Performance evaluation of cone penetrometer device for measuring the subsoil compaction in mulched plots

Soil exhibits layers of extreme compaction from both natural causes and wheel traffic.These compaction layers impede root growth,thereby reducing the plants capacity to obtain water during drought.Subsoil tillage is a remedy for adverse soil compaction that results in improved conditions for crop growth.Mechanical disturbance of subsoil increases water holding capacity and reduces impedance to root penetration.Vertical mulching is a technique that can be used to partially alleviate soil compaction within the critical root zones of deep rooted crops.A study was conducted by placing raw and composted coir pith using a two row subsoil coir pith mulching machine in three different soil depths(250,350,and 450 mm)at the three application rates of 15 t/ha,20 t/ha,and 25 t/ha and the effect of soil strength was investigated.The experiment was conducted for a rainfed cotton crop.The soil strength profile was recorded in all the treatments.The cone penetrometer resistance was measured for each increment of 10 mm and recorded manually from a digital force indicator during maturity stages of crop in all the treatment plots.The cone penetrometer resistance was measured directly on the row and the cone index was computed.Deep placement of mulch reduced the soil strength as compared to shallow placement.The lower soil strength(0.5 kPa to 0.8 kPa)in the loosened and mulched zone provided an impedance free zone for the root to proliferate.The rapid increase in cone index values at depths immediately below the respective depth of placement(250,350 and 450 mm)of raw and composted coir pith mulch indicated that the existence of undisturbed soil profile below the mulched zone which could be potential limiting factor for root development.

Evolution of Lateritic Soils Geotechnical Parameters during a Multi-Cyclic OPM Compaction and Correlation with Road Traffic

Gravel lateritic soils are intensively used in road geotechnical engineering. This material is largely representative of engineering soil all around the tropical African Countries [1,2]. Gravel lateritic soils from parts of Burkina Faso and Senegal (West Africa) are used to determine the evolution of the geotechnical parameters from one to ten cycles of modified Proctor compaction. This test procedure is non-common for geotechnical purposes and it was found suitable and finally adopted to describe how these problematic soils behave when submitted to a multi-cyclic set of Modified Proctor compactions (OPM) [3,4]. On another hand, we propose a correlation between the traffic and the cycles of compaction considered as the repeated load. From that, this work shows the generation of active fine particles, the decrease of the CBR index and also the mechanical characteristics (mainly the Young Modulus, E) that contribute at least to the main deformation of the road structure.

Influencing factors of compressive strength of solidified inshore saline soil using SH lime-ash

Through unconfined compressive strength test,influencing factors on compressive strength of solidified inshore saline soil with SH lime-ash,ratio of lime-ash(1-K),quantity of lime-ash,age,degree of compression and salt content were studied.The results show that because inshore saline soil has special engineering characteristic,more influencing factors must be considered compared with ordinary soil for the perfect effect of solidifying.

Review of collapse triggering mechanism of collapsible soils due towetting

Loess soil deposits are widely distributed in arid and semi-arid regions and constitute about 10% of land area of the world.These soils typically have a loose honeycomb-type meta-stable structure that is susceptible to a large reduction in total volume or collapse upon wetting.Collapse characteristics contribute to various problems to infrastructures that are constructed on loess soils.For this reason,collapse triggering mechanism for loess soils has been of significant interest for researchers and practitioners all over the world.This paper aims at providing a state-of-the-art review on collapse mechanism with special reference to loess soil deposits.The collapse mechanism studies are summarized under three different categories,i.e.traditional approaches,microstructure approach,and soil mechanics-based approaches.The traditional and microstructure approaches for interpreting the collapse behavior are comprehensively summarized and critically reviewed based on the experimental results from the literature.The soil mechanics-based approaches proposed based on the experimental results of both compacted soils and natural loess soils are reviewed highlighting their strengths and limitations for estimating the collapse behavior.Simpler soil mechanics-based approaches with less parameters or parameters that are easy-to-determine from conventional tests are suggested for future research to better understand the collapse behavior of natural loess soils.Such studies would be more valuable for use in conventional geotechnical engineering practice applications.

