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128dis Geotechnique No54 Issue3 229 232 PDF
128dis Geotechnique No54 Issue3 229 232 PDF
3, 229–232
DISCUSSION
A. Tarantino, Università degli Studi di Trento, Italy of a measured minimum absolute pressure of 0.03 kPa, the
The authors address two important issues relating to tensi- tensiometers could withstand a minimum gauge pressure of
ometer measurements: the initial saturation of the high air- about 300 kPa for only 1 or 2 s.
entry ceramic and the unreliable response of the tensiometer It is then possible that the initial saturation adopted by the
due to the inadequate saturation. authors and the discusser does not significantly enhance the
Ridley & Burland (1999) suggested a procedure for initial procedure proposed by Ridley & Burland (1999). The dis-
saturation where the first stage consisted of removal of air cusser has saturated two Imperial College tensiometers fol-
from the ceramic. This was achieved by applying a vacuum lowing the procedure suggested by Ridley & Burland
in a chamber partly filled with de-aired water. The authors (1999), and using a large triaxial cell as a saturation
assume that the ceramic may adsorb water molecules during chamber and a vacuum pump capable of a minimum abso-
porous ceramic installation and evacuation, and this is likely lute pressure of about 3 kPa. In spite of the poor vacuum
to reduce the wettability of the ceramic during the subse- applied, these two tensiometers later exhibited a satisfactory
quent inundation. To cope with this problem, the authors performance in terms of measurement precision (tensi-
propose a new initial saturation process where air removal is ometers pr3 and pr4 in Tarantino & Mongiovı̀, 2000, 2001)
completed in two steps: oven-drying and evacuation in the that is comparable to that of the best-saturated Trento
absence of water. tensiometers (precision of about 3 kPa relative to the
A very similar procedure has already been suggested by average measured value). The experience of the discusser is
Tarantino & Mongiovı̀ (2002) using the vacuum chamber that saturation of the ceramic is achieved mainly through
shown in Fig. 15. The only difference lies in the drying of cycles of cavitation and subsequent pressurisation (Tarantino
the ceramic, as the tensiometer was placed in a desiccator & Mongiovı̀, 2001; Tarantino, 2003). An inadequate initial
containing silica gel and not in an oven. The use of this saturation simply increases the number of cycles necessary
double-compartment vacuum chamber was to overcome an- to obtain a satisfactory performance.
other supposed limitation of the procedure proposed by The second issue is the reliable measurement of pore
Ridley & Burland (1999). As free water is present in the water tension. Tarantino & Mongiovı̀ (2001) and Tarantino
vacuum chamber, water vapour continuously develops during (2003) showed evidence that inadequate saturation might
evacuation. This prevents the attainment of very low abso- result in readings that appear reliable and stable although
lute pressures, and hence reduces the effectiveness of air actually incorrect. The authors have demonstrated this in a
removal from the ceramic. very rigorous fashion, and have addressed perhaps the main
The authors have shown that the initial saturation was problem in tensiometer measurement, which is how to
sufficient to saturate the tensiometer fitted with the 100 kPa discriminate a good measurement from a bad one.
air-entry porous ceramic. However, the initial saturation The authors state that ‘tensiometer response times under
alone was not sufficient to saturate the ceramic with a higher low absolute pressures are an excellent indicator of tensi-
air-entry value (300 kPa), and a pressurisation was required ometer saturation’, implicitly referring to the tests shown in
to measure water tension. Similarly, the discusser found that Figs 12 and 14. However, in these tests, water in the
initial saturation alone was not sufficient to saturate the tensiometer was subject only to positive absolute pressures
Trento tensiometers, which use a ceramic with a very high and for a limited period of time (35 min). The tensiometer
air-entry value (1500 kPa). After saturation using the satura- response may not be as good as supposed when water is
tion chamber shown in Fig. 15 and a vacuum pump capable subject to tension (gauge pressures less than 100 kPa) and/
or when measurement lasts for longer periods (from hours to
days). Under these conditions, air cavities may form within
Vacuum Vacuum the tensiometer without triggering cavitation, but causing a
faulty response of the instrument. Cavity formation in the
tensiometer is illustrated by the test shown in Fig. 16, where
the pressure recorded by an Imperial College tensiometer is
De-aired water plotted against time. The ceramic was wiped after about
11 min to let water pressure drop to about 1900 kPa, and
then the tensiometer was immediately replaced in free water.
The time required for the tensiometer to return to atmo-
spheric pressure was about 0.5 min (Fig. 16(b)).
A kaolin paste was then applied to the porous ceramic,
and the paste was allowed to dry out slowly. After reaching
a pressure of about 2600 kPa (595 min) the tensiometer
was again replaced in free water (Fig. 16(c)). The equalisa-
tion time was much larger in this case, being about 7 min.
Tensiometer Screw valve (closed position) The reduced permeability is probably due to the expansion
O-rings
of the air cavities in the porous ceramic. Here, it was
Fig. 15. Schematic layout of the Trento double-compartment necessary to reach a very high tension to expand the
vacuum chamber cavities, but lower tensions might be sufficient to enlarge
229
230 DISCUSSION
1000 Authors’ reply
The authors would like to thank Dr Tarantino for his
interest in the paper. The discusser has provided useful
0 additional information regarding the independent develop-
Water pressure: kPa
ment of a similar technique for the initial saturation of
tensiometers. Although motivated by different intentions—a
⫺1000 very dry filter element in the authors’ case and the mini-
misation of the absolute pressure at saturation by the dis-
cusser—these two techniques share the key features of a
⫺2000 dried filter element and the evacuation of the tensiometer in
the absence of water. Despite providing a higher degree of
initial saturation, the discusser has debated the merits of
⫺3000 these techniques as ‘inadequate initial saturation simply
0 200 400 600 800
Time: min
appears to increase the number of cycles necessary to obtain
(a) a satisfactory performance of the instrument’.
This difference in opinion perhaps arises from the differ-
ences in the magnitude of the positive pressures used in the
0
second stage of saturation. One objective of the paper was
to investigate the process of saturation to permit the meas-
⫺500 urement of soil suction with more sensitive, low-pressure-
Water pressure: kPa
⫺55
⫺100
⫺60
⫺65
⫺200
free water
⫺300 ⫺75
Nominal air-entry value
⫺80
⫺400
⫺85
⫺90
⫺500
⫺95
⫺600
0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 ⫺100 ⫺95 ⫺90 ⫺85 ⫺80 ⫺75 ⫺70 ⫺65 ⫺60 ⫺55 ⫺50
Elapsed time: s Actual pressure: kPa
(a) (b)
0 ⫺50
⫺55
⫺100
⫺60
⫺65
⫺200
Observed pressure: kPa
⫺70
uw: kPa
⫺300 ⫺75
Nominal air-entry value
⫺80
⫺400
⫺85
⫺90
⫺500
Submerged in ⫺95
free water
⫺600
0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 ⫺100 ⫺95 ⫺90 ⫺85 ⫺80 ⫺75 ⫺70 ⫺65 ⫺60 ⫺55 ⫺50
Elapsed time: s Actual pressure: kPa
(c) (d)
Fig. 17. Reduction in tensiometer response times with stable air entry
figure—indicates little lag-time observed between the applied the tensiometer will start retreating into the ceramic, beginning
and measured pressures. The device was then subjected to a with the largest of exposed pores. The thicker the filter
further pressure of 500 kPa by evaporation (Fig. 17(c)), element, the longer this process can continue before nucleation
before being plunged into free water. Upon pore pressure occurs, the more unsaturated the surface of the ceramic can
equalisation, the device was again assessed for its response become, and the larger the tension that can be recorded in the
time under low absolute pressures. These results, presented reservoir of the device. The difference in response time ob-
in Fig. 17(d), indicate that even the short-term generation of served by the discusser is a result of a longer period of
this higher tension has reduced the permeability of the filter desaturation. This observation, in combination with the experi-
element, despite not having initiated nucleation. ment described herein, indicates that largest measurable ten-
Rather than the absolute magnitude of the applied tension, sion in the reservoir should not be the defined as the largest
the authors would suggest that it is the fact that the air entry measurable suction, as applied suctions greater than the
value has been exceeded that gives rise to this response, and air-entry value of the ceramic will initiate the process of
that reported by the discusser (Fig. 16). Although the air-entry desaturation. As the process of desaturation will always be
value of a ceramic is often quoted as a single value, the pore accompanied by a reduction in permeability, any technique
size distribution will ensure that air entry is not an instanta- evaluating this property either quantitatively or qualitatively
neous process. Rather, as the tension is increased past the (as in the technique proposed by the authors) will provide a
nominal air-entry value, the menisci at the exposed surface of good indication of tensiometer saturation.
232 DISCUSSION
REFERENCES medium to high degrees of saturation. In Experimental evidence
Ridley, A. M. & Burland, J. B. (1999). Discussion: Use of tensile and theoretical approaches in unsaturated soils (eds A. Taranti-
strength of water for the direct measurement of high soil no and C. Mancuso), pp. 3–19. Rotterdam: Balkema.
suction. Canadian Geotechnical Journal, 36, 178–180. Tarantino, A. & Mongiovı̀, L. (2001). Experimental procedures and
Tarantino, A. (2003). Panel report: Direct measurement of soil cavitation mechanisms in tensiometer measurements. Geotechni-
water tension. Proc. 3rd Int. Conf. on Unsaturated Soils, Recife cal and Geological Engineering 19, Nos 3–4, 189–210.
3 (in press). Tarantino, A. & Mongiovı̀, L. (2002). Design and construction of a
Tarantino, A. & Mongiovı̀, L. (2000). Experimental investigations tensiometer for direct measurement of matric suction. Proc. 3rd
on the stress variables governing unsaturated soil behaviour at Int. Conf. on Unsaturated Soils, Recife 1, 319–324.