil profile can be explained by a single soil parameter. Contrarily, the explanation of the horizontal variability of the soil-hydraulic properties was not possible with the given data sets. First model applications for a soil profile showed that including the variability of the soil parameters bulk density and clay fraction in the water transport simulations could describe the variability of the soil-hydraulic variability and thus, the dynamics of the soil water content at the investigated profile.

Natural coarse textured soils comprise a significant portion (approximately 20%) of the area to be mined at Suncor, Syncrude (aurora mine), Albian/Shell, and CNRL mines in the Alberta’s oil sands (Macyk, 2006). Although similar in soil textural classifications, the undisturbed areas support a range of ecosite types which exhibit different moisture regimes, suggesting that there are natural mechanisms controlling the plant available water sufficient for forest development. The global objective of this study was to evaluate the potential for textural variability to enhance water storage in coarse textured soil. The observations of the infiltration and drainage behaviour of natural and reclaimed coarse-texture soils in this study have demonstrated that this potential exists and can be applied in reclamation design to achieve the ranges of soil water storage needed to establish different ecosites. Field based infiltration and drainage testing, pit excavation and sampling have been completed on 14 sites (7 natural and 7 reclaimed). Bulk saturated hydraulic conductivity and field capacity were estimated for each of the 14 sites based on the field test results. The observed transient water dynamics give an indication of the effect of layering on these material properties. Laboratory analysis of water content (650 samples), particle size (650 samples), water retention (35 samples), organic carbon (100 samples) as well as calibration of field instrumentation were completed on a large number of samples (approximate values shown in brackets above) across all sites. The laboratory analysis was used to characterize textural variability (mean and standard deviation of the particle diameter) for the layered sites and estimate the soil water retention curve (SWRC) relationships for the range of soil textures encountered at the study sites. Pedotransfer functions (PTFs) were used to investigate if there were significant differences in the residual sum of squares between estimated and measured SWRCs. The measured organic carbon was used to aid in estimating permanent wilting point (WP) used in the calculation of the available water holding capacity (AWHC) of all profiles. An investigation into the calibration of the moisture capacitance probe (MCP) was undertaken as part of a comparison of the measured and simulated volumetric water content (VWC) profiles. Water storage at the cessation of drainage was related to the soil texture and textural variability as measured in the laboratory. Sites with more textural variability generally stored more water for plant use. There appeared to be a limit to what can be considered ‘useful’ textural variability. If adjacent soil layers had too extreme a contrast in texture and therefore hydraulic conductivity, unstable/preferential flow (i.e. bypassing of some of the water and nutrients from plant roots) occurred. The total porosity calculated from field samples was often higher than the maximum measured VWC in each layer which may be indicative of one or more factors that resulted in less than full saturation being attained within the targeted 1 m depth of saturation during the test. Some of these factors include: errors in sampling leading to an overestimate of total porosity; lateral flow along textural interfaces; air entrapment within the rapidly advancing wetting front; unstable/preferential flow as a result of the high contrast in hydraulic conductivity (fine over coarse) between adjacent layers (i.e. Ks Ratio >20) or where tests were conducted on slopes (i.e. funnel flow). This latter case was common at the reclaimed sites. A modelling study of one uniform (SV10) and one layered (NLFH1) natural site was conducted. The models were built by incorporating soil properties of the layers in the various soil profiles as estimated from field and/or laboratory testing. This study offers a comparison between various PTFs and their ability to capture the soil-water storage/dynamics during infiltration and drainage testing. The Arya PTF gave a better estimation of the laboratory measured SWRCs. However, when modeling the measured infiltration and drainage testing for the relatively uniform site SV10, the Arya PTF and Modified Kovacs (MK) PTF performed similarly. The Arya PTF performing slightly better for the infiltration phase and the MK PTF performing slightly better for the drainage phase. Both PTFs gave a reasonable estimation of water storage but the MK PTF gave a better estimation of the water storage with time as compared to the Arya PTF. For the highly layered site NLFH1, neither model performed well. The Arya PTF gave a substantially better estimation of the infiltration phase and gave the better estimation of the magnitude of water storage