Improving model quality through computer controlled saturation

Care must be taken during saturation to avoid soil disturbance, which typically occurs if the rate of saturation is too high. Examples of soil disturbance include fluidising the model, which can occur if the excess pore pressures reduce the effective stresses to zero. Fracturing of the model can likewise occur, with blocks of soil moving upward in blocks (Stringer et al. 2009). Preferential flow channels could also form, leading to “piping” in the model (Knappett 2006). It is therefore a key aspect of any saturation system that the mass flux is controlled such that it does not become high enough to cause excessive disturbance.