A dual-reciprocity boundary element method for steady infiltration problems

Abstract

Steady water infiltration in homogeneous soils is governed by the Richards equation. This equation can be studied more conveniently by transforming to a type of Helmholtz equation. In this study, a dual-reciprocity boundary element method (DRBEM) is employed to solve the Helmholtz equation numerically. Using the solutions obtained, numerical values of the suction potential are then computed. The proposed method is tested on problems involving infiltration from different types of periodic channels in a homogeneous soil. Moreover, the method is also examined using infiltration from periodic trapezoidal channels in three different types of homogeneous soil. doi:10.1017/S1446181113000187