with time, the MK PTF performed marginally better for the drainage phase and gave a better estimation of the shape of the water storage with time. Generally, the study showed that the replication of the profile water storage requirements for the layered natural ecosites (‘b’ and ‘d’ ecosites) has been achieved and can be achieved by layering (or even mixing) available coarse textured reclamation materials. This study has indicated that replicating the highly uniform ecosites (‘a’ ecosites) is where the bigger challenge lies in reclamation. Reclaiming with a diversity of target ecosites is essential to achieving the pre-disturbance land capability standard that the mine operators are bound by. The temptation may exist to simply condone reclamation that has met or exceeded the pre-exisiting land capability. However, problems with ground water recharge and regional water distribution are likely to arise if large areas of lower functioning ecosites are replaced with higher functioning ecosites.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-12-23T13:23:25Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Jooabe Martins de Souza.pdf: 1598124 bytes, checksum: c11211df54fa8bda04757c0df8c2d440 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2013-02-21 / The proper preparation of the soil promotes changes in physical attributes, especially the structure and can modify the storage capacity of water, crucial in determining irrigation needs for crops. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of soil preparation for planting Conilon coffee (Coffea canephora Pierre) submitted to subsoiling, physical properties and soil water. The experimental area consisted of three plots cultivated with coffee at 11, 7 and 3 years old, called T11, T7 and T3, respectively, submitted to subsoiling in the rows. For the evaluations hydrophysical soil samples were collected and undisturbed, in line (P1) and leading (P2) culture and four depths 0.00 to 0.20, 0.20-0.40, 0.40 -0.60, from 0.60 to 0.80 m. The experimental design was completely randomized design with three replications. The soil properties were evaluated soil bulk density, total porosity, macroporosity and microporosity, besides the water retention curve, saturated hydraulic conductivity, resistance to penetration and index S. The soil density, total porosity and macroporosity showed significant differences between the sampling points for the upper soil layers with higher porosity and macropore to the point P1 and a higher density of the soil to the point P2, did not differ from other layers. The total porosity showed an inverse behavior to the specific weight of the soil and increased the microporosity and macroporosity decrease in depth. Among the areas with different ages, physical and hydraulic properties of the soil showed no significant differences, showing that improvements of subsoiling are persistent over the years in this culture condition. The penetration resistance differed between sampling points, occurring with increasing depth, no difference, however, between the plots. We observed a positive correlation between penetration resistance and bulk density and microporosity, macroporosity and negative. The saturated hydraulic conductivity differ between sampling points in the layers of 0.00-0.40 m, with no significant difference between the plots. There was a negative correlation between penetration resistance and positive correlation with microporosity and macroporosity. The determination coefficient of adjustment curves water retention in the soil was greater than 98% and tuning parameters increased with depth. Water availability presented in general higher in the coffee line, until 0.60m, showing the benefit of subsoiling water retention. The S was higher in the rows, showing high correlation with the porosity and density of the soil. Subsoiling changed the physical and hydraulic properties of the soil, providing a balance between macro and micro, increased water availability and soil saturated hydraulic conductivity, and greater water retention at low voltages. The S proved to be a good tool to assess soil quality under these conditions / O preparo adequado do solo promove modificações nos atributos físicos, principalmente na estrutura, podendo modificar a capacidade de armazenamento de água, fundamental na determinação das necessidades de irrigação para as culturas. O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar os efeitos do preparo do solo para plantio de café Conilon (Coffea canephora Pierre) submetido à subsolagem, nas propriedades físicas e hídricas do solo. A área experimental foi composta por três talhões cultivados com cafeeiro a 11, 7 e 3 anos, denominados T11, T7 e T3, respectivamente, submetidos à subsolagem nas linhas de plantio. Para as avaliações físico-hídricas do solo, foram retiradas amostras deformadas e indeformadas, na linha (P1) e entrelinha (P2) da cultura e a quatro profundidades 0,00-0,20, 0,20-0,40, 0,40-0,60, 0,60-0,80 m. O delineamento experimental foi inteiramente casualizado, com três repetições. As propriedades do solo avaliadas foram massa específica do solo, porosidade total, macroporosidade e microporosidade, além da curva de retenção de