—— 16(2) A Broad-scale Study of Moisture Condit Australia 101 ms in Pavement Subgrades throughout Som. Mecuawics Secriox, Conmonweatri ScEENTIFIC aN INDUSTHIAL RESEARCH ORGANISATION, MELBOURNE, ‘AUSTRALIA Svantary Apparatus developed for the in sit study of soil moisture consisted of ey neal gypsum. Mock moisture meters ‘mounted inthe form of a probe. Techniques for construction, observation and interpretation relevant to, this apparatus are deseribed. Laboratory measurements of soil suction are based upon the nulkpoint method embracing suction plate, pressure membrane and ‘vacuum desiccator techniqnes, Introduction that such techniques suffered trom deficiencies of In this series of investigation three prineipal types of measurements were relevant. Firstly, a measured value of the gravimetric or volum- etrie water content was required, sinee this quantity had been shown to enter directly into statements of the volumetric stability of the soil mass in a clay sol ater balance expresions and into water. transmission juations (as a eomponent of the diffusivity funetion) ; while the same quantity had been correlated emp ally with statements of strength, eompaction ehar teristics and other “engineering ‘properties” of soils. Secondly, a measured value of soil moisture suetion was required since this quantity had been shown to enter Gireetly into water transmission equations as well as being a quantitative component in near-quantitative statements of the strength and volume change be- haviour of soils in terms of effective stresses. Finally, a measured value of the permeability or diffusivity fune- tion was required sinee such a transmission funetion had been used in all fundamental statements of the Jaws of transfer of water throughout a soil mass. ‘The techniques adopted were considered to be the best available at the time and in the eireumstances. The significance of circumstantial factors in the choice of techniques must be stressed, particularly in relation to field measurements. Chiet among these factors was the total ignorance of even the order of the variable to be measured. This lack of even the erudest preliminary information coupled with the great geographical seatter and relative inaccessibility of the investigation sites (which remoteness precluded a successive series of studies of inereasing aecuraey) made it nceessary to adopt wide-range measuring techniques with equipment of simple and robust design even though it was realized accurney and dificultics of interpretation, Tt was recognized, from the outset, that even a first order accuracy of measurement would not only be a useful quantification per se, but would provide a rational basis, for subsequent studies, Within this programme, measurements of the soil moisture variables in the field, ie. in sitw under pave- ments or under the verges of pavements, have been limited to the two qnantiti content and soil suction, Measurements of transmission rates through the soil, in terms of the permeability or diffusivity functions, have not been made directly in the field, although it now appears, as a corollary to these investi: gations (Richards, 1965 (a), (b)), that field studies of the type deseribed below may provide the best means of determination of the true diftsvity ina eracked lay soil. ‘Measurements of water content Tt has Jong been realized that the inherent variability of a soil poses problems of multiple sampling in attempts to obtain reasonably accurate average values of gravimetric or volumetric water content. ‘These problems are accentuated if it is desired to measure small changes of water eontent from time to time. ‘This characteristic variability, which applies particu larly in elay soils, is reflected in figure 1 which refers to a moderately active elay (L.L. = 70 to 80; <2 clay 50 to 65%) from the Adelaide plains, South Australia, ‘The variability of water content (at constant suetion) as.a function of soil variability is quite marked in this soil, but it is considered that a similar pattern exists in most soils of heavy texture. A statistieal analysis of the2 MOISTURE IN SOILS BENEATH COVERED AREAS. SOIL MOISTURE, %/o cLay, Ficuns 1.—Relation between clay content and water content at constant moisture tension in the Bb horizon of a sol at the Waite Institute, SA. ay ra 19:57 40-3594 (x — 62-95). 20:3 4 0.9778 (x — 55-46), 26:62 40-4050 (x — 57:40). data of figure 1 reveals a relationship of the form WN. (4w)? = 74 a where ’ is the number of samples required on each successive sampling oceasion to prove a difference (uw) of means of water content significant at a normal level of probability (P = 0-05). The relationship of equation (1), which is of course only valid for the specific soil sttdied, demonstrates that the accurate measurement of small changes of water content entails the taking of very large numbers of replicate samples—a_ practice which is seareely feasible beneath engineering structures. The mumber ‘of samples may be reduced if suitable regression equa- tions (after figure 1) can be established, but this may involve extensive experimentation. Consequently the simple process of determination of the gravimetric water content is one which must be undertaken with due attention to the