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THE ANISOTROPIC HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY OF SOIL
Author(s) -
CHILDS E. C.
Publication year - 1957
Publication title -
journal of soil science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.244
H-Index - 111
eISSN - 1365-2389
pISSN - 0022-4588
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2389.1957.tb01866.x
Subject(s) - perpendicular , anisotropy , cartesian coordinate system , conductivity , hydraulic conductivity , simplicity , principal axis theorem , geometry , geology , basis (linear algebra) , soil water , mechanics , physics , mathematics , soil science , optics , quantum mechanics
Summary When discussing soils with anisotropic hydraulic conductivity it is usual to assume for simplicity that the three directions in which the principal conductivities may be specified are mutually perpendicular, i.e. they may be taken as the axes of a system of rectangular Cartesian coordinates. It is usually readily agreed that this assumption is plausible since the structural fissuring to which anisotropy is due is, in nature, predominantly horizontal and vertical. It is shown here that the assumed property is in no way dependent upon such restrictions of direction of the contributory fissures, but that provided the conductivities of the individual contributors themselves are characterized by mutually perpendicular axes, then any combination of the contributors in any directions results in a total conductivity which also has three mutually perpendicular axes.