Enhancing mechanical behaviors of collapsible soil using two biopolymers

This study aims to investigate the possibility of using biopolymer(environmental friendly material) to enhance the mechanical behaviors of collapsible soil.Two types of biopolymers were(xanthan gum and guar gum) used in this study due to their stable behaviors under severe conditions and their availability with reasonable prices.The experimental program focused on three major soil properties,i.e.compaction characterizations,collapsible potential and shear parameters.These three properties are essential in process of soil improvement.Different biopolymer concentrations were used in this study and the experimental program was performed at two curing periods(soon after mixing the soil with the biopolymer and after one week curing time).Shear parameters were measured for the treated specimens under both soaked and unsoaked conditions,while a collapsible potential test was performed under different mixing conditions(wet mix and dry mix).A numerical model was built to predict the behavior of the treated collapsible soil after and before water immersing.The results indicated that the ability of both xanthan gum and guar gum can be used as improvement materials for collapsible soil treatment.The collapsible potential has been reduced from 9%to 1%after mixing the soil with 2%biopolymer concentration in the wet case.After one week curing,the cohesion has been increased from 8.5 kPa to105 kPa by increasing the xanthan gum concentration from zero to 2%,leading to an overall improvement in soil shear strength.It also proves that the guar gum is superior to the xanthan gum.The shear strength of soil can be increased by about 30%when using the guar gum in comparison with the xanthan gum at the same conditions;however,the collapsible potential of soil material will be reduced by about 20%.

Growth and Development Responses of Tobacco (<i>Nicotiana tabacum</i>L.) to Changes in Physical and Hydrological Soil Properties Due to Minimum Tillage

Minimum tillage is a soil conservation practice involving a reduction in soil disturbance and topsoil compaction, which could minimize environmental impact of the tobacco cultivation system. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the development and growth responses of Nicotiana tabacum and the changes in the physical and hydrological soil properties after the application of two different treatments: minimum tillage (MT) and conventional tillage (CT). MT did not cause any pronounced differences in the crop yield compared to CT, instead it positively affected the physical and hydrological soil properties and the plants’ vegetative growth. Under MT, the soil showed a higher structural stability than CT with significantly lower compaction values. With MT the soil showed a higher capacity to maintain and store water during the drought periods, evidenced by soil moisture values significantly higher than CT. Tobacco on MT showed a good response, significantly prolonging the vegetative growth stage which at harvest determined a higher stem height, greater number of leaves and longer internodes.

Utilization of Marble Dust for Improving The Geotechnic Characteristics Of Collapsible Soil

An environment friendly and cost effective factor of collapsible soilstabilization with the help of industrial waste has been widely adoptedin this research. Buildings which are constructed on collapsible soils aresubjected to large deformations and shear failure. Collapsible soil can bebroadly categorized as those soils susceptible to a large reduction in volumeupon wetting. The mechanism usually involved in rapid volume reductionentails breaking of bonds at coarse particle contacts by weakening of finegrainedmaterials brought there by surface tension in evaporating water.This research presents the effects of using marble dust on the geotechnicalproperties of Collapsible soil as a new stabilizing technique. A series ofexperimental tests are carried for samples of collapsing soil with andwithout stabilization using marble dust for dry and soaked conditions.The collapsible soil was mixed with marble dust at different contents of(0, 10, 20, 30%,40% and50%). The results indicated that, The optimumwater content decreases by 20.67% at marble content of 50%, liquidlimit decreses by35.41% at marble content of 50%and frictional angle forsoaked soil decreases by 66.09% at marble content of 50% while un soakedsoil decreases by54.68% at marble content of 50%. The maximum drydensity increases 5.91% at marble content of 50% and cohesion for soakedincreases314.2% at marble content of 50% while un soaked soil increases206.7% at marble content of 50%. It has been found that the adoptedmarble has a good effect in controlling the collapsing potential which isreduced by as much as 64.32% at marble content of 30%.

