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Some Tests of the Similar Media Concept of Capillary Flow: II. Flow Systems Data¹

ABSTRACT

Previous work by the authors showed that a set of five sand fractions prepared by dry-sieving and ranging in size from 104 to 250µ were essentially similar media on the basis of total porosity, moisture characteristic and capillary conductivity data. In the present work these same sand fractions were used in three kinds of flow systems. One was a system for drainage of an initially saturated column of the medium with a water table at the bottom. The drainage rate was measured. Another was a combined vertical infiltration and "field capacity" case in which water was allowed to penetrate the initially dry material to a scaled depth and then the supply of water was removed. Measurements of the rate of advance of the wetting front and moisture tension at a scaled position in the column were made. The third flow system involved drainage of a saturated column, followed by infiltration of a scaled amount of water and redistribution of the water in the column. The data from this sequence involved the hysteresis behavior of the porous media. Outflow and tension data from the three flow systems show that the similar media theory is valid.

¹ Contribution from the Department of Agronomy, Illinois Agr. Exp. Sta., Urbana. Published with the approval of the Director of the Illinois Agr. Exp. Sta.

² Assistant in Agronomy, and Associate Professor of Soil Physics, respectively.

Received for publication May 25, 1959. Accepted for publication July 13, 1959.