Speaker
Description
Modelling unsaturated flow in porous media is challenging due to the strong nonlinearity and spatial heterogeneity of the Richards equation. Conventional finite difference and finite element methods often face difficulties related to mesh generation, numerical integration, and grid sensitivity, particularly when applied to complex geometries. To address these limitations, this study presents a strong-form meshfree approach based on multiquadric radial basis functions (MQ-RBFs) within the radial point collocation method (RPCM) framework.The proposed method directly approximates the pressure head field and enforces the governing differential equation and boundary conditions at scattered collocation points, eliminating the need for mesh construction or numerical integration. Model performance is assessed through comparisons with analytical solutions and traditional finite difference methods. In addition, the influence of soil hydraulic constitutive behaviour is examined by incorporating and comparing commonly used θ–h relationships, including the Brooks–Corey, Gardner, and van Genuchten models.
Numerical results demonstrate that the MQ-RBF-RPCM approach accurately captures transient moisture dynamics across all constitutive formulations and maintains robustness under irregular node distributions. The flexibility and accuracy of the proposed meshfree formulation make it a promising alternative for simulating unsaturated flow in complex and heterogeneous porous media, with potential applications in soil physics and water resource management.
| Country | India |
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