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Volume 13
Issue 6
10.3390/su13063060
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Article

Development of a Rainfall and Runoff Simulator for Performing Hydrological and Geotechnical Tests

by
Thiago Augusto Mendes
1,2,*,
Sávio Aparecido dos Santos Pereira
1,
Juan Félix Rodriguez Rebolledo
3,
Gilson de Farias Neves Gitirana, Jr.
4,
Maria Tereza da Silva Melo
5 and
Marta Pereira da Luz
2,6
1
Federal Institute of Education, Science and Technology of Goias, Aparecida de Goiânia 74968-755, Brazil
2
School of Civil Engineering, Pontifical Catholic University of Goias, Goiânia 74605-010, Brazil
3
Technology College, University of Brasília, Brasília 70910-900, Brazil
4
School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Federal University of Goias, Goiânia 74605-220, Brazil
5
School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Federal University of Catalão, Catalão 75704-020, Brazil
6
Eletrobras, Furnas Centrais Elétricas S.A., Aparecida de Goiânia 74923-650, Brazil
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Sustainability 2021, 13(6), 3060; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13063060
Submission received: 10 February 2021 / Revised: 23 February 2021 / Accepted: 3 March 2021 / Published: 11 March 2021
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Applications of Complex System Approach in Project Management)
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Abstract

Laboratory apparatuses for the analysis of infiltration and runoff enable studies under controlled environments and at reduced costs. Unfortunately, the design and construction of such systems are complex and face difficulties associated with the scale factor. This paper presents the design, construction, and evaluation of a portable rainfall and runoff simulator. The apparatus allows the evaluation of unsaturated soils with and without vegetation cover, under a wide range of simulation scenarios. The apparatus also enables the control of the intensity, size, and uniformity of simulated raindrops for variable surface slope, specimen thickness, and length conditions. The monitoring of the volumetric water content and matric suction and a rigorous computation of water balance are ensured. The obtained results indicate that the automated rainfall generator produces raindrops with Christiansen uniformity coefficients higher than 70%, and with an adequate distribution of raindrop sizes under a range of rainfall intensities between 86.0 and 220.0 mm h−1. The ideal rainfall generator conditions were established for a relatively small area equal to or lower than 1.0 m2 and considering rainfall events with return periods of 10 to 100 years.
Keywords: infiltration; runoff; physical model; scale effect infiltration; runoff; physical model; scale effect

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MDPI and ACS Style

Mendes, T.A.; Pereira, S.A.d.S.; Rebolledo, J.F.R.; Gitirana, G.d.F.N., Jr.; Melo, M.T.d.S.; Luz, M.P.d. Development of a Rainfall and Runoff Simulator for Performing Hydrological and Geotechnical Tests. Sustainability 2021, 13, 3060. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13063060

AMA Style

Mendes TA, Pereira SAdS, Rebolledo JFR, Gitirana GdFN Jr., Melo MTdS, Luz MPd. Development of a Rainfall and Runoff Simulator for Performing Hydrological and Geotechnical Tests. Sustainability. 2021; 13(6):3060. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13063060

Chicago/Turabian Style

Mendes, Thiago Augusto, Sávio Aparecido dos Santos Pereira, Juan Félix Rodriguez Rebolledo, Gilson de Farias Neves Gitirana, Jr., Maria Tereza da Silva Melo, and Marta Pereira da Luz. 2021. "Development of a Rainfall and Runoff Simulator for Performing Hydrological and Geotechnical Tests" Sustainability 13, no. 6: 3060. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13063060

APA Style

Mendes, T. A., Pereira, S. A. d. S., Rebolledo, J. F. R., Gitirana, G. d. F. N., Jr., Melo, M. T. d. S., & Luz, M. P. d. (2021). Development of a Rainfall and Runoff Simulator for Performing Hydrological and Geotechnical Tests. Sustainability, 13(6), 3060. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13063060

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