1.

Describe role and importance of soil physics elements

from engineering point of view.?
Introduction:
Soil physics deals with the dynamics of physical soil
components and their phases as solid, liquids, and gases. It draws on
the principles of physics, physical chemistry, engineering, and
meteorology. It is especially important in this day and age because
most farmers require an understanding of agro ecosystems. Nowadays,
soil is increasingly under pressure as a limited resource for the
production of food, energy and raw materials. In more recent years this
list has grown to include anthropologists, economists, engineers,
medical professionals, military professionals, sociologists, and even
artists.

Soil Physics :
Soil physics is the study of soil physical properties and
processes, including measurement and prediction under natural and
managed ecosystems. The science of soil physics deals with the forms,
interrelations, and changes in soil components and multiple phases.
The typical components are: mineral matter, organic matter, liquid, and
air. Three phases are solid, solution and gas, and more than one liquid
phase may exist in the case of no aqueous contamination. Physical
edaphology is a science dealing with application of soil physics to
agricultural land use. The study of the physical phenomena of soil in
relation to atmospheric conditions, plant growth, soil properties and
anthropogenic activities is called physical edaphology. Study of soil in
relation to plant growth is called edaphology, whereas study of soil’s
physical properties and processes in relation to plant growth is called
physical edaphology. Thus, physical edaphology is a branch of soil
physics dealing with plant growth. Soil physics is a young and emerging
branch of pedology, with significant developments occurring during the
middle of twentieth century. It draws heavily on the basic principles of
physics, physical chemistry, hydrology, engineering and
micrometeorology.
Soil physics applies these principles to address practical problems of
agriculture, ecology, and engineering. Its interaction with emerging
disciplines of geography (geographic information system or GIS), data
collection (remote sensing), and analytical techniques (fuzzy logic,
fractal analysis, neural network, etc.) has proven beneficial in
addressing practical problems in agriculture, ecology, and
environments. Indeed, soil physics plays a pivotal role in the human
endeavor to sustain agricultural productivity while maintaining
environment quality.

Soil Physics from Engineering point of view:

This section is
useful to those who need information about soils used as structural
material or foundation upon which structures are built. Among those
who can benefit from this section are planning commissioners, town
and city managers, land developers, engineers, contractors, and
farmers. Among properties of soils highly important in engineering are
permeability, strength, compaction characteristics, drainage, shrink-
swell potential, grain size, plasticity, and reaction. Also important are
depth to the water table, depth to bedrock, and soil slopes. These
properties, in various degrees and combinations, affect construction
and maintenance of roads, airports, pipelines, foundations for small
buildings, irrigation systems, ponds and small dams, and systems for
disposal of sewage and refuse. Estimates of soil properties generally
apply to a depth of about 5 to 6 feet .Soils serve as engineering media
for construction of foundations, roadbeds, dams and buildings, and
preserve or destroy artifacts of human endeavors.
There are Various physical properties related to Engineering.

1.Cohesion:
It is the internal molecular attraction which resists the rupture or shear of
a material. Cohesion is derived in the fine grained soils from the water
films which bind together the individual particles in the soil mass.
Cohesion is the property of the fine grained soil with particle size below
0.002 mm. cohesion of a soil decreases as the moisture content
increases. Cohesion is greater in well compacted clays and it is
independent of the external load applied. For cohesionless soils (or soils
without any fines), the standard compaction tests are difficult to
perform. For compaction, application of vibrations is the most effective
method. Watering is another method. The seepage force of water
percolating through a cohesionless soil makes the soil grains occupy a
more stable position. However a large quantity of water is required in
this method. To achieve maximum dry density, they can be compacted
either in a dry state or in a saturated state.
2.Angle of Internal Friction:
The resistance in sliding of grain particles of a soil mass depends upon
the angle of internal friction. It is usually considered that the value of the
angle of internal friction is almost independent of the normal pressure
but varies with the degree of packing of the particles, i.e. with the
density. The soils subjected to the higher normal stresses will have
lower moisture contents and higher bulk densities at failure than those
subjected to lower normal stresses and the angle of internal frictionmay
thus change. The true angle of internal friction of clay is seldom zero
and may be as much as 26⁰The angle of internal friction fro granular
soils may vary in between 25⁰ to 28⁰.
3.Capillary Action:
It is the ability of soil to transmit moisture in all directions regardless of
any gravitational force. Water rises up through soil pores due to
capillary attraction. The maximum theoretical height of capillary rise
depends upon the pressure which tends to force the water into the soil,
and this force increases as the size of the soil particles decreases. The
capillary rise in a soil when wet may equal as much as 4 to 5 times the
height of capillary rise in the same soil when dry. Coarse gravel has no
capillary rise; coarse sand has up to 30 cm; fine sand and soils have
capillary rise up to 1.2 m but dry sand have very little capillarity. Clays
may have capillary rise up to 0.9 to 1.2 m but pure clays have very low
value.
4.Permeability:
Permeability of a soil is the rate at which water flows through it under
action of hydraulic gradient. The passage of moisture through the inter-
spaces or pores of the soil is called ‘percolation’. Soils having porous
enough for percolation to occur are termed ‘pervious’ or ‘permeable’,
while those which do not permit the passage of water are termed
‘impervious’ or ‘impermeable’. The rate of flow is directly proportional
to the head of water. Permeability is a property of soil mass and not of
individual particles. The permeability of cohesive soil is, in general, very
small. Knowledge of permeability is required not only for seepage,
drainage and ground water problems but also for the rate of settlement
of structures on saturated soils..

