3TOTALPOROSITY

3.1DEFINITION

Thetotalporosityofaporousmediumistheratiooftheporevolumetothetotalvolumeofarepresentative
sampleofthemedium.Assumingthatthesoilsystemiscomposedofthreephasessolid,liquid(water),
andgas(air)whereVsisthevolumeofthesolidphase,Vlisthevolumeoftheliquidphase,Vgisthe
volumeofthegaseousphase,Vp=Vl+Vgisthevolumeofthepores,andVt=Vs+Vl+Vgisthetotal
volumeofthesample,thenthetotalporosityofthesoilsample,pt,isdefinedasfollows:

Porosityisadimensionlessquantityandcanbereportedeitherasadecimalfractionorasapercentage.Table
3.1listsrepresentativetotalporosityrangesforvariousgeologicmaterials.Amoredetailedlistof
representativeporosityvalues(totalandeffectiveporosities)isprovidedinTable3.2.Ingeneral,total
porosityvaluesforunconsolidatedmaterialslieintherangeof0.250.7(25%70%).Coarsetexturedsoil
materialssuchasgravelandsandtendtohavealowertotalporositythanfinetexturedsoilssuchassiltsand
clays.Thetotalporosityinsoilsisnotaconstantquantitybecausethesoil,particularlyclayeysoil,
alternatelyswells,shrinks,compacts,andcracks.

TABLE3.1RangeofPorosityValues
SoilType Porosity,pt
Unconsolidated
deposits
Gravel 0.250.40
Sand 0.250.50
Silt 0.350.50
Clay 0.400.70
Rocks
Fracturedbasalt 0.050.50
Karstlimestone 0.050.50
Sandstone 0.050.30
Limestone,dolomite 0.000.20
Shale 0.000.10
Fracturedcrystallinerock 0.000.10
Densecrystallinerock 0.000.05
Source:FreezeandCherry(1979).

TABLE3.2RepresentativePorosityValues
TotalPorosity,pt EffectivePorosity,ape
Material Range Arithmetic Range ArithmeticMean
Mean

Sedimentarymaterial
 Sandstone(fine) b 0.020.40 0.21
Sandstone(medium) 0.140.49 0.34 0.120.41 0.27
Siltstone 0.210.41 0.35 0.010.33 0.12
Sand(fine) 0.250.53 0.43 0.010.46 0.33
Sand(medium) 0.160.46 0.32
Sand(coarse) 0.310.46 0.39 0.180.43 0.30
Gravel(fine) 0.250.38 0.34 0.130.40 0.28
Gravel(medium) 0.170.44 0.24
Gravel(coarse) 0.240.36 0.28 0.130.25 0.21
Silt 0.340.51 0.45 0.010.39 0.20
Clay 0.340.57 0.42 0.010.18 0.06
Limestone 0.070.56 0.30 ~00.36 0.14

Windlaidmaterial
Loess 0.140.22 0.18
Eoliansand 0.320.47 0.38
Tuff 0.020.47 0.21

Igneousrock
Weatheredgranite 0.340.57 0.45
Weatheredgabbro 0.420.45 0.43
Basalt 0.030.35 0.17

Metamorphicrock
Schist 0.040.49 0.38 0.220.33 0.26

aEffectiveporosityisdiscussedinSection4.

bAhyphenindicatesthatnodataareavailable.

Source:McWorterandSunada(1977).

3.2MEASUREMENTMETHODOLOGY

ThestandardmethodusedonFUSRAPsitesfordeterminingthetotalporosityofsoilmaterialsisdescribed
inAppendixIIofDOA(1970).FurtherdiscussiononthismethodologyisalsopresentedinDanielsonand
Sutherland(1986).

Onthebasisofthedefinitionoftotalporosity,asoilsamplecouldbeevaluatedfortotalporositybydirectly
measuringtheporevolume(Vp)andthetotalvolume(Vt).Thetotalvolumeiseasilyobtainedbymeasuring
thetotalvolumeofthesample.Theporevolumecan,inprinciple,beevaluateddirectlybymeasuringthe
volumeofwaterneededtocompletelysaturatethesample.Inpractice,however,itisalwaysdifficultto
saturatethesoilsampleexactlyandcompletelyand,therefore,thetotalporosityofthesampleisrarely
evaluatedbyadirectmethod.Usually,thetotalporosityisevaluatedindirectlybyusingthefollowing
expression(DOA1970,AppendixIIDanielsonandSutherland1986):
whereptisgivenasadecimalfraction,Vsisthesoilparticlevolume,Vtisthetotalvolume,sisthesolid
phase(soilparticle)density,andbisthedrybulkdensityofthesample.(Equation3.2canbeobtainedby
rearrangingEquation2.3.)Underthisapproach,thevaluesofsandbareevaluatedbylaboratoryorinsitu
measurements(Section2.2)andarethenusedtocalculatethetotalporositypt.

3.3RESRADDATAINPUTREQUIREMENTS

TouseRESRAD,theuserisrequiredtodefineorusethedefaultvaluesofthetotalporosityoffive
materials:(1)covermaterial,(2)contaminatedzone,(3)unsaturatedzone,(4)saturatedzone,and
(5)buildingfoundationmaterial(i.e.,concrete).InRESRAD,thetotalporositiesareenteredasdecimal
fractionsratherthanaspercentages.RESRADadoptsthefollowingvaluesasdefaults:n=0.4forthefirst
fourmaterialslistedaboveandn=0.1forthebuildingfoundation(i.e.,concrete).Thesedefaultvaluesare
providedforgenericuseoftheRESRADcode.Formoreaccurateuseofthecode,sitespecificdatashould
beused.

