Influence of initial soil condition on infiltration characteristics determined using a disk infiltrometer

Abstract

The knowledge of infiltration characteristics of soil is essential for modeling flooding, artificial recharge of aquifer, mass transport through subsurface, and performance evaluation of landfill covers. A disk infiltrometer is a handy instrument for determining infiltration characteristics and permeability of the soil. Unlike the conventional infiltrometer, the disk infiltrometer can be used to control water entry into the soil at a prescribed suction. There are several numerical studies simulating cumulative infiltration vs. time response from a disk infiltrometer, where in, the initial condition of soil is important. However, there are not many experimental studies reported in the literature to understand the influence of initial compaction condition on the infiltration characteristics of soil. In this study, a mini-disk infiltrometer has been used to determine infiltration characteristics of a locally available sandy soil. All the measurements have been conducted on predetermined initial condition to understand its influence on infiltration characteristics and permeability determination. It is observed from the study that initial compaction conditions such as water content and dry density influence infiltration characteristics of soil.

Keywords:

• disk infiltrometer
• dry density
• water content
• infiltration
• suction
• hydraulic conductivity

Acknowldegements

This article belongs to the papers presented at the Hydro-2012 conference held at IIT Bombay on 7–8 December 2012 that were short-listed by the Editor for publication in this Journal after re-review and revisions where necessary.