Prediction of soil–water characteristic curve for Malan loess in Loess Plateau of China

To predict the soil–water characteristic curve (i.e. SWCC) of natural and remoulded Malan loess from soil physical properties, one-point methods for determining the SWCC that are much simpler than experimental methods are proposed. The predicted SWCC is presented in the form of the BRUTSAERT equation, in which the four model parameters can be estimated from soil physical properties using the best correlations obtained in the present study along with one measured data point. The proposed one-point methods are validated using the measured SWCC data reported in the literature. The results of validation studies suggest that the proposed one-point methods can provide reasonable prediction of the SWCC for natural and remoulded Malan loess. The measured data point should be within the transition zone; the measured suction is suggested between 25 to 100 kPa for natural loess, while between 100 to 500 kPa for remoulded loess.