• Journal of The Korean Society of Agricultural Engineers
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• v.50 no.5
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• pp.63-72
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• 2008

This study was conducted to define a characteristics of Electrical Resistivity of weathered soil against volumetric water content and frequency. It is essential to analyze and understand a characteristics of the Electrical Resistivity for evaluation of soil as subsurface contaminant detection. Before the test, an effect of pore water and ion were checked using four liquids(distilled water, tap water, potassium chloride 1.8mM, and 3.7mM). As a result, the correlation between the volumetric water content and the Electrical Resistivity was estimated. The Electrical Resistivity decreases with increasing frequency and water content. Also, Electrical Resistivity could be described by an exponential function of volumetric water content with the constants.

• Magazine of the Korean Society of Agricultural Engineers
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• v.45 no.6
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• pp.153-161
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• 2003

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the soil-water characteristic curves for an unsaturated soil. To this ends, a series of suction measured test was conducted on the selected 4 kinds of soils taken from different sites of Korea, using modified pressure plate apparatus. Form the test results, the water contents, degree of saturation and volumetric water contents were analyzed with the suction. And the soil-water characteristic curves of unsaturated soil were drawn from the test results for various factors. The characteristic curves drawn with water content vs matric suction were classified certainly the difference in wet side but were not classified in dry side. The characteristic curves drawn with degree of saturation vs matric suction for unsaturated soil were shown the opposite inclination as compared with the former curve. But the characteristic curve with volumetric water content vs matric suction was described suitably not only in wet side condition but also in dry side. And it was found that the volumetric water contents of loose soil was high at the initial condition but that of dense soil was high at final condition (dry side).

• Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.63-68
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• 2001

The objective of this study was to develop a real-time soil moisture meter using RF impedance. The impedance suchas capacitance and resistance (or conductance) was analyzed using parallel cylinder type capacitance probe(C-probe) and Q-meter (HP4342). The capacitance and conductance of soil increased as volumetric water content increased. The 5 MHz of modified Colpitts type crystal oscillator was designed to detect the capacitance change of the C-probe with moist soil. A third order polynomial regression model was proposed to describe the relationship between RF impedance and volumetric water content. The prototype real time moisture meter consisted of the C-probe, sample container, oscillator, frequency counter and related signal processing units. The calibration equation for measurement of volumetric moisture content of soil was developed and validated. The correlation coefficient and root mean square error between measured volumetric water content by oven method and predicted values by prototype moisture meter for unknown soil samples were 0.984 and 0.032$cm^3$$cm\^3$, respectively.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Environmental Restoration Technology
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• v.7 no.6
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• pp.39-48
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• 2004

The purpose of this paper was to confirm the application of the equation of the soil-water characteristic curve on an unsaturated soil. To this ends, a series of suction test was conducted on the selected 4 kinds of soil which is located in Korea, using the modified pressure extractor apparatus. And it was carried out to analyze the experimental parameters which can describe the soil-water characteristics, were determined by using the data obtained from the experiment. From the results, it was found that the matric suction was varied according to the grain size distribution, amount of fine grain particle and void ratio. Also it was found that the residual volumetric water content was decreased with the void ratio, but the index related air entry value, the soil parameter related water content and the parameter with residual water content were increased with the void ratio. And the application of equation of the soil-water characteristic curve was confirmed for the various conditions and the various state by the comparison between the volumetric water content measured by the experiment and the predicted values.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.39-46
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• 2015

Dielectric constant depends on the variation of soil water content, and the estimation of soil water content using time domain reflectometry (TDR) has been studied by many researchers. The purpose of this study is the development and application of TDR penetrometer (TDRP) in order to evaluate the soil water content according to the penetration depth. The TDRP consists of cone, sleeve, driving rod, hammer, and guide. Three electrodes, which are used to measure the dielectric constant of soils, are mounted on the surface of sleeve and, in turn, connected with coaxial cable and time domain reflectometer. To establish the relationship between the volumetric water content and dielectric constant, several laboratory tests by using the TDRP are performed in the specimens with a variety of volumetric water content. The experimental results show that the dielectric constant is strongly correlated to volumetric water content as polynomial equations with an order of 3. In addition, the volumetric water content calculated from the dielectric constant is similar to that obtained from the sample weight. In the field, a small sampler is used to compare the volumetric water content calculated from the dielectric constant with the volumetric water content obtained from the sample. The results of field application demonstrate that the volumetric water content estimated by the TDRP shows similar trend to the gravimetric water content of sample. This study suggests that the TDRP is effectively used to evaluate the volumetric water content of unsaturated soils according to the penetration depth.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.15 no.2 s.42
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• pp.123-132
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• 2005