água, condutividade hidráulica do solo saturado, resistência do solo à penetração e o índice S. A massa específica do solo, porosidade total e macroporosidade apresentaram diferenças significativas entre os pontos de amostragem para as camadas superiores do solo, com maior porosidade total e macroporos para o ponto P1 e uma maior massa específica do solo para o ponto P2, não diferindo das demais camadas. A porosidade total apresentou um comportamento inverso ao da massa específica do solo e houve aumento da microporosidade e diminuição da macroporosidade em profundidade. Entre os talhões com diferentes idades, as propriedades físico-hídricas do solo não apresentaram diferenças significativas, mostrando que as melhorias da subsolagem são persistentes ao longo dos anos nessa condição de cultivo. A resistência à penetração diferiu entre os pontos amostrais, ocorrendo um aumento com a profundidade, não diferindo, todavia, entre os talhões. Foi observada uma correlação positiva entre resistência à penetração e a massa específica e microporosidade, e negativa com a macroporosidade. A condutividade hidráulica do solo saturado apresentou diferença entre os pontos amostrais, nas camadas de 0,00-0,40 m, não apresentando diferença entre os talhões. Ocorreu uma correlação negativa entre a resistência à penetração e a microporosidade e correlação positiva com a macroporosidade. O coeficiente de determinação de ajuste das curvas de retenção de água no solo foi superior a 98% e os parâmetros de ajuste aumentaram com a profundidade. A disponibilidade de água apresentou-se, em geral, maior na linha do cafeeiro, até 0,60 m, mostrando o benefício da subsolagem na retenção de água. O índice S foi maior na linha de plantio, apresentando alta correlação com a porosidade e a massa específica do solo. A subsolagem alterou as propriedades físico-hídricas do solo, proporcionando um equilíbrio entre a macro e a microporosidade, aumento da disponibilidade de água e condutividade hidráulica do solo saturado, e ainda maior retenção de água em baixas tensões. O índice S mostrou-se como uma boa ferramenta para avaliar a qualidade do solo nessas condições

Ce travail de thèse est consacré à l'étude des milieux granulaires humides. On étudie principalement le cas de faibles teneurs en eau. L'influence du phénomène de capillarité sur la rétention d'eau et sur le comportement mécanique du milieu est analysée. A chaque état d'équilibre, la distribution d'eau dans le milieu granulaire est obtenue en appliquant une succion homogène dans un volume élémentaire représentatif. La méthode multi-échelles utilisée se nourrit d'expérimentations/modélisation à l'échelle des interactions entre les grains, et produit des simulations en éléments discrets du comportement macroscopique qui sont comparées aux résultats d'expérimentation. A l'échelle des interactions capillaires, une étude expérimentale du pont liquide pilotée en succion permet la validation d'un modèle basé sur l'approximation toroïdale du profil du pont liquide. A l'échelle macroscopique, les courbes de rétention d'eau simulées sont proches des courbes de rétention d'eau expérimentales réalisées sur des milieux modèles composés de billes de verre. Enfin, le comportement mécanique macroscopique est simulé. On note une fragilisation du matériau en fonction de la succion dans le domaines des faibles teneurs en eau qui s'explique par une diminution de la densité des ponts liquides. La prise en compte d'une rugosité des grains permet une meilleure description de la transition entre un état humide et un état sec. L'analyse des contraintes montre la pertinence du tenseur des contraintes associé aux interactions attractives dans l'étude de l'évolution de la contrainte à la rupture (compression simple) et de la compressibilité (compression oedométrique) en fonction de la succion. / This work deals with study of humid granular media. Weak water percent media are mainly studied. The influence of capillarity on water retention and mechanical behaviour is analyzed. At each state of equilibrium, water distribution is obtained by applying a homogeneous suction in the entire elementary representative volume. The multi-scale approach used, is based on experimental/modelling at the local scale (interaction between grains) and produce discrete elements simulation of the macroscopic behaviour which are compared to experimental results. At the scale of the interactions, an experimental study of the liquid bridge piloted by suction validates a model based on the toroidal approximation of the liquid bridge shape. At the macroscopic scale, simulated water retention curves are near of experimental water retention curves made on a model sample composed of glass beads. Then, the mechanical behaviour is simulated. We notice a loss of cohesi on in function of suction because of a reduction of the liquid bridge density. The introduction of a roughness allows a best representation of the transition between the non saturation state and the dry state. The analysis of the stress reveal the pertinence of the stress tensor associated with attractives interactions in the evolution of rupture stress (simple compression) and compressibility (oedometric compression) in function of suction.

