Applying Differential Evolution Algorithm to Optimize The Soil Fractal Dimension

According to data of soil particle size distribution and water retention curve in the UNSODA database,differential evolution algorithm and soil fractal models were used to calculate the volume fractal dimension and statistically analyze the relationship among fractal dimension, soil volumetric water content, air-entry suction, soil texture, etc. The results showed that the fractal dimension reflect the content change of clay, silt and sand in soil, and it could be used as an indicator of soil texture. Soil fractal dimension increased with clay content in soil, and decreased with sand content. Brooks-Corey model without soil residual water content was more suitable for applying differential evolution algorithm to estimate soil fractal dimension. Compared with other optimization methods,differential evolution algorithm had higher precision in estimating the fractal dimension.