This study presents the results of a laboratory investigation performed to study physical properties of soil-bentonite mixtures through the vertical permeation test and dielectric measurement test using Frequency Domain Reflectometry system for the liner of waste landfill. For the laboratory experiments, geotechnical testing was conducted on pre-mixed soil-bentonite which is consisted of standard sand, weathered granite soil and bentonite for estimating physical parameters such as a volumetric water content, void ratio and dielectric constant. In experiment results, initial soil-bentonite mixing rate has an effect of change of volumetric water content. Also change of volumetric water content of a soil-bentonite mixture is clearly detected to measure a response of dielectric constant. In order to estimate an unsaturated permeable property of soil-bentonite mixtures, equations between volumetric water content and dielectric constant were derived from this study.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.15 no.4 s.42
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• pp.487-494
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• 2005

In order to estimated a reason of soil slope failure new measurement technology is demanded to measure a variation of volumetric water content which is a key physical parameter for understanding the slope failure in the field. In this study a laboratory soil tank test were conducted to use RDB and ADR measurement probes for measuring the variation of volumetric water content. These experiments were compared with two physical parameters as volumetric water content and pressure water head which are estimated to the compacted weathered granite soil under the artificial rainfall, 7.5mm/hour, in the whole of two stages. From the results the variation of volumetric water content and pressure water head is represented to nearly similar travel time.

• Journal of Bio-Environment Control
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.401-408
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• 2022

As research on a controlled environment system based on crop growth environment sensing for sustainable production of horticultural crops and its industrial use has been important, research on how to properly utilize soil moisture sensors for outdoor cultivation is being actively conducted. This experiment was conducted to suggest the proper method of utilizing the TEROS 12, an FDR (frequency domain reflectometry) sensor, which is frequently used in industry and research fields, for each orchard soil in three regions in Korea. We collected soils from each orchard where fruit trees were grown, investigated the soil characteristics and soil water retention curve, and compared TEROS 12 sensor calibration equations to correlate the sensor output to the corresponding soil volumetric water content through linear and cubic regressions for each soil sample. The estimated value from the calibration equation provided by the manufacturer was also compared. The soil collected from all three orchards showed different soil characteristics and volumetric water content values by each soil water retention level across the soil samples. In addition, the cubic calibration equation for TEROS 12 sensor showed the highest coefficient of determination higher than 0.95, and the lowest RMSE for all soil samples. When estimating volumetric water contents from TEROS 12 sensor output using the calibration equation provided by the manufacturer, their calculated volumetric water contents were lower than the actual volumetric water contents, with the difference up to 0.09-0.17 m³·m^-3 depending on the soil samples, indicating an appropriate calibration for each soil should be preceded before FDR sensor utilization. Also, there was a difference in the range of soil volumetric water content corresponding to the soil water retention levels across the soil samples, suggesting that the soil water retention information should be required to properly interpret the volumetric water content value of the soil. Moreover, soil with a high content of sand had a relatively narrow range of volumetric water contents for irrigation, thus reducing the accuracy of an FDR sensor measurement. In conclusion, analyzing soil water retention characteristics of the target soil and the soil-specific calibration would be necessary to properly quantify the soil water status and determine their adequate irrigation point using an FDR sensor.

• Journal of Biosystems Engineering
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.369-376
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• 2003

This study was conducted to develop a precision measurement method of water content in soil (find sand and silty sand) using dual RF impedance changes. The electrically stable perpendicular plate capacitive sensor was fabricated and utilized to sense the water content in soil. Crystal oscillators of 5 and 20 MHz and related circuits were designed to detect the capacitance changes of a perpendicular plate capacitive sensor with soil samples at various volumetric water contents. A multiple regression model for volumetric water content having dual oscillation frequency changes at 5 and 20 MHz as independent variables resulted in coefficient of determination of 0.963 and standard error calibration of 0.030 cm$^3$/cm$^3$ for calibration and coefficient of determination of 0.966, standard error of prediction of 0.027 cm$^3$/cm$^3$ and bias of 0.001 cm$^3$/cm$^3$ for prediction.

• Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.30-37
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• 2000

Wet porous media representing agronomic soil that contains variable water content with variable electrolyte concentration was measured to study the shape of the curves of the electric double layer capacitance versus frequency (from 10 KHz to 10 MHz. This was done in an attempt to find the lowest practical operating frequency for developing low cost dielectric constant soil moisture probes. Cellulose sponge was used as the porous media. A high frequency electronic bridge circuit was developed for measuring the equivalent network parallel resistance and capacitance of porous media. It appears that the effects of the electric double layer component of the total parallel network capacitance essentially disappear at operating frequencies greater than approximately 25 MHz at low electrolyte concentrations but are still important at 50 MHz at higher concentrations. At these frequencies, the double layer capacitance masks the diffusion region capacitance where true water content capacitance values reside. The general shape of the curve of volumetric water content versus porous media dielectric constant is presented, with an empirical equation representing data for this type of curve. It was concluded that the lowest frequency where dielectric constant values which represent true water content information will most likely be found is between 30 and 50 MHz at low electrolyte concentrations but may be above 50 MHz when the total electrolyte concentration is near the upper level required for most mesophyte plant nutrition.