A comparative study of the Soil Water Retention Curve (SWRC) of statically compacted London Clay specimens was performed, in order to acquire a better understanding of how results can be affected by the specific design and operation of the apparatus used. Three different devices were used to perform tests for low to moderate suction values (0 to 500 kPa), all based on the axis translation technique principle. These included a 15 bar ceramic pressure plate extractor, a SWC-150 Fredlund Soil Water Characteristic Curve Device as well as a triaxial testing system. Overall, the results were fairly consistent. Where differences were noted in the results, likely reasons for the discrepancies are explained in the paper and possible precautions or modifications of the apparatus to alleviate related sources of error in the measurements suggested.
展开▼