Degree of compaction and compression strength of Nigerian Alfisol under tilled condition and different machinery traffic passes

Information on the effect of soil compaction on soil mechanical properties such as degree of compaction,compression and shear strength of tropical soils of Nigeria under different machinery traffic passes is very scarce.Field experiment was conducted in a tilled and compacted sandy clay loam(Alfisol)in Akure,Nigeria,under different machinery traffic passes to determine compaction effects on bulk density,compression strength,degree of compaction and the shear strength of soil.Four plots,A,B,C and D of area 20 m×50 m each were used for the field experiment.Treatment plot A was tilled with a tractor-mounted disc plough,and the remaining three plots:B,C and D were subjected to 5,10 and 15 to and fro passes,respectively,using heavy duty Mercy Fergusson tractor model 4355(3.82 Mg).The treatments were replicated three times in a randomized complete block design.Compacted plots progressively increased the bulk density from 1.63 g/cm^(3) to 1.90 g/cm^(3),but the highest bulk density was observed in plots under 15 traffic passes with the value of(1.90±0.23)g/cm3.The percentage of soil compaction varies from 90.5%to 97%at the 0-10 cm soil layer.The compression strength of soil increased from 31.00 kPa to 42.05 kPa and from 29.68 to 65.44 kPa at the 0-10 cm and 10-20 cm soil layers,respectively,which resulted in the increased shear strength from 15.79 kPa to 21.03 kPa and 14.8 kPa to 32.72 kPa at the 0-10 cm and 10-20 cm in plots under 5 and 15 traffic passes,respectively.Plot A(tilled soil)had the lowest bulk density,degree of compaction and compression strength with values(1.51±0.19)g/cm^(3),88.2%,and(12.15±0.37)kPa,respectively,and consequently the lowest shear strength of(6.02±1.23)kPa,which enhanced air movement and microbial activities in the soil.Soil under 15 traffic passes,especially at the 10-20 cm soil layer,may result in poor root penetration when cropped but can be very reliable and consistent when used for structural purposes.

基于机器学习的土壤机械压实应用研究

农业机械作业造成的土壤压实已成为制约农业可持续发展的重要因素,过度机械压实使土壤理化性质恶化,甚至成为降低作物产量的主要原因。已有的土壤机械压实研究多是基于简单的数学统计分析,且研究重点为试验方案的设计,无法挖掘数据内部关系,也无法进行土壤机械压实程度的预测。近几年,随着机器学习的不断发展,越来越多的学者开始将其引入农业领域及土壤机械压实的研究。为此,分析了机械压实对土壤理化性质及作物生长的影响,总结了土壤机械压实的表征属性和常用机器学习算法及评价标准,并归纳了近几年基于机器学习的土壤压实的研究成果,给出了相关应用研究的建议。

黄原胶-粉煤灰联合处理酸污染土试验研究

绿色环保型生物聚合物黄原胶应用于岩土工程,可提高土体强度及抗风蚀、水蚀能力。鉴于黄原胶分子中的丙酮酸基团和糖苷键在酸性土壤条件下易水解,导致凝胶黏性减小、固土效果减弱,拟采用碱性材料粉煤灰协同黄原胶固化酸污染土,并开展液塑限、击实及无侧限抗压强度试验。结果表明:粉煤灰有助于提高固化土的塑限、最优含水率及最大干密度。酸性土壤条件下,粉煤灰能明显改善黄原胶固土效果,联合法固化酸污染土强度甚至超过联合法固化未污染土。另外,粉煤灰可提高土壤的pH值,缓解黄原胶水解,使其发挥增黏及胶结土颗粒的作用。基于试验结果,建议采用联合法固化酸污染土(FA=9%,XG=3%),可比酸污染上海黏土强度提高310%;在未污染土中采用黄原胶即可(XG=4%),可比未污染天然上海黏土强度提高90%。研究成果有助于绿色环保型生物聚合物的推广与应用。

