scholarly journals Effect of Wetting Conditions on the In Situ Density of Soil Using the Sand-Cone Method

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 718
Author(s):  
Sung-Sik Park ◽  
Peter D. Ogunjinmi ◽  
Hyun-Il Lee ◽  
Seung-Wook Woo ◽  
Dong-Eun Lee
Keyword(s):  
Water Content ◽  
Filling Process ◽  
Calculated Density ◽  
Compacted Soils ◽  
Moist Sand ◽  
In Situ Conditions ◽  
Calculated Volume ◽  
Test Hole ◽  
Moisture Conditions

The sand-cone method is commonly used to measure the in situ density of compacted soils. While determining field density with this method, differences in the sand-filling process between the test hole and the calibration container can cause errors. The differences can result from various in situ conditions such as the shape and size of the test hole and the moisture conditions of the filling sand and test ground. Temporary rainfall can increase the moisture content of both in situ soils and filling sand. This study examined the effect of wetting conditions on the accuracy of the sand-cone method in a laboratory. Compacted soils with different water contents (2–16%) were prepared in a small circular container in the laboratory, and the sand-filling process was simulated for cylindrical, conical, and roof-shaped test holes with depths of 10 and 15 cm. As the water content of the compacted soils increased, the sand-cone method underestimated the volume of sand accumulated in the test holes by up to 20%, resulting in the calculated density being overestimated by an identical amount. Slightly moist sand was poured into artificial test holes. When the water content of the filling sand was below 1%, no significant error was observed in the calculated volume.

Sensor Response of Stilbite Single Crystals Under “in Situ” Conditions

2002 ◽  
Vol 756 ◽  
Author(s):  
O. Schäf ◽  
H. Ghobarkar ◽  
P. Knauth
Keyword(s):  
Water Content ◽  
Single Crystals ◽  
Organic Molecule ◽  
Organic Molecules ◽  
Sensor Response ◽  
Schematic Model ◽  
Interaction Processes ◽  
In Situ Conditions ◽  
Molecule Concentration

ABSTRACTThe isothermal conductivity of natural stilbite single crystals depends on water content, polar organic molecule concentration and charge compensating cation species. The observed interaction processes are almost completely adsorptive at temperatures below 110°C; catalytic oxidation of the organic molecules is taking place at much higher temperatures, where zeolitic water is almost completely desorbed. A schematic model describing the observed conductivity modifications is developed.

scholarly journals The Earthworm Gut: an Ideal Habitat for Ingested N2O-Producing Microorganisms

2003 ◽  
Vol 69 (3) ◽  
pp. 1662-1669 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcus A. Horn ◽  
Andreas Schramm ◽  
Harold L. Drake
Keyword(s):  
Organic Carbon ◽  
Water Content ◽  
Soil Bacteria ◽  
Synergistic Effects ◽  
Posterior Part ◽  
Total Carbon ◽  
Gut Contents ◽  
In Situ Conditions ◽  
Earthworm Gut

ABSTRACT The in vivo production of nitrous oxide (N2O) by earthworms is due to their gut microbiota, and it is hypothesized that the microenvironment of the gut activates ingested N2O-producing soil bacteria. In situ measurement of N2O and O2 with microsensors demonstrated that the earthworm gut is anoxic and the site of N2O production. The gut had a pH of 6.9 and an average water content of approximately 50%. The water content within the gut decreased from the anterior end to the posterior end. In contrast, the concentration of N2O increased from the anterior end to the mid-gut region and then decreased along the posterior part of the gut. Compared to the soil in which worms lived and fed, the gut of the earthworm was highly enriched in total carbon, organic carbon, and total nitrogen and had a C/N ratio of 7 (compared to a C/N ratio of 12 in soil). The aqueous phase of gut contents contained up to 80 mM glucose and numerous compounds that were indicative of anaerobic metabolism, including up to 9 mM formate, 8 mM acetate, 3 mM lactate, and 2 mM succinate. Compared to the soil contents, nitrite and ammonium were enriched in the gut up to 10- and 100-fold, respectively. The production of N2O by soil was induced when the gut environment was simulated in anoxic microcosms for 24 h (the approximate time for passage of soil through the earthworm). Anoxia, high osmolarity, nitrite, and nitrate were the dominant factors that stimulated the production of N2O. Supplemental organic carbon had a very minimal stimulatory effect on the production of N2O, and addition of buffer or ammonium had essentially no effect on the initial N2O production rates. However, a combination of supplements yielded rates greater than that obtained mathematically for single supplements, suggesting that the maximum rates observed were due to synergistic effects of supplements. Collectively, these results indicate that the special microenvironment of the earthworm gut is ideally suited for N2O-producing bacteria and support the hypothesis that the in situ conditions of the earthworm gut activate ingested N2O-producing soil bacteria during gut passage.

