Wettable Porous Plastic for Use as a Porous Barrier in Soil Hydraulic Studies

Abstract Two grades of wettable porous plastic were examined for their applicability in water characteristic measurements and other soil hydraulic studies. The porous plastic is available in sheets (0.46 m wide, arbitrary lengths) and the two grades are composed of different amounts of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and silica. Grade A‐20 exhibited a range of bubbling pressures between 62 and 69 kPa and a mean conductance of 0.20 h −1 . Grade A‐40 exhibited a range of bubbling pressures between 21 and 35 kPa and a mean conductance of 1.60 h −1 . These conductances generally exceed that of commonly employed porous barriers with comparable bubbling pressures. Comparison of the water retention curves of grades A‐20 and A‐40 indicate that grade A‐20 is more uniform, has lower porosity, and has smaller effective pore diameters with a narrower range of pore sizes. The porous plastic is easily cut to size by scissors and bonded to itself, PVC, or acrylic. The material is also durable and inexpensive.