This study aims to investigate the effects of suction path, i.e., drying or wetting, on water retention curve (WRC) and volume changes of intact and re-compacted loess. Two series of WRC tests were carried out in which soil specimens were subjected to two different suction paths, namely: WD (wetting to saturation from the initial state followed by drying and wetting) and DW (drying from the initial state followed by wetting). Vapor transfer technique was used to control suction in the range of 4-290 MPa. Experimental results revealed that WRCs of intact and re-compacted loess are not significantly affected by suction path within the studied suction range in which adsorption of water is dominant in controlling water retention compared with the pore structure. However, volume changes are observed to be path dependent because of the collapse of loess structure caused in the WD path but not in the other one.
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