Characterisation of the water content distribution beneath building foundations

Abstract

Frequency domain reflectometry is not typically used to characterise the water content distribution of building foundations. However, it is a consolidated technique in hydrology and irrigation engineering, which could be of interest in building engineering. In this article, an application procedure is proposed, and the installation of monitoring devices, data collection and data analysis are described. The robustness of the proposed methodology is contrasted with an analysis of a heterogeneous system (a Paleogene fill, over which a compacted granular material was placed during building construction, was analysed) with a complex groundwater structure (existence of a water level, in which there is a complex network of preferential flow paths). The good results demonstrate that it is a method of interest and illustrate its capacity to characterise the actual water content distribution beneath buildings. © 2018 Elsevier Ltd