5.Plasticity:
Soil plasticity is a property that enables the moist soil to change shape
when some force is applied over it and to retain this shape even after
the removal of the force from it.The plasticity of soil depends on the
cohesion and adhesion of soil materials. Cohesion refers to the
attraction of substances of like characteristics, such as, that of one
water molecule for another. Adhesion refers to the attraction of
substances of unlike characteristics. Soil consistency depends on the
texture and amount of inorganic and organic colloids, structure and
moisture contents of soil.

6.Elasticity:
A soil is said to be elastic when it suffers a reduction in volume (or is
changed shape & bulk) while the load is applied, but recovers its initial
volume immediately when the load is removed. The most important
characteristic of the elastic behavior of soil is that no matter how many
repetitions of load are applied to it, provided that the stress set up in
the soil do not exceed the yield stress, the soil does not become
permanently deformed. This elastic behavior is characteristic of peat.

7.Compressability:
Gravels, sands & silts are incompressible, i.e. if a moist mass of those
materials is subjected to compression; they suffer no significant volume
change. Clays are compressible, i.e. if a moist mass of clay is subjected
to compression, moisture & air may be expelled, resulting in a
reduction in volume which is not immediately recovered when the
compression load is withdrawn. The decrease in volume per unit
increase of pressure is defined as the compressibility of soil, and a
measure of the rate at which consolidation proceeds is given by the ‘co-
efficient of consolidation’ of the soil. Compressibility of sand & silt
varies with density & compressibility of clay varies directly with water
content & inversely with cohesive strength.

8.Moisture Content and Available water Quantity:

The moisture content (w) is defined as the ratio of the weight of water
in a sample to the weight of solids. Available water capacity refers to
the quantity of water that the soil is capable of storing for use by
plants. The capacity varies, depending on soil properties that affect the
retention of water and the depth of the root zone. The most important
properties are the content of organic matter, soil texture, bulk density,
and soil structure. Available water capacity is an important factor in
the choice of plants or crops to be grown and in the design and
management of irrigation systems. Available water capacity is not an
estimate of the quantity of water actually available to plants at any
given time.

9.Atterberg Limit:
When a clayey soil is mixed with an excessive amount of water, it may
flow like a semiliquid. If the soil is gradually dried, it will behave like a
plastic, semisolid, or solid material depending on its moisture content.
The moisture content, in percent, at which the soil changes from a
liquid to a plastic state, is defined as the liquid limit (LL). Similarly, the
moisture contents, in percent, at which the soil change from a plastic to
a semisolid state and from a semisolid to a solid state are define as the
plastic limit (PL) and the shrinkage limit (SL), respectively. These limit a
referred to as Atterberg limits. The behavior of the soil is therefore
related directly to the amount of water which is present. In 1911, A.
Atterberg defined the boundaries of four states of consistency in terms
of limits.

10.Shrinkage and Swelling:

Certain soil types (highly plastic) have a large potential for volumetric
change depending on the moisture content of the soil. These soils can
shrink with decreasing moisture or swell with increasing moisture.
Shrinkage can cause soil to pull away from structure thus reducing the
bearing area or causing settlement of the structure beyond that
predicted by settlement analysis. Swelling of the soil can cause an
extra load to be applied to the structure that was not accounted for in
design. Therefore, the potential for shrinkage and swelling should be
determined for soils that have high plasticity.

