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Published in: Bulletin of Engineering Geology and the Environment 8/2020

09-05-2020 | Original Paper

Laboratory characterization of sandy soil water content during drying process using electrical resistivity/resistance method (ERM)

Authors: Ni An, Chao-Sheng Tang, Qing Cheng, De-Yin Wang, Bin Shi

Published in: Bulletin of Engineering Geology and the Environment | Issue 8/2020

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Abstract

Drought-induced evaporation can reduce soil water content and significantly alter soil hydro-mechanical behavior. Understanding the temporal and spatial distribution characteristics of soil water content during evaporation is of great significance for evaluating the encountered geotechnical and geo-environmental problems in arid or semi-arid regions. In this study, an electrical resistivity/resistance method (ERM) with a high spatial resolution of centimeter-level was developed for a small-scale laboratory test and applied to quantitatively characterize the evaporation-induced water content variations along a depth gradient. A total of 8 groups of initially saturated sandy soil columns (84 mm in diameter and 290 mm in height) were prepared, and eight pairs of mini electrodes (3.5 mm in diameter) were installed in each soil sample with a vertical distance of 30 mm. The soil columns were subjected to continuous drying. The changes in soil electrical resistance at different depths were monitored by the electrode couples. The gravimetric water contents at different depths were also measured at the end of drying. It is found that soil water content decreases exponentially with increasing electrical resistance. Based on the obtained data, a calibration relationship between soil gravimetric water content and corrected electrical resistance was well established with consideration of temperature effect. This relationship was validated successfully by the experimental results, indicating the feasibility of the developed ERM to characterize the soil water content dynamics during the drying process. Besides, the drying process with the movement of the evaporation front was discussed. The results of this study demonstrate the good performance of ERM in the estimation of temporal and spatial variations of soil water content and its potential application in arid or semi-arid regions with frequent droughts.

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Metadata
Title
Laboratory characterization of sandy soil water content during drying process using electrical resistivity/resistance method (ERM)
Authors
Ni An
Chao-Sheng Tang
Qing Cheng
De-Yin Wang
Bin Shi
Publication date
09-05-2020
Publisher
Springer Berlin Heidelberg
Published in
Bulletin of Engineering Geology and the Environment / Issue 8/2020
Print ISSN: 1435-9529
Electronic ISSN: 1435-9537
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10064-020-01805-y

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