confidence limits pertinent to the ‘methods adopted An important but frequently overlooked point is also demonstrated in figure 1. This concerns the maximum difference of means of water content that ean exist in a soil between a wet limit (often at pF = 2-5 to 2-8 in 4 freely draining soil subjected to moderate seasonal wetting, as in southern Australia) and a dry limit (often at pF =4-2 to 4-5 in a corresponding dry sea- son). Figure 1 indicates that the maximum range of ‘mean water content is approximately 8-7 per cent. If consideration is given to this point in typical, heavy lay soils in which it ean be assumed that (a) all elod or aggregates are fully saturated (8, = 100%) throughout the whole of the above pF range and (b) volume changes are equal in the vertieal and horizontal directions, the following relationship may be deduced: nitial fully wetted If w; = water content at an state and wz=water content at the dry limit of the above moisture range, then the fractional volume reduction AV (wr-ws) Ge ~¥, ~ (00+ 1, and the fractional height reduetion AL AV (1 —ws) =}. = 4. ____. @) Ty Vi (100-+ wiG,) where G, = specifie gravity of soil solids Table 1 MOISTURE RANGE BETWEEN WETTEST AND DRIEST PRACTICAL LIMITS IN HEAVY CLAY SOILS IN SOUTHERN AUSTRALIA Red Brown Black | Soil Barth | | Barth | ‘Type RBa | Type BEL | Depth telow soil surfaco (inches) | 18 to 86 Clay content, e 8 sol. 2 5 z w 40+ 2 | S & im 20+ = pF= 0 at a rel.hum=0% i 3 5 7 9 Ficume 21.—Relation between pF and relative humidity at 20°C. filter, was installed on the air line. A cheek in the in, ‘triaxial cell fitted with sueh a humidifier showed that the cell humidity was initially $0 to 90 per cent. and remained practically constant over 24 hours, Further cheeks of suction measurement with and without the air line humidifier revealed errors through- out the pressure membrane range in the absence of the humidifier (see figure 20) Vacuum desiccator technique ‘The vacuum desiccator technique is widely adopted for controlling the total suction or free energy of soil moisture in the range pF 4-5 to 7-0. Equation (4) gives the relation between free energy and the relative humidity where Rr op af — log. — (a YI Po where 4f == free energy or total suetion in em, water R = universal gas constant 62 x 108 ergs/gm./°C. at 20°C. IN PAVEMENT St RGRADES—AUSTRALIA 201 temp. in °A 3°A at 20°C. density of water ” = 1 gm./ee. y= 981 em/see* > @ — =~ = relative humidity Pe 100 At 20°C, DE = lozyh 6-502 + logia (2—logiol) (5) Equation (5) is shown plotted in figure 21. Using as shown. in figure 22, the free energy of a soil sample can he controlled via the am- bient humidity with suitable desiceants. Sulphurie acid Sulphuric Acid of known S.G. Ficune 22.—Details of vacuum desiccator. is commonly used and the relation between pF, the specifie gravity of the sulphurie acid solution and the humidity at 20°C. is shown in table 2 ‘As the diffusion of water vapour in the ambient space inerenses with decreasing air pressure, moisture transier is appreciably inereased by evactiating the desiccator. It has been shown by Croney et al ( Table 2 RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN DENSITY OF SULPHURIC ACID SOLUTIONS, EQUILIBRIUM RELATIV HUMIDITIES AND CORRESPONDING p? VALUES Density of Acid | Aauanus Teiat re va | tae) amity 1.050) 9r-70 rue 99-00 1200 79.51 aaa 48-48 1.578 10:10 1-840 0-07 that equilibrium ean be reached in 2 to 3 days at 2 em, Hg air pressure compared with 2 to 3 months at vrie pressure for a particular sample weighing approximately 4 gm, It has. also been ‘shown by the same authors that temperature control becomes very critical as thehumidity approaches 100 per cent, ‘The main source of error is a temperature difference between the sample and the desiccant. Figure 23 shows the increasing effect of this temperature difference with decreasing pF. No significant error however, oceurs when the yerature of the whole apparatus differs from, °C, Experience with this technique has shown that fa temperature control of +0-01°C. is necessary for controlling suetions in the vieinity of pF 5-0. The null-point method of determining soil suction Coleman and Marsh (1961) defined a rapid null- point method of suetion determination using the pres- sure membrane technique over a wide suction range. In this method, various small samples from one position were quickly weighed and placed on pressure membranes set at stitions covering the suetion in equal steps. After some fixed time, the samples removed and quickly weighed again. ‘The final weight, expressed as a percentage of the original weight, was plotted against. the suction. ‘The suetion for’ zero change in weight was interpolated graphically and accepted as the original suction This method was not directly applicable to Aus- tralian conditions due to the wide range of suctions Led a 3 15 10 RATE OF CHANGE OF SUCTION WITH TEMPERATURE — pF PER °C Ficuns 23.