In: Civil Engineering
What pressure allows fine beach sand to have good bearing capacity at low tide on the flat area near the water?
The fine sands will have smaller diameter of pores which leads to capillary action results in capillary rise.
In the zone of capillary rise negetive pore water pressure develops which leads to increase of effective stress and further leads to increase of shear strength.
So finally Negetive pore water pressure allows fine sands in the beach to have good strength at low tide on the flat area near the water.