Field Measurement of Suction, Water Content, and Water Permeability

This paper presents a review of techniques for field measurement of suction, water content, and water hydraulic conductivity (permeability). Main problems in the use of field tensiometers are addressed and hints on how to improve tensiometer performance are given. Advantages and limitations of instruments for indirect measurement of suction including electrical conductivity sensors, thermal conductivity sensors, dielectric permittivity sensors, filter paper, and psychrometer are discussed. Techniques for water content measurement based on dielectric methods are then presented. These include time and amplitude domain reflectometry and capacitance. Finally, a brief overview of methods for measurement of water permeability in the field is presented.     

A Study on Tensiometer Measurements in Salt Laden Soil Used for Irrigation Scheduling

Tensiometer is one of the most popular and simple instrument for in situ and laboratory measurement of negative pressure or suction in soils. Such measurements in the top soil or root zone are useful for automated optimized irrigation scheduling for different vegetation. The top soil accommodates various salts/contaminants whose main source is storm water runoff, irrigation water and application of crop fertilizers. These salts accumulate in the soil due to evaporation. It is an established fact that tensiometer measures only soil matric suction with the help of a ceramic interface. It is believed that osmotic effect of salts present in the soil does not influence tensiometer measurements. However, there is no systematic experimental verification in the literature to understand the influence of salt laden soil on tensiometer measurements. It needs to be ascertained that the pore size of the tensiometer ceramic will not exhibit semi-permeable membrane characteristics leading to osmotic effect. Such verification is important as it would influence the irrigation scheduling of crops. It is also of interest to know whether the osmotic suction (due to the salts) would increase the water retention characteristics and hence the irrigation requirement. If so, then the tensiometer based irrigation scheduling would be an underestimate of the actual irrigation requirement of crops. To investigate these issues, the present study has performed controlled laboratory suction measurements using tensiometer in a locally available soil, contaminated with known concentration of inorganic salt solution. The total suction of the same salt laden soil has been measured using the WP4 dew point potentiameter technique. The results indicate negligible influence of salts present in the soil on tensiometer measurements. The study demonstrates the incapability of tensiometer to assess the osmotic component of salt present in the soil. This would result in the under prediction of water retention and hence irrigation requirement of the soil.     

Experimental Set-up for Determining Soil Water Retention Curves for Granular Soils During Drying

Abstract: Soil water retention curves (SWRCs) provide an important means of describing the response of unsaturated soils during drying / wetting processes in terms of variations of degree of saturation, water content or void ratio with suction. A key consideration in generating these curves is how to measure the suction. Frequently the filter paper technique is adopted, especially when high suctions are developed, e.g. with plastic clays. As each measurement takes at least a week with this technique, it can take months or years to generate a full SWRC in drying and wetting. Developments in laboratory tensiometers now allow matrix suctions up to about 1.5 MPa to be measured. With such a device it is possible to develop SWRCs for granular soils such as silts and clays in hours or days by continuous measurement. This paper describes an experimental set-up that was developed to measure changes in volume, water content and matrix suction during drying of three granular soils. Limitations of the apparatus and usefulness of the curves are discussed.     

葛洲坝一号船闸输水阀门空化特性原型监测

利用原型监测成果分析和介绍了葛洲坝一号船闸反孤形输水阀门空化特性.通过对噪声信号分析,阐述了几种运行方式下阀门底缘空化及顶缝空化特性,首次揭示阀门开启之初底缘和底板之间也可能出现缝隙空化.介绍了空化对门后水流压力和对阀门启门力脉动的影响,分析了空化低频噪声和阀门振动的相互关系.     

多种地球物理场观测数据中亚失稳现象

20100124山西河津M4.8地震前,临汾地震台宽频倾斜仪记录到与实验室岩石破裂亚失稳过程类似图像,震源及附近地区也出现多项准同步性的短临异常。本文对这次地震前震源及附近地区多种地球物理场观测数据在发震断层黏滑失稳前不同阶段的变化特征进行了探讨。结果表明：1）震前记录到的亚失稳现象并非单点单测项,而是具有多点多物理场的群体性特征;2）这些异常出现的时间与临汾宽频倾斜仪记录的亚失稳事件时间基本同步,其形态上以大幅突变为主,时间上多集中在震前45 d左右,空间上主要集中在距震中100 km的范围内,且具有随时间从外围向震中区集中的特点;3）震前不仅在多种地球物理场观测数据中记录到类似亚失稳现象,而且在震前1~6 d一些地球物理场观测仪器还记录到与发震断层失稳前预滑有关的小事件;4）震前临汾宽频倾斜仪记录到的亚失稳现象、震源及附近地区出现多项准同步性的短临异常,是在震源及附近地区的区域应力场增强、介质特性发生改变的情况下出现的,可能与河津地震有关;5）震前多种地球物理场异常随时间推移显示出协同化的特点,即沿发震断裂方向有由外围向震中迁移和集中的特点。     