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / Soil hydrophobicity can be conceptually defined as soil repellency to water and is associated with the covering of soil particles by hydrophobic organic substances which interact with mineral particles and pores in a complex way, making soil wetting difficult. The objectives of this study were to: (i) determine the biochemical composition of vegetation, physical and chemical properties of soil organic matter fractions and their relationships to the occurrence and degree of soil hydrophobicity; (ii) analyze the effects of hydrophobic compounds at different intensities on sorptivity and water retention curve; (iii) measure and monitor the effects of variation of soil temperature and water content on the variability of the degree of soil hydrophobicity during a drying cycle. Soil samples were collected from different soil classes in the Rio Grande do Sul and Santa Catarina States, southern Brazil. From the 0-5, 5-10 and 10-15 cm soil layers, undisturbed samples (in blocks) were collected for the determination of sorptivity while preserved samples were collected using core samplers (volume of 47 cm³) for the evaluation of water retention curve, soil bulk density, total porosity, macroporosity and microporosity. From these layers, deformed samples were also collected for soil chemical and physical characterization. However, part of the samples used for the determination of water retention curves were previously subjected to sequential chemical extraction with acetone and a solution of isopropanol:ammonia to remove hydrophobic compounds. Soil carbon analysis consisted of determination of total organic carbon, physical (> 53μm and <53μm), and chemical (fulvic and humic acids and humin) fractions. Water and ethanol sorptivity was determined using tension micro-infiltrometer. Hydrophobicity was evaluated by comparing water and ethanol sorptivity values and soil-water contact angle was calculated from the hydrophobicity index. The effect of temperature was measured using PVC cylinder (785 cm³) constructed with disturbed samples from different soils, wetted and dried under different temperatures (20, 45 and 70 °C) and the hydrophobicity was determined using the water droplet penetration time method. Hydrophobicity had an intimate relationship with soil organic carbon content, mainly organic compounds accumulated in physical fractions <53 μm and chemical fraction humin, indicating that hydrophobic compounds are highly recalcitrant and are strongly associated with silt and clay fractions, forming stable organo-mineral complexes, and at the same time, covering all or part of surfaces of mineral particles or aggregates. The existence of these hydrophobic compounds caused changes in sorptivity and soil-water contact angle, directly affecting capillary and soil water retention curve, and reduced the volume of water retained at lower potentials. The heating of the soil at temperatures at or below 45 °C did not alter the intensity of hydrophobicity but there were changes when soil temperature exceeded 70 °C or when the soil moisture was drastically reduced. / A hidrofobicidade do solo pode ser conceitualmente definida como a repelência do solo à água e está associada ao recobrimento das partículas do solo por substâncias orgânicas hidrofóbicas, que interagem de forma complexa com os poros e partículas minerais, dificultando o molhamento do solo. Os objetivos deste trabalho foram: (i) determinar a composição bioquímica da vegetação, das frações físicas e químicas da matéria orgânica e suas relações com a ocorrência e grau de hidrofobicidade; (ii) analisar os efeitos dos compostos hidrofóbicos em diferentes intensidades na sortividade e na curva de retenção de água; (iii) avaliar e monitorar os efeitos da variação da temperatura e do conteúdo de água na variação do grau de hidrofobicidade do solo ao longo de um ciclo de secagem. Foram coletadas amostras de solo de diferentes classes de solos existentes no Estado do Rio Grande do Sul e Santa Catarina. Nas camadas de 0 5, 5 10 e 10 15 cm foram coletadas amostras indeformadas (blocos), para a avaliação da sortividade e amostras com estrutura preservada, com cilindros metálicos (47 cm³), para a determinação da curva de retenção de água, densidade do solo, porosidade total, macroporosidade e microporosidade. Nessas camadas também foram coletadas amostras deformadas para a caracterização química e física dos solos. No entanto, parte das amostras utilizadas na determinação da curva de retenção de água foram previamente submetidas a uma extração química sequencial com acetona e uma solução de isopropanol:amônia para remoção dos compostos hidrofóbicos. A análise do carbono constou da determinação do carbono orgânico total e da determinação das frações físicas (>53μm e <53μm) e químicas (Ácidos Fúlvicos, Ácidos Húmicos e Humina). A sortividade da água e do etanol foram determinadas com um micro-infiltrômetro de tensão. A hidrofobicidade foi avaliada comparando valores de sortividade da água e do etanol. O ângulo de contato água-solo foi calculado a partir do índice de hidrofobicidade. O efeito da temperatura foi mensurado em cilindros de PVC (785 cm³) construídos com amostras desagregadas dos diferentes solos. As amostras foram umedecidas e secas sob diferentes temperaturas (20, 45 e 70°C), sendo a hidrofobicidade determinada simultaneamente pelo método do tempo de penetração da gota de água. A hidrofobicidade apresentou uma íntima relação com o teor de carbono orgânico do solo, principalmente com os compostos orgânicos acumulados na fração física <53 μm e na fração química da Humina, indicando que os compostos hidrofóbicos provavelmente apresentam elevada recalcitrância e estão fortemente associados às frações silte e argila, formando complexos organo-minerais estáveis, ao mesmo tempo em que recobrem total ou parcialmente a superfície de agregados ou partículas minerais. A existência desses compostos hidrófobos causa alterações na sortividade e no ângulo de contato água-solo, afetando diretamente a capilaridade e a curva de retenção do solo, reduzindo o volume de água retido nos menores potenciais. O aquecimento do solo à temperaturas inferiores a 45 °C não causa modificações na intensidade da hidrofobicidade, que é alterada somente quando a temperatura do solo excede a 70 °C ou quando a umidade do solo é acintosamente reduzida.