scholarly journals Forecasting of Landslides Using Rainfall Severity and Soil Wetness: A Probabilistic Approach for Darjeeling Himalayas

Water ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 804 ◽  
Author(s):  
Minu Treesa Abraham ◽  
Neelima Satyam ◽  
Biswajeet Pradhan ◽  
Abdullah M. Alamri
Keyword(s):  
Soil Moisture ◽  
Probabilistic Approach ◽  
Soil Mass ◽  
Critical Conditions ◽  
Antecedent Soil Moisture ◽  
Important Concern ◽  
In Situ Conditions ◽  
Moisture Conditions ◽  
Darjeeling Himalayas

Rainfall induced landslides are creating havoc in hilly areas and have become an important concern for the stakeholders and public. Many approaches have been proposed to derive rainfall thresholds to identify the critical conditions that can initiate landslides. Most of the empirical methods are defined in such a way that it does not depend upon any of the in situ conditions. Soil moisture plays a key role in the initiation of landslides as the pore pressure increase and loss in shear strength of soil result in sliding of soil mass, which in turn are termed as landslides. Hence this study focuses on a Bayesian analysis, to calculate the probability of occurrence of landslides, based on different combinations of severity of rainfall and antecedent soil moisture content. A hydrological model, called Système Hydrologique Européen Transport (SHETRAN) is used for the simulation of soil moisture during the study period and event rainfall-duration (ED) thresholds of various exceedance probabilities were used to characterize the severity of a rainfall event. The approach was used to define two-dimensional Bayesian probabilities for occurrence of landslides in Kalimpong (India), which is a highly landslide susceptible zone in the Darjeeling Himalayas. The study proves the applicability of SHETRAN model for simulating moisture conditions for the study area and delivers an effective approach to enhance the prediction capability of empirical thresholds defined for the region.

scholarly journals Rock Surface Fungi in Deep Continental Biosphere—Exploration of Microbial Community Formation with Subsurface In Situ Biofilm Trap

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 64
Author(s):  
Maija Nuppunen-Puputti ◽  
Riikka Kietäväinen ◽  
Lotta Purkamo ◽  
Pauliina Rajala ◽  
Merja Itävaara ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Significant Proportion ◽  
Debaryomyces Hansenii ◽  
Fungal Communities ◽  
Fungal Colonization ◽  
Rock Surface ◽  
Mica Schist ◽  
Deep Subsurface ◽  
Bacterial Phyla ◽  
In Situ Conditions

