Effect of dry density and initial moisture content on soil water characteristic curve of remolded unsaturated silt

Pressure plate apparatus are used to study the influences of different compaction conditions on soil water characteristic curve of unsaturated remolded silt. van Genuchten model are employed to fit the soil water characteristic curve. We can get different dry densities when the compaction water content is the same in the initial conditions and different initial moisture contents corresponded to the same dry density in the compaction curve which are used to testing the soil water characteristic curves. The results show that the higher compaction dry densities, the higher air entry values are, and the higher compaction water content, the batter plasticity of the sample is and the higher air entry value is.