Experimental Study on Test Methods of the Intergranular Suction of Unsaturated Lateritic Soil

This paper aims at the test methods of the suction between grains of lateritic soil which is widely distributed in southern China, and proposes the test methods and principles according to the variation of the suction's various components. This paper works over the relationship between the suction and the degree of saturation through tests, and also analyzes pore fluid chemistry influence on the suction between grains. The test results show that the test principles and methods are feasible. They also show that the quantitative relationship between the unsaturated soil's shear strength and saturation (water content), and a new understanding of the physical meaning in unsaturated condition of X, which is a empirical parameter in the principle of Bishop's effective stress.