—Ervors created in the vacuum desiecator technique by dilferences in temperature between sample and acid 2 MOISTURE IN SOILS BENEATH COVERED AREAS ‘occurring. Consequently, the method was extended by the simultaneous use of the pressure membrane and the vacuum desiecator techniques and where necessary the suction plate technique was introduced. A large number of each of these instrumen up in the controlled temperature laboratory. trolled suctions were established with the appropriate techniques in steps of 0-25 pF units throughout the whole range from pF 2-0 to pF 6:5. Undisturbed samples were taken in the field and earefully sealed before forwarding to the laboratory. ‘There the samples were extruded and each 4 to Gin, length of san twas sectioned into a large number of sub-samples. These sub-samples were quickly prepared, weighed and placed in the apparatus covering the expected suction range Tn the preparation of samples for the sue and pressure membrane ells the importan ments were a flat, contact surface and a regular si having a reasonably constant ratio, of contact area to height. ‘The usual shape of samples was cylindrical (fin, diameter by fin. high), Samples for the yacutim desiceators only required an approximately constant ratio of surface area to volume. After a fixed period, usually 24 hours, the samples were removed and quickly weighed. ‘The original suc- tion was deduced from the interpolated value of zero weight change. ‘Typical results obtained by this tech hique are shown in figure 24. Although theoretically all points on the eurves of figure 24 should plot approx- imately on a straight line, in practice many factors, particularly the variation of eontaet impedance, tend to eause a departure from a straight line and even from a smooth curve. Nevertheless the interpolated point of zero change should not be in error by as much as one suction interval ‘The three different techniques tend to give three separate sections to the curves as plotted in figure These separate sections do not, however, contribute to error in the absence of excessive soil sal In saline soils diserepancies may occur between the pressure membrane and the vacuum desiccator tech- niques since the former technique ultimately controls matrix suetion only, whereas the latter eontrols total suction, the difference being the solute suction. Many ‘Australian soils have salinities as high as 2 per eent. total soluble salts (e.g. sample SAIF /60 in figure 24). With @ moisture content of 16-7 per eent. the solute suction for 2 per cent. NaCl would be of the order of 100,000 em, water or pF 5-0. At the matrix suction of pF 4-2 the total suction should be of the order of pF'5-1 (as compared with the measured total suetion of pF 5-2). This means that a sub-sample may mately dry out on a pressure membrane at pF 5-0 and wet-up in a vacuum desiceator also at pF 5:0. As figure 24 shows, two equilibrium points were obtained, ic. for the matrix and th suctions. In general, with the different techniques overlapping by at least one interval, one or other or both of the suetions are clearly defined.” Where the matrix suction is clearly defined by the pressure membrane technique, then the total suction may or may not be given by the vacuum desic- ator technique, If the total suction is clearly defined, ‘the matrix suction may or may not be given by theMOISTURE CONDITIONS IN PAVEMENT SUBGRADES—AUSTRALIA 208 IN WEIGHT CHANGE % SAMPLE SAIF/60, Matrix Suction pF 4-2 Total Suction pF 5-2 SAMPLE SAIF/18, Total Suction pf 5-2 SAMPLE O1c/9 Matrix and Tot Suction approx. pF 4-6 SAMPLE On1c/60 Mateix Suction pF 4&3 Total Suction approx. ead Ficus 24.—Typical results from nullpoint method. SAMPLE SAIF/60: SAMPLE SAIF/18: SAMPLE QUIC/9: SAMPLE QUC/00;, % Suction tootent 10:7 per cent. fmteat 130 percent det ur phate tocar presure membrane technique. Typical examples of these eases are also shown in figure 24. Clearly in such saline soils an independent. measure of solute suction may be necessary. Paychrometric techniques ‘The null-point method of Inboratory suction measure. ‘8-in. depth under bitumen seal 20 ft. wide in stony desert tableland soil near Woomera. Average moisture of bitumen seal in black earth near Jondaryan, ‘of bitumen seal in black earth near Jondaryan, (0 Pressure membrane techni que. "S Vacuum desiccator technique. ment was adopted for the programme of investigation reported herein. Simultaneously with this investigation a study was made of psychrometric techniques of suc- tion measurement. Apparatus developed in these studies is reported separately (Richards, 1965 (e)) sinee it was not available in time for adoption in this programme.MOISTURE IN SOILS BEN ‘ATH COVERED ARRAS References Aitchison, G. D. (1953). Jennings, J. E. (1950), ‘Simplified measurements of soil temperature and of soil mois- “Foundations for buildings in the Orange Free State goldfields. ‘Aust. I. appl Set, 4, (3), 18-96. Aitchison, G, D, and Butler, P. F. (1951). pati Hock moisture meters as instriments for the measure- mest of tension in soll water. “Aust. J appl. Seis 2, (1), 257-66 G.D., Butler, P. F. and Gurr, C. G. (1981), & associated with the use of gypsum block soil meters. ‘Anon. (1963), Bull Int. Soc, Soi Set, No, 23,7 Bouyoucos, GJ. (1961) SUH motture meaareinent improve. ‘Adri. Enang, St. Joueph, Afich. 4, (3), 136-8 nd Mick, A. H. (1940). ‘An electrical eeatance ‘method for ‘continous measurements ‘Of sil moisture under Bld conditions. Tech. Bull. No. 172, Agric. Exp. 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