Effects of Tillage Practices and Straw Management on Physical Properties of Mollisols,Root Architecture and Maize Yield in Northeast China

Tillage practices and organic amendment are strategies used worldwide to preserve the properties and fertility of soils.This study aimed to elucidate effects of 3-year field treatments of tillage practice and straw management on physical properties of Mollisols,root architecture and maize yield in northeast China.The experiment was conducted from 2015 to 2018 following a splitplot design of a randomized complete block with tillage practices[rotary tillage(R)and deep tillage(D)]as main plots and straw managements[straw returning(S),straw returning and organic fertilizer(M),straw removal(T)]as subplots.Soil samples at 0-15,15-30,30-50 cm depths and root samples at the seedling stage were collected.The results showed that DM treatment significantly improved soil moisture content at 10-50 cm soil depth and decreased soil compaction(P<0.05),which led to a better root architecture.Rotary tillage had a slower thermal conductivity but better thermal insulation performance,while deep tillage showed a higher daily temperature difference.Bulk density of topsoil was significantly lower in DS(1.16 g·cm^(-3))than in other treatments,but the soil permeability in DS(1.40 mm·min^(-1)in 0-15 soil depth and 1.45 mm·min-1in 15-30 cm soil depth)was the highest.At the maize seedling stage,DM had the highest root dry weight,root-shoot ratio and root length,while RM had the highest root volume,root furcation number and root tip number.The maize yield of three years in DM was 6.19%,5.21%and 15.72%higher than that in DS,DT and RM(P<0.01),respectively.Relative to RT and DT,a slight decrease(2.72%and 0.93%,respectively)in maize yield under RS and DS was observed,which could be alleviated by the addition of organic fertilizer.The correlation matrix indicated that kernel per ear number and 100-kernel weight were the dominant factors that affected maize yield.Redundancy analysis suggested that straw managements and tillage practices were significantly positively correlated with root-shoot ratio,root dry weight,maximum root length,the total root length and maize yield,but significantly negatively correlated with soil compaction,bulk density,soil moisture content and soil temperature.Among all the treatments,deep tillage with straw returning and the addition of organic fertilizer was recommended as a promising strategy in restoring soil productivity,promoting maize growth and increasing maize yield in Mollisols of northeast China and similar regions around the world.

树种对土壤物理性质的影响——7种亚热带树种同质园试验

【目的】通过了解树种差异对土壤物理性质的影响,为亚热带人工林树种优化及土壤改良提供理论依据。【方法】试验以亚热带同质园7个阔叶树种,即大叶樟(Cinnamomum septentrionale)、桤木(Alnus cremastogyne)、油樟(Cinnamomum longepaniculatum)、天竺桂(Cinnamomum japonicum)、香樟(Cinnamomum camphora)、红椿(Toona ciliate)和香椿(Toona sinensis)为研究对象,在立地5 a后(2015-2020年)测定不同树种人工林和邻近撂荒地各土层(0~10、10~20和20~30 cm)土壤容重、总孔隙度、坚实度和抗剪强度的变化规律。【结果】①相较于撂荒地,树种显著影响0~30 cm土壤容重、0~10 cm和20~30 cm土壤坚实度和总孔隙度、20~30 cm土壤抗剪强度;②油樟、大叶樟、天竺桂和香樟4种樟属植物表层土壤容重整体高于其他树种,但土壤总孔隙度则相反;③土壤容重、土壤坚实度和土壤抗剪强度总体随土壤深度的增加而增大,变化范围分别为1.22~1.54 g/cm^(3)、143.9~335 N/cm^(3)和0.49~2.25 kg/cm^(2),土壤总孔隙度则呈现相反的变化趋势,变化范围为47.26%~52.55%;④土层深度显著影响土壤容重、总孔隙度、坚实度和抗剪强度,树种和土壤层次的交互作用显著影响土壤总孔隙度。【结论】树种可能通过改变凋落物输入和根系活动影响土壤理化性质,种植樟属植物可改善土壤物理特性。