Fungi have an important role in nutrient cycling in most ecosystems on Earth, yet their ecology and functionality in deep continental subsurface remain unknown. Here, we report the first observations of active fungal colonization of mica schist in the deep continental biosphere and the ability of deep subsurface fungi to attach to rock surfaces under in situ conditions in groundwater at 500 and 967 m depth in Precambrian bedrock. We present an in situ subsurface biofilm trap, designed to reveal sessile microbial communities on rock surface in deep continental groundwater, using Outokumpu Deep Drill Hole, in eastern Finland, as a test site. The observed fungal phyla in Outokumpu subsurface were Basidiomycota, Ascomycota, and Mortierellomycota. In addition, significant proportion of the community represented unclassified Fungi. Sessile fungal communities on mica schist surfaces differed from the planktic fungal communities. The main bacterial phyla were Firmicutes, Proteobacteria, and Actinobacteriota. Biofilm formation on rock surfaces is a slow process and our results indicate that fungal and bacterial communities dominate the early surface attachment process, when pristine mineral surfaces are exposed to deep subsurface ecosystems. Various fungi showed statistically significant cross-kingdom correlation with both thiosulfate and sulfate reducing bacteria, e.g., SRB2 with fungi Debaryomyces hansenii.

scholarly journals Discrete element analysis of the punching behaviour of a secured drapery system: from laboratory characterization to idealized in situ conditions

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Antonio Pol ◽  
Fabio Gabrieli ◽  
Lorenzo Brezzi
Keyword(s):  
Mechanical Response ◽  
Steel Wire ◽  
Discrete Element ◽  
Wire Mesh ◽  
Steel Plates ◽  
Loading Conditions ◽  
Element Analysis ◽  
In Situ Conditions ◽  
Wire Meshes

AbstractIn this work, the mechanical response of a steel wire mesh panel against a punching load is studied starting from laboratory test conditions and extending the results to field applications. Wire meshes anchored with bolts and steel plates are extensively used in rockfall protection and slope stabilization. Their performances are evaluated through laboratory tests, but the mechanical constraints, the geometry and the loading conditions may strongly differ from the in situ conditions leading to incorrect estimations of the strength of the mesh. In this work, the discrete element method is used to simulate a wire mesh. After validation of the numerical mesh model against experimental data, the punching behaviour of an anchored mesh panel is investigated in order to obtain a more realistic characterization of the mesh mechanical response in field conditions. The dimension of the punching element, its position, the anchor plate size and the anchor spacing are varied, providing analytical relationships able to predict the panel response in different loading conditions. Furthermore, the mesh panel aspect ratio is analysed showing the existence of an optimal value. The results of this study can provide useful information to practitioners for designing secured drapery systems, as well as for the assessment of their safety conditions.

scholarly journals An Improved Mechanistic-Empirical Creep Model for Unsaturated Soft and Stabilized Soils

Materials ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (15) ◽  
pp. 4146
Author(s):  
Xunli Jiang ◽  
Zhiyi Huang ◽  
Xue Luo
Keyword(s):  
Water Content ◽  
Unsaturated Soils ◽  
Simulation Analysis ◽  
Soft Soil ◽  
Creep Model ◽  
Subgrade Soils ◽  
Stabilized Soil ◽  
Deformation Behaviors ◽  
Creep Models ◽  
Moisture Conditions

Soft soils are usually treated to mitigate their engineering problems, such as excessive deformation, and stabilization is one of most popular treatments. Although there are many creep models to characterize the deformation behaviors of soil, there still exist demands for a balance between model accuracy and practical application. Therefore, this paper aims at developing a Mechanistic-Empirical creep model (MEC) for unsaturated soft and stabilized soils. The model considers the stress dependence and incorporates moisture sensitivity using matric suction and shear strength parameters. This formulation is intended to predict the soil creep deformation under arbitrary water content and arbitrary stress conditions. The results show that the MEC model is in good agreement with the experimental data with very high R-squared values. In addition, the model is compared with the other classical creep models for unsaturated soils. While the classical creep models require a different set of parameters when the water content is changed, the MEC model only needs one set of parameters for different stress levels and moisture conditions, which provides significant facilitation for implementation. Finally, a finite element simulation analysis of subgrade soil foundation is performed for different loading levels and moisture conditions. The MEC model is utilized to predict the creep behavior of subgrade soils. Under the same load and moisture level, the deformation of soft soil is largest, followed by lime soil and RHA–lime-stabilized soil, respectively.

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