Ifsitespecificdataarenotavailableandthetypeofsoilisknown,Tables3.1and3.2canbeusedfor
estimatingtotalporosity.However,ifnoinformationisavailableonthetypeofsoils,thenthevaluesfortotal
porosityshouldbeexperimentallydeterminedaccordingtothemethodpresentedinSection3.2.

4EFFECTIVEPOROSITY

4.1DEFINITION

Theeffectiveporosity,pe,alsocalledthekinematicporosity,ofaporousmediumisdefinedastheratioof
thepartoftheporevolumewherethewatercancirculatetothetotalvolumeofarepresentativesampleof
themedium.Innaturallyporoussystemssuchassubsurfacesoil,wheretheflowofwateriscausedbythe
compositionofcapillary,molecular,andgravitationalforces,theeffectiveporositycanbeapproximatedby
thespecificyield,ordrainageporosity,whichisdefinedastheratioofthevolumeofwaterdrainedby
gravityfromasaturatedrepresentativesampleofthesoiltothetotalvolumeofthesample.

Thedefinitionofeffective(kinematic)porosityislinkedtotheconceptofporefluiddisplacementratherthan
tothepercentageofthevolumeoccupiedbytheporespaces.Theporevolumeoccupiedbytheporefluid
thatcancirculatethroughtheporousmediumissmallerthanthetotalporespace,and,consequently,the
effectiveporosityisalwayssmallerthanthetotalporosity.Inasaturatedsoilsystemcomposedoftwophases
(solidandliquid)where(1)Vsisthevolumeofthesolidphase,(2)Vw=(Viw+Vmw)isthevolumeofthe
liquidphase,(3)Viwisthevolumeofimmobileporescontainingthewateradsorbedontothesoilparticle
surfacesandthewaterinthedeadendpores,(4)Vmwisthevolumeofthemobileporescontainingwaterthat
isfreetomovethroughthesaturatedsystem,and(5)Vt=(Vs+Viw+Vmw)isthetotalvolume,theeffective
porositycanbedefinedasfollows:

Anothersoilparameterrelatedtotheeffectivesoilporosityisthefieldcapacity,r,alsocalledspecific
retention,irreduciblevolumetricwatercontent,orresidualwatercontent,whichisdefinedastheratioofthe
volumeofwaterretainedinthesoilsample,afteralldownwardgravitydrainagehasceased,tothetotal
volumeofthesample.Consideringthetermspresentedaboveforasaturatedsoilsystem,thetotalporositypt
andthefieldcapacityrcanbeexpressed,respectively,asfollows:
 and

Therefore,theeffectiveporosityisrelatedtothetotalporosityandthefieldcapacityaccordingtothe
followingexpression:

Severalaspectsofthesoilsysteminfluencethevalueofitseffectiveporosity:(1)theadhesivewateron
minerals,(2)theabsorbedwaterintheclayminerallattice,(3)theexistenceofunconnectedpores,and(4)
theexistenceofdeadendpores.Theadhesivewaterinthesoilisthatpartofthewaterpresentinthesoilthat
isattachedtothesurfaceofthesoilgrainsthroughtheforcesofmolecularattraction(Marsily1988).The
sumofthevolumesoftheadhesiveandabsorbedwaterplusthewaterthatfillstheunconnectedanddead
endporesconstitutethevolumeoftheadsorbedwater,Viw,thatisunabletomovethroughthesystem.

Adetailedlistofrepresentativeporosityvalues(totalporosityandeffectiveporosity)ispresentedinTable
3.2.

4.2MEASUREMENTMETHODOLOGY

Determinationoftheeffectiveporosity,pe,ofsoilscanbeaccomplishedindirectlybymeasuringthetotal
porosity,pt,andthefieldcapacity,r,andthencalculatingpefromEquation4.4.Thetotalporosityisobtained
indirectlybymeasuringthesoildensitiesaccordingtothemethoddescribedinSection3.2.Todeterminethe
fieldcapacityofthesoils,thesoilsampleisfirstsaturatedwithwaterandisthenallowedtodraincompletely
undertheactionofgravityuntilitgetstoitsirreduciblesaturation.Thevalueofrcanthenbeobtained
accordingtothemethodsusedformeasuringvolumetricwatercontent(Section6.2).

4.3RESRADDATAINPUTREQUIREMENTS

TouseRESRAD,theuserisrequiredtodefine(ortousethedefaultvalues)oftheeffectiveporosityofthree
distinctmaterials:(1)contaminatedzone,(2)saturatedzone,and(3)unsaturatedzone.InRESRAD,the
effectiveporosityvaluesareenteredasdecimalfractionsratherthanaspercentages.Asadefaultvalue,
RESRADadoptsthevalueofpe=0.2forallthreematerials.Thesedefaultvaluesareprovidedforgeneric
useoftheRESRADcode.Formoreaccurateutilizationofthemodel,sitespecificdatashouldbeused.

Ifsitespecificdataarenotavailableandthesoiltypeisknown,Table3.2canbeusedforestimating
effectiveporosity.However,ifnoinformationisavailableonsoiltype,thenthevaluesofeffectiveporosity
shouldbeexperimentallydeterminedaccordingtothemethodpresentedinSection4.2.Effectiveporosity
valuesshouldnotbegreaterthantotalporosityvalues.TotalporosityisdiscussedinSection3.