Climate adaptation composite barrier systems in urban spaces for mitigating long-term climate change impacts

Katta, Priyanka 2025. Climate adaptation composite barrier systems in urban spaces for mitigating long-term climate change impacts. PhD Thesis, Cardiff University. Item availability restricted.

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Abstract

With inconsistent fluctuations of temperature, precipitation pattern unbalancing the ecosystem, their detrimental impacts on climate change are evident, witnessing extreme events of floods, droughts, heat waves, heavy rainfall etc. With the necessity for infrastructural developments to cope-up with climate change, the thesis delves in assessing geomaterials such as soils which are ubiquitous, as geo-components in the design of Composite Barrier Systems such as Capillary Barrier Systems. To comprehend the collapsibility and swell ability of soils, sensitive to the existence of pore water, laboratory experiments were undertaken to establish Soil-Water Characteristic Curves (SWCC) adopting Pressure Plate, Chilled mirror dewpoint, MPS-6 tests and Suction controlled Oedometer tests. The laboratory experiments involved two soils - Leighton Buzzard sand presenting a range of 1kPa to 400kPa suction whilst the results of Clayey sand ranged from 1kPa to 5000kPa, best fitted using parametric models of Fredlund and Xing (1994) and van Genuchten (1980) models. The wetting and drying processes of soil were experimentally and theoretically examined indicating the presence of fine-grains in soils created hysteresis impacting the stability of soil systems. Further analysis on the consistent influence of particle size distribution on SWCCs using various empirical models were explored. It was observed that plasticity characteristics, pore sizes, pore length of pore size distribution acted as a medium influencing the shapes of SWCC. These variables greatly impacted the hydro mechanical behaviours such as one dimensional collapse, permeability and water storage factors (slope of SWCC) which are covered in the latter part of the thesis. Experimentally, suction controlled oedometer under conducive temperature was performed to explore wetting and drying cycles of Clayey sand and experiments on one-dimensional volume change influencing collapsibility and swell-ability of soils under extreme climatic conditions were performed using a climate cell device. The theoretical investigations of permeability were explored. Finally, all factors influencing the components of Composite Barrier Systems were assessed and investigated soils were appropriately classified.

Item Type:	Thesis (PhD)
Date Type:	Completion
Status:	Unpublished
Schools:	Schools > Engineering
Uncontrolled Keywords:	1. Capillary Barrier Systems 2. Soil-water characteristic curves (SWCCs) 3. Particle Size Distribution 4. Climate Cell device 5. One-dimensional suction controlled oedometer 6. Suction-stress characteristic curves (SSCCs)
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	21 April 2026
Last Modified:	24 Apr 2026 08:46
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/186555

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