Soil as a three-phase System
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 |
Media
- How do vertical and horizontal (lateral) pressures arise in soil and water?
- Engineering Models
Educational Resources
- Phase Relations 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.
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