Soil as a three-phase System

Soil Mechanics

Soil deposits consist of the soil particles and the void space between the particles. Soil mass is generally referred to as three-phase system because it consists of solid particles, liquid, and gas. For many civil engineering purposes, the liquid may be considered to be water and the gas as air (Figure 1 and 2) with the exception geoenvironmental, and oil and gas applications. A saturated soil may be assumed to have only two of these phases, as voids are completely saturated with water (Figure 3).

Figure 1: Soil Mass

Figure 2: Three Phase Diagram

Figure 3: Fully Saturated Soil

Educational Resources

Phase Relations Powerpoint Presentation. Prepared and donated by Professor Sivakugan, James Cook University, Australia. Powerpoint Presentation. Prepared and donated by Professor Sivakugan, James Cook University, Australia.
Phase Relations Chapter 2. Lecture Notes. Prepared and donated by Professor Sivakugan, James Cook University, Australia. Chapter 2. Lecture Notes. Prepared and donated by Professor Sivakugan, James Cook University, Australia.