11.Bulk Density:
Bulk density data are used to compute shrink-swell potential, available
water capacity, total pore space, and other soil properties. The moist
bulk density of a soil indicates the pore space available for water and
roots. A bulk density of more than 1.6 can restrict water storage and
root penetration. Moist bulk density is influenced by texture, kind of
clay, content of organic matter, and soil structure.

12.Erodibility:
It refers to the ease with which soil materials can be removed by wind
or water. Easily eroded materials include unprotected silt, sand and
other loosely consolidated materials, Cohesive soils (with more than
20% clay) and naturally cemented soils are not easily removed from its
place by wind or water and, therefore, have a low erosion factor.

13.Total Stress:
Total Stress When a load is applied to soil, it is carried by the solid
grains and the water in the pores. The total vertical stress acting at a
point below the ground surface is due to the weight of everything that
lies above, including soil, water, and surface loading. Total stress thus
increases with depth and with unit weight.

14.Pore water:
Pore Water Pressure The pressure of water in the pores of the soil is
called pore water pressure (u). The magnitude of pore water pressure
depends on:  the depth below the water table.  the conditions of
seepage flow. The natural level of ground water is called the water
table or the phreatic surface. Under conditions of no seepage flow, the
water table is horizontal. The magnitude of the pore water pressure at
the water table is zero. Below the water table, pore water pressures are
positive. 24. Effective Stress in Unsaturated Zone Above the water
table, when the soil is saturated, pore pressure will be negative (less
than atmospheric). The height above the water table to which the soil is
saturated is called the capillary rise, and this depends on the grain size
and the size of pores. In coarse soils, the capillary rise is very small.
Water is incompressible, whereas air is compressible. The combined
effect is a complex relationship involving partial pressures and the
degree of saturation of the soil.

Important of soil Physics with respect of Agriculture

Agricultural sustainability implies non-negative trends in productivity
while preserving the resource base and maintaining environmental
quality. The role of physical edaphology in sustaining agricultural
production while preserving the environment cannot be
overemphasized. While the economic and environmental risks of soil
degradation and desertification are widely recognized (UNEP, 1992;
Oldeman, 1994; Pimentel et al., 1995; Lal, 1994; 1995; 1998; 2001; Lal
et al., 1995; 1998), the underlying processes and mechanisms are
hardly understood (Lal, 1997). It is in this connection that the
application of soil physics or physical edaphology has an important
role.to play in: (i) preserving the resource base, (ii) improving resource
use efficiency, (iii) minimizing risks of erosion and soil degradation, and
restoring and reclaiming degraded soils and ecosystems, and (iv)
enhancing production by alleviation of soil/weather constraints through
development and identification of judicious management
options.Notable applications of soil physics include control of soil
erosion; alleviation of soil compaction; management of soil salinity;
moderation of soil, air, and water through drainage and irrigation; and
alteration of soil temperature through tillage and residue management.
It is a misconception and a myth that agricultural productivity can be
sustained by addition of fertilizer and/or water per se. Expensive inputs
can be easily wasted if soil physical properties are suboptimal or below
the critical level. High soil physical quality (Lal, 1999a; Doran et al.,
1999) plays an important role in enhancing soil chemical and biological
qualities. Applications of soil physics can play a crucial role in
sustainable management of natural resources (Fig. 1.5). Fertilizer,
amendments, and pesticides can be leached out, washed away,
volatilized, miss the target, and pollute the environment under adverse
soil physical conditions. Efficient use of water and nutrient resources
depends on an optimum level of soil physical properties and processes.
Soil fertility, in its broad sense, depends on a favorable interaction
between soil components and phases that optimize soil physical
quality. Soil physical properties important to agricultural sustainability
are texture, structure, water retention and transmission, heat capacity
and thermal conductivity, soil strength, etc.
These properties affect plant growth and vigor directly and indirectly.
Important soil .Physical properties and processes for specific
agronomic, engineering, and environmental .Functions are outlined in
Table 1.1. Soil structure, water retention and transmission .Properties,
and aeration play crucial roles in soil quality. Soil physical properties are
more important now than ever before in sustaining .Agricultural
productivity because of the shrinking global per capita arable land area
(Brown, 1991; Engelman and LeRoy, 1995). It was 0.50 ha in 1950, 0.20
ha in 2000, and May be only 0.14 ha in 2050 and 0.10 ha in 2100 (Lal,
2000). Therefore, preserving and Restoring world soil resources is
crucial to meeting demands of the present population Without
jeopardizing needs of future generations.

Reference