Seasonal climatic variations influence the moisture content of soils. In expansive clayey soils, these fluctuations can cause significant volumetric changes, leading to deformations that may compromise the stability of overlying structures. This study focuses on modelling the influence of evapotranspiration and precipitation on soil moisture dynamics beneath residential buildings, emphasizing soilvegetationatmosphere (SVA) interaction.
The Van GenuchtenMualem model is used to describe unsaturated water flow in the soil. Evapotranspiration is computed with the FAO PenmanMonteith equation based on realistic meteorological data.
A parametric study is conducted to identify the key factors influencing soil moisture variations. Particular attention is paid to pavements, which significantly reduce moisture exchange between the soil beneath the building and the atmosphere. The study proposes a simplified yet effective numerical framework to evaluate the influence of SVA interaction on the hydraulic response of expansive soils beneath residential buildings.
3rd International Workshop on Soil-Vegetation-Atmosphere Interaction (RootS2025)
1d. Coupled numerical thermo-hydraulic modelling of soil-vegetation-atmosphere interaction