黏性填土地基处理强度增长规律研究

采用高真空击密法对某杂货堆场回填形成的黏性填土进行地基处理,通过沉降观测、静力触探、取土试验以及现场载荷试验等进行处理效果的检测。结果表明:处理后的黏性填土地基压缩率为10%时,地基承载力特征值达到了使用要求;场地内表层的黏性填土的比贯入阻力增长与沉降量呈指数关系;场地内表层的黏性填土的比贯入阻力增长与单位夯击能呈线性关系。研究结果为类似工程提供了较好的借鉴意义。

机制砂级配及含量对压实膨胀土干缩裂隙演化规律

为研究砂含量以及级配对压实膨胀土干缩开裂的影响,以勉县滑坡点膨胀土为研究对象,制备了五种机制砂含量和四种机制砂级配的压实膨胀土试样,开展一系列压实土样干燥试验。利用图像处理技术并结合分形理论,对表面干缩裂隙的发育过程及最终状态的裂隙网络几何参数进行了量化分析。研究结果表明:表面裂隙面积的增加,前期表现为裂隙长度的增加,后期表现为裂隙宽度的增加;砂级配相同,随着砂含量从0%增加到40%,最终的表面裂隙率呈现依次降低的趋势,分别为13.18%,11.39%,10.47%,8.91%,7.68%;砂含量(40%)相同,随砂级配从[0.15 mm,0.3 mm)增加到[1.18 mm,2.36 mm),表面裂隙率依次减小,分别为7.68%,7.66%,4.38%,3.75%;裂隙分形维数的变化规律与表面裂隙率相同。

土石混合填料工程力学性能试验研究

土石混合填料力学性能是影响路堤设计和施工的重要参数,相关研究一直是热点问题。为分析不同含水率、土石混合比例、击实功、土料厚度条件下土石混合体工程力学性能,开展了不同组合下土石混合体击实试验和大型直剪试验,揭示了上述因素对混合料最优含水率和力学指标的影响,并建立了土石混合填料力学指标计算方法。研究表明:总击实功、含水率和含石量对试样干密度影响较大,且随着含石量的增大,土石混合料最大干密度逐渐增大但最优含水率逐渐降低;干密度随着每层击实次数的增加而增加;随着法向应力的增大,土石混合料应力-应变曲线由应变硬化型逐渐变为应变软化型;随着含石量的增大,其内摩擦角随之减小但黏聚力随之增大,但增大幅度较小。成果可为土石混合填料路堤施工和设计提供理论参考。

自密实沙漠砂贫混凝土的力学特征及其工程应用研究

基于室内模型试验,对不同配合比下自密实沙漠砂贫混凝土的强度和刚度参数进行了标定,结果表明:(1)自密实沙漠砂贫混凝土中水泥含量与单轴抗压强度和弹性模量近似呈线性增长关系;(2)水泥含量在11.9%~21.3%时,单轴抗压强度为1.5~7 MPa,弹性模量为120~360 MPa;(3)与普通混凝土相比,自密实沙漠砂贫混凝土峰值应力处的应变约为普通混凝土的10倍,表明其延性较好;(4)与传统压实土相比,自密实沙漠砂贫混凝土具有强度高和变形模量大的优势;(5)在适宜的水灰比下,沙漠砂贫混凝土可实现自密实,提高了施工速度和机械化水平,可用于公路快速拓宽、管廊回填、桥台台背快速回填和高边坡整体式路基等工程。

