TY - JOUR A1 - Vincens, Eric A1 - Witt, Karl Josef A1 - Homberg, Ulrike T1 - Approaches to Determine the Constriction Size Distribution for Understanding Filtration Phenomena in Granular Materials JF - Acta Geotechnica Y1 - 2015 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1007/s11440-014-0308-1 VL - 10 IS - 3 SP - 291 EP - 303 PB - Springer ER - TY - GEN A1 - Vincens, Eric A1 - Witt, Karl Josef A1 - Homberg, Ulrike T1 - Approaches to Determine the Constriction Size Distribution for Understanding Filtration Phenomena in Granular Materials N2 - Granular filters in hydraulically loaded earth structures constitute the ultimate barrier for the blockage of small particles moving through the structure regularly or along concentrated leaks. If filters are inefficient to block small particles several types of internal erosion may be initiated. A corresponding phenomenon appears during suffusion in a wide graded hydraulically loaded fill, when fine particles, embedded in the pore structure of a soil skeleton, are washed out. The cumulative constriction size distribution (CSD) is physically the key property that qualifies the soils retention capability as like a spatial acting sieve. Constrictions are defined as the narrowest sections of channels between larger volumes (pores) within the pore network of granular material and they are the main obstacles for a small particle to overcome when flowing along pathways. At least three different approaches are available to determine and compute the CSD, i.e. experimental, numerical and analytical methods. The purpose of this review is to present and discuss these methods pointing out their limits, advantages and significance related to internal erosion phenomena. T3 - ZIB-Report - 14-01 Y1 - 2014 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:0297-zib-43960 SN - 1438-0064 ER -