Use of SWC-050 for Measuring Soil–Water Characteristic Curves

The determination of the SWCC is pivotal to the estimation of unsaturated soil property functions. These functions can be used for numerical modeling of seepage and shear strength applications in geotechnical engineering. A recently developed SWC-050 pressure plate apparatus by GCTS is a welcomed laboratory apparatus that needs to be evaluated for its ability and efficiency in measuring the SWCC on a variety of soil types. This paper presents the results of an evaluation of the functionality of the SWC-050 apparatus. The unit consists of 3 pressure plate cells and 1 air pressure control system. The amount of water removed from the soil under each air pressure application is monitored by weighing each of the pressure plate cells once equilibrium conditions have been achieved. The features of the equipment are presented along with an example laboratory data set Measured on a loose sand.