花岗岩残积土抗剪强度与微观结构特征

对不同水的质量分数(含水率)及不同压实度的花岗岩残积土试样开展三轴试验和电镜扫描试验,探究土样的抗剪强度特性与微观孔隙结构之间的关系,从微观角度揭示花岗岩残积土的抗剪强度衰减机理。试验结果表明:花岗岩残积土试样的应力-应变曲线呈现应变硬化特征,抗剪强度随着含水率的升高而降低,随着压实度的增加而增加,且在围压应力较低时,花岗岩残积土试样对含水率及压实度的敏感性更强;从微观角度,花岗岩残积土试样的中孔隙和大孔隙的占比随着含水率的升高而增加,随着压实度的增加而减少。

芦苇加筋土的轻型击实效果评价研究

文中针对渤海新区盐渍土的强度和变形问题开展了一系列试验研究,首先将渤海新区盐渍土与不同长度和加筋率的芦苇均匀拌和,按照一定的击实功对其进行轻型击实试验,随后为测试击实效果将其进行无侧限抗压强度试验。试验结果显示,质量加筋率对试验结果影响显著,最大干密度会随着加筋率增加而逐渐降低,降低幅度在每级0.01~0.02 g/cm^(3)之间,同时质量加筋率对最优含水率也有较大影响,最优含水率会随着芦苇掺量的增加而增加,这个趋势会随着加筋率的增大而缩减,当质量加筋率达到0.3%~0.35%时,最优含水率之间的最大差值仅为0.38%,此时可以忽略芦苇掺量对最优含水率的影响。同样加筋长度也对击实试验有较为显著的影响,芦苇加筋土的最大干密度随着加筋长度在减小,干密度会逐渐降低并呈近线性趋势下降,每一级加筋长度约下降0.01~0.02 g/cm^(3)。加筋长度较小时,最优含水率随加筋长度呈近线性增长趋势,当加筋长度达到50 mm时,最优含水率的变化受加筋率的影响较为稳定,加筋长度过长时,质量加筋率过大可能会导致最优含水率的下降,最明显的位置出现在加筋长度为70 mm、加筋率为0.35%处。根据无侧限抗压强度试验,可确定芦苇加筋土的最佳加筋长度和最佳质量加筋率为50 mm和0.25%。

砂性土路堤填料毛细水上升试验分析

为分析砂性土路基填料的毛细水上升规律,文章依托某高速公路,通过施工现场取样,在了解砂性土样的基本性质后,通过室内试验分析了压实度、温度、含水量对毛细水上升规律的影响。结果表明:压实度对毛细水上升高度的影响较大,随压实度增加,砂性土毛细水上升高度也随之增加,路基压实度应高于95%;环境温度对其影响较小,随温度升高毛细水上升高度略有增加;含水量对毛细水影响较显著,随含水量的增加,毛细水明显下降,路基填料含水量应控制在9%~10%。

Effects of moisture content and dry bulk density on the thermal conductivity of compacted backfill soil

Soil backfilling and compaction are often involved in urban construction projects like the burying of power cables.The thermal conductance of backfill soil is therefore of great interest.To investigate the thermal conductivity variation of compacted backfill soil,10 typical soils sampled in Zhejiang Province of China with moisture contents of 0%–25%were fully compacted according to the Proctor compaction test method and then subjected to thermal conductivity measurement using the thermal probe method at 20℃.The particle size distribution and the chemical composition of the soil samples were characterized to analyze their effects on thermal conductivity.The results showed that the maximum thermal conductivity of fully compacted soils generally exceeds 1.9 W/(m·K)and is 20%–50%higher than that of uncompacted soils.With increasing moisture content,soil thermal conductivity and dry bulk density first increase and then remain unchanged or decrease slowly;the critical moisture content is greater than 20%in most cases.Overall,the critical moisture content of soils with large particle size is lower than that of those with small particle size.Quartz has the highest thermal conductivity in the soil solid phase,and the mass percentage of quartz for most soils in this study is more than 50%,while that for yellow soil is less than 30%,which leads to the thermal conductivity of the former being nearly twice as great as that of the latter in most circumstances.Based on regression analysis,with moisture content and dry bulk density as the independent parameters,the prediction formulae for the thermal conductivity of two categories of compacted backfill soils are proposed for practical applications.