A prototype for water content measurement in partially saturated soils

Abstract

The paper presents the technological set-up and calibration of a system based on impedance spectroscopy for measuring water content in partially saturated soils. The technique adopted is relatively recent in geotechnical practice; it is used herein to characterize the electrical response of a soil specimen among two conducting electrodes upon application of an alternate voltage and the measurement of the current intensity resulting across the specimen, for frequency values in the range [500 Hz – 50 kHz]. The complex impedance of the soil specimen is due to both resistance, i.e. opposition to current, and reactance, i.e. tendency of the system to yield and retrieve energy, and it depends on the specimen water content. An on-purpose experimental plan has been conceived and is presented herein, aimed at building a calibration function for deriving the water content in pyroclastic soils from the impedance measurements. Preliminary results reveal an adequate level of repeatability of the measurements and suggest the existence of a monotonic correlation between the impedance modulus and the gravimetric water content.