Three-dimensional reconstruction of soil pore structure and prediction of soil hydraulic properties based on CT images

In order to better understand the effects of soil pore structure on water movement, the three-dimensional structure of soil pore was constructed using CT images of fluvor-aquic soil in Huang-Huai-Hai Plain. Pore size distribution and connectivity parameters were determined by digital image analysis. A spatially-correlated network model was set up to describe the effects of pore-scale structure on water flow in soils, and predict the hydraulic properties of soil samples. The results showed that the predicted hydraulic properties agreed well with the measured values and the correlation coefficients were above 0.94. It indicated that correlated network model could simulate pore-scale water movement process, which provides reference for predicting the unsaturated hydraulic properties of soil.