Neues Paper: "Evaluation of generalized soil water retention models and their role in hydro-mechanical modelling of unsaturated soils" in "Geomechanics for Energy and the Environment"

21.04.2026

The soil–water retention curve (SWRC) plays a key role in the hydro–mechanical behaviour of unsaturated soils. This paper evaluates three generalised SWRC models accounting for density effects and hydraulic hysteresis, based on experimental data from a wide range of soils. Selected hydraulic models are coupled with a hypoplastic constitutive framework to assess their influence on hydro–mechanical response under different loading conditions. While all models capture key trends of the SWRC, significant differences are observed in predicted volumetric behaviour, stiffness evolution, and suction-dependent strength. The results demonstrate that the choice of SWRC formulation has a major impact on collapse behaviour, cyclic response, and overall model predictions.

German David Matos-Paucar, Merita Tafili, Jan Machaček, Torsten Wichtmann: Evaluation of generalised soil water retention models and their role in hydro–mechanical modelling of unsaturated soils. Geomechanics for Energy and the Environment, 2026. DOI: 10.1016/j.gete.2026.100794