Simulation of rainfall infiltration in stony soil

Based on the laboratory rainfall experiments, the process of rainfall infiltration in stony soil is numerically simulated using the multiple interacting continua (MINC) method. The objective of this study is to further improve our understanding on water movement in stony soil. The results show that the maximum water saturation of soil can be increased if gravels present, while the total amount of infiltrated water and the infiltration depth in soil would be reduced accordingly. There is a steep wet front in the stony soil column, the maximum water saturation of soil decreases sharply along the front surface. The process of rainfall infiltration is well simulated by the MINC model. Both simulated wet front and soil water content close to the observation. The reduction of rainfall infiltration depth in stony soil can be attributed to the change in the maximum water saturation of soil along the soil profile during a rainfall.