O principal enfoque deste estudo é investigar alguns aspectos da resistência ao cisalhamento e as propriedades de retenção de água de um solo residual compactado no estado não saturado. Foi utilizado um solo residual de gnaisse retirado do campo experimental de geotecnia da Universidade de São Paulo. Com base na curva de compactação foram escolhidos três pontos de moldagem para o estudo, estando os mesmos associados à umidade ótima, ao ramo seco e ao ramo úmido. Foram realizadas algumas series de ensaios triaxiais sob condições saturadas (CAU e CD), e um grande número de ensaios triaxiais não saturados com teor de umidade constante (CW). Os ensaios triaxiais CW não saturados, foram feitos com medição de sucção utilizando um tensiômetro de alta capacidade (TAC) colocado na base do corpo de prova. Estudos específicos relacionados com a técnica de medição de sucção com o uso do TAC foram feitos. Com os resultados dos ensaios de resistência foram obtidas, para diferentes pressões confinantes, as variações dos valores da resistência ao cisalhamento (q) em função da sucção. Estas relações permitiram a definição das superfícies de ruptura para as três condições de moldagem. Foram investigados também aspectos relativos à forma de carregamento, a velocidade de carregamento, o tipo de compactação e a trajetória de umedecimento. São apresentados detalhes de como a resistência do solo é afetada por estas variáveis. O estudo define os procedimentos para obtenção das superfícies de resistência do solo no estado não saturado, com o uso de ensaios de compressão simples, feitos com medição de sucção durante o ensaio, e com a envoltória do solo saturado. As curvas de retenção do solo foram obtidas sob diversas condições de moldagem e umedecimento, e utilizado as técnicas de translação de eixos, placa de sucção, tensiômetro e papel filtro. Estas curvas foram utilizadas como ferramenta para se verificar a aplicabilidade dos modelos de previsão de resistência propostos por Vanapalli et al (1996) e Khalili e Khabbaz (1998), ao solo estudado. / The main focus of this study is to investigate some aspects of the shear strength and water retention properties of a compacted residual soil, under unsaturated condition. A residual of gneiss obtained from the geotechnical experimental site of the University of São Paulo was used. Based on the compaction curve three molding conditions were adopted for the study: one associated with the optimum water content, and two others located at the dry side and wet side of the compaction curve. A series of triaxial tests were performed under saturated conditions (CAU and CD), and a great number of triaxial tests under unsaturated conditions at constant water content (CW). The CW tests were performed with suction measurement using a high capacity tensiometer (HCT) placed at the base of the sample. Investigations were carried out associated with the use of the CHT. Based on the shear strength tests performed under different confining pressure the relation between shear strength and suction were determined. With this relation it was possible to define the shear surface for the three molding conditions. It were also investigated aspects related with type of loading, speed of the test, type of compaction and moisture path after compaction. It is presented details on how the shear strength is affected by these parameters. The study defines a procedure to obtain the shear surface of an unsaturated soil using unconfining tests, with suction measurement and using the shear envelope obtained at saturated condition. The retention curves were obtained at different molding conditions, following distinct moisture path. The retention curves were determined using axis translation technique, suction plate, filter paper and tensiometer. The retention curves were used as a tool to evaluate the applicability of the models presented by Vanapalli et al (1996) and Khalili and Khabbaz (1998) to infer the shear strength of the residual soil studied.