Summary

Three thermal and hydraulic properties of an artificial material which have been used in the back filling of underground electric power cables, namely suction head, permeability and effective thermal conductivity, were determined. These properties, in conjunction with the Phillip and De Vries (1957) model, allow the analysis of the behaviour of an unsaturated soil subjected to a thermal field generated by an electric power cable. An analysis of the available measurement methods is presented, and measurement procedures for these methods are stablished.

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