Advances in measuring mechanical properties of soil in relation to soil health

Publication date: 14/06/2021
Extent: 26 pages

Contributions by: Muhammad Naveed, University of West London, UK

Chapter synopsis: Although mechanical properties of soil are fast and easy to measure, they have not been used as indicators of soil health apart from cone penetration resistance. The confined compression test is traditionally used for the prediction of soil compaction risks. Other mechanical tests such as soil rheometry, miniature indentation test, and tensile strength are used for assessing the impact of certain amendments on the stability of the soil. Rheological techniques are appropriate to investigate microstructural stability of soil on a particle-particle scale. Miniature indentation test is very useful to perform when mechanical properties of soil are required to measure at the mm scale. Measurement of the tensile strength of soil has an advantage as it eliminates the effect of water content. There is clearly a need for more practical and rigorous testing on comparing different mechanical properties of the soil to test how they perform relative to each other.

DOI: 10.19103/AS.2020.0079.15