TDR Centrifuge Permeameter Modelling for Hydraulic Characteristics Measurement of Unsaturated Soil

Landslides from heavy rainfall in hilly areas threaten lives and infrastructure. This study examines the Soil Water Characteristic Curve (SWCC) and hydraulic parameters of unsaturated soils utilizing an innovative TDR Centrifuge Permeameter conceptual model combined with the NCU Beam-Geotechnical Centrifuge (BGC). TDR, Electric Tensiometers, LVDT, and LDT sensors measures volumetric water content, matric suction, deformation, and surface topography in the model. Infiltration rates and soil-water behavior driven by density, rainfall intensity, and hysteresis were increased under 1G and 20G gravitational forces. SWCC models optimized using Nelder-Mead (NM) and Differential Evolution (DE) algorithms had great accuracy (R2 > 0.95), with Van Genuchten and Kosugi models fitting best. Electrical conductivity also closely associated with water content, supporting Archie's Law. The study found that the TDR Centrifuge Permeameter is a powerful instrument for unsaturated soil behavior analysis, outperforming standard approaches. Future study should refine SWCC hysteresis models and expand applications to different soil types.

Keywords: Mass movements, Soil Water Characteristic Curve (SWCC), TDR centrifuge permeameter, Unsaturated soil hydraulic properties, Electric conductivity in soils, Centrifuge technology for soil analysis.