数值优化方法在确定张力计反应时间上的应用性

张力计的反应时间可用于估算非饱和土的渗透系数,并可作为张力计选型的评判依据。为了更加合理且便捷地确定张力计的反应时间,先通过不同含水量条件下的泾阳黄土、定边黄土以及毛乌素砂土的土柱试验测定张力计的响应曲线,再利用半经验图解法与结合通用全局优化(UGO)算法的数值优化方法来确定反应时间,并探讨了数值优化方法的实用价值及其局限性。研究结果表明,张力计的响应曲线可分为张力计安装扰动段、压力反应滞后段以及稳定平衡段,其中,压力反应滞后段建议采用4次多项式函数拟合,而稳定平衡段则采用线性函数拟合。数值优化计算结果表明,在一般情况下,Levenberg-Marquardt优化法(LM+UGO)、BFGS准牛顿优化法(BFGS+UGO)与共轭梯度优化法(CGM+UGO)的拟合程度高,用时短,但对于数据抖动幅度较大或存在突变型曲线特征等复杂形式的张力计响应曲线,数值优化算法不易获得较理想的结果,此时仍需借由经验判断才能确定合宜的反应时间。     

挡土墙填土边坡水文响应过程分析以赖屋山挡土墙填土边坡为例

深圳赖屋山的一挡墙表面出现数条裂缝,为了深入研究其变形破坏机制,在挡墙背后填土区布置自动监测仪器,主要包括渗压计、张力计与水分计及固定式测斜仪。通过对渗压计、张力计和水分计的监测数据分析表明:填土内地下水位埋深大,降雨对其影响小; 土体中孔隙压力和体积含水量对强降雨响应随着埋深存在不同程度的滞后性,强降雨入渗深度大于3m,并且在3m处形成瞬态饱和地下水,抗剪强度降低,易于引起边坡的浅层变形破坏。      

A possibility for tracing infiltration fronts by temperature in sand dunes: an experimental study

Knowledge of the mechanisms of water infiltration in sand dunes and wadis is a key to understanding the hydrological conditions in arid and semiarid regions. To trace infiltration processes in sand dunes, an artificial rainfall infiltration experiment was conducted in a typical sand dune in Al Ain, United Arab Emirates. Thermal sensors and tensiometers were set at two sites, a rainfall test site and a natural site, at depths of 10, 30, 60, 120, and 200 cm, respectively. For a start, the variations in temperature between the sites were compared with tension as well as soil water at the same depths. Field observations showed that the temperature of the sand dunes at the rain experimental site was affected more strongly by air temperature than that at the natural site, which means that temperature distribution in the sand dune has a very close relation with the water content. Then, the scheme combined with temperature difference and moving average was tested in tracing the temperature variation with movement of the infiltration front. It was found that the vertical temperature correlated well with the water movement in the sand dune, from which the average velocity of infiltration was estimated at 3 cm/h.     

Measurement of Matric Suction Using Tensiometric and Axis Translation Techniques

Experimental equipment for the measurement of matric suction in unsaturated soils using hydraulic tensiometers and the axis translation technique share a common working principle; that is, the measurement of a pressure differential across a high air entry porous ceramic. In this paper, the current state of the art in these two suction measurement techniques is presented and discussed together with the underlying physics thereby giving the reader the necessary basis to use and interpret the results obtained from those two techniques.     

Towards a Higher Comparability of Geothermometric Data obtained by Raman Spectroscopy of Carbonaceous Material. Part I: Evaluation of Biasing Factors

Raman spectroscopy of carbonaceous material (RSCM) is frequently used to determine metamorphic peak temperatures from the structural order of carbonaceous material enclosed in metasediments. This method provides a quick, robust and relatively cheap geothermometer. However, the comparability of the RSCM parameter is low as there are at least three major sources of biasing factors. These sources are the spectral curve‐fitting procedure, the sample characteristics itself and the experimental design including the used Raman system. To assess the impacts of the biasing factors on RSCM, a series of experiments was performed. The experiments showed that curve‐fitting is strongly influenced by individual operator‐bias and the degrees of freedom in the model, implying the need for a standardised curve‐fitting procedure. Due to the diversity of components (optics, light detection device, gratings, etc.) and their combinations within the Raman systems, different Raman instruments generally give differing results. Consequently, to estimate comparable metamorphic temperatures from RSCM data, every Raman instrument needs its own calibration. This demands a reference material series that covers the entire temperature calibration range. Although sample heterogeneity will still induce some variation, a reference material series combined with standardised curve‐fitting procedures will significantly increase the overall comparability of RSCM data from different laboratories.     

Monitoring of movement of potential earthquake areas with precise distance measuring and leveling systems

Whether monitoring crustal movements in localized volcanic areas along known fault lines, or over large crustal-movement areas, the geodesist has been restricted by the measurement accuracy of the instruments used, the accumulation of errors, the lack of reliable air refraction information and the problem of finding proper measurement procedures and mathematical solutions to assure that the inherent errors of the measurement-mathematical procedures do not exceed any conceivable ground movement.

Recent technological advances have placed new instