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Zone 1: a thin layer

DISTRIBUTION OF SOIL MOISTURE of Saturated Zone

Zone 2: Transition
Zone

Zone 3: Transmission
Zone. MC is above
INFILTRATION FC but below SC;
Fairly uniform
moisture content.
- The flow of water into the ground through the soil
surface
Zone 4: Wetting
- Factors that affect infiltration include:
Zone. MC is near FC
1. condition of soil surface and vegetative cover and decreases with
2. soil properties: porosity and hydraulic depth.
conductivity
*wetting front
3. current moisture content of soil
4. Soil strata with different physical properties may
overlay each other forming horizons. INFILTRATION CAPACITY. The maximum rate at
e.g. silt soil overlying a clay zone which the ground can absorb water.

INFILTRATION MODEL

 If water is ponded on the surface, the infiltration

occurs at the potential infiltration rate.

 If the rate of supply of water at the surface is less

than the potential infiltration rate then the actual
infiltration rate will be less than the potential fP.

 Most infiltration equations describe the potential fP.

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VARIATION OF INFILTRATION CAPACITY METHOD OF MEASUREMENT

 Flooding type infiltrometers

 Measurement of subsidence of free water in a large

basin or pond.
 Rainfall simulator
*surface of entry and fluid characteristics influence infiltration rate.
 Hydrograph analysis

MODELING INFILTRATION CAPACITY PROBLEM:

Infiltration capacity data obtained in a flooding HORTON’S MODEL
type infiltration test is given below:
0
Time Cumulative
since infiltration = infiltration capacity
start depth (cm) (a) For this data, plot the at any time t from start
(min) following curves: of rainfall

5 1.75 vs time
= initial infiltration
10 3.00 vs time
capacity at t = 0
15 3.95 Cumulative ( vs
25 5.50 = final steady-state
45 7.25 occuring at t =
(b) Obtain the best values of (constant rate or
60 8.30 parameters in Horton’s ultimate )
75 9.30 infiltration capacity
90 10.20 equation to represent = Horton’s decay
Mass Curve of Infiltration 110 11.28 this data set. (Linearize f coefficient
using natural log and use
130 12.36
Infiltration Capacity linear regression to get
correlation coefficient)

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(b) The data suggests an exponential line, given by the equation,

To obtain the best fit, we convert the exponential curve to a linear one by using natural
(a) logarithms. By taking logarithms of both sides of the equation,

; ln ln
ln
25 (y = mx +b)

20 This expresses ln y as a linear function of x, with slope m (b) and y-intercept b (ln a).
Infiltration Rate, cm/hr

Simple linear regression is then applied to find the line that best fits the data. We model
15
ln f(t) as a function of time.
3.5
10
3 y = -0.0446x + 2.8868
2.5 R² = 0.9859
5
2

1.5

Ln (Fp - fn)
0
0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 1
Time (minutes)
0.5

0
0 20 40 60 80 100
-0.5

-1

-1.5
Time, min

GREEN & AMPT

PROBLEM: EQUATION

= porosity of soil

∆ = capillary
suction at the wetting
front and

= Darcy’s hydraulic
conductivity

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PROBLEM: For sandy loam soil, calculate the infiltration rate (cm/h) and depth
of infiltration (cm) after one hour if the effective saturation is initially 40 percent,
using the Green-Ampt method. Assume continuously ponded conditions.

SCS METHOD
 ,

 1, 1.5, 2, 2.5 3 .

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INFILTRATION INDICES

PROBLEM: Compute the ponding time and the depth of water infiltrated
PONDING TIME at ponding for a silt loam soil 30% initial effective saturation initial
 The elapsed time between effective saturation, subject to rainfall intensities of 1 cm/hr.
the time rainfall begins and
the time water begins to
pond on the soil surface.
 Mein and Larson (1973)
used the Green & Ampt
equation for determining tp
for rainfall intensity I
starting instantaneously
and continuing indefinitely.

With Fp = itp and substituting f = i