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http://dx.doi.org/10.7843/kgs.2015.31.8.17

Soil Water Characteristic Curve Using Volumetric Pressure Plate Extractor Incorporated with TDR System  

Jung, Young-Seok (School of Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engrg., Korea Univ.)
Sa, Hee-Dong (School of Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engrg., Korea Univ.)
Kang, Seonghun (School of Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engrg., Korea Univ.)
Oh, Se-Boong (Department of Civil Engrg., Yeungnam Univ.)
Lee, Jong-Sub (School of Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engrg., Korea Univ.)
Publication Information
Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society / v.31, no.8, 2015 , pp. 17-28 More about this Journal
Abstract
The purpose of this study is to measure the volumetric water content of unsaturated soils during drying and wetting process by using volumetric pressure plate extractor (VPPE) incorporated with time domain reflectometry (TDR). The VPPE consists of a pressure cell, a pressure regulator, a burette system and a TDR probe. Two samples with different initial void ratios were prepared in the pressure cell, and the air pressure at the range of 0.1 kPa - 50 kPa was applied to adjust the matric suction by the pressure regulator. The burette system was used to measure the volumetric water content change of the sample according to the matric suction. In addition, the TDR probe, installed in the cell, was used to evaluate the dielectric constant from the reflected signal of the electromagnetic wave at the probe. The volumetric water content of specimen was estimated by the empirical equation between the volumetric water content and dielectric constant, which was calibrated with the Jumunjin sand. The test results show that the volumetric water content calculated by TDR probe is strongly correlated to the measured value by burette system. The hysteresis occurs during drying and wetting process. Furthermore, the degree of hysteresis reduces in the repeated process. This study suggests that TDR may be effectively used to evaluate the water content soil for the determination of water characteristic curve of unsaturated soils.
Keywords
Dielectric constant; Soil water characteristic curve; Time domain reflectometry; Unsaturated soils; Volumetric water content;
Citations & Related Records
Times Cited By KSCI : 4  (Citation Analysis)
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