5. Conclusion

Various applications of unsaturated soil mechanics to common geotechnical structures were presented, and the consequences of the sensitivity of these soils to changes in water content were illustrated. The behavior of earth structures was thus described from a new angle, integrating the effect of hydromechanical couplings typical of these materials. The study of slope stability and drought effects was also described in this context.

The particularity of unsaturated massifs is that they can evolve over time in a constant state of stress due to mechanical changes generated by water transfers, which can vary in speed depending on the permeability (and therefore plasticity) of the soil in question. Water can come from infiltration (precipitation, accidental leaks) or capillary transfer. Water movements are governed by a generalized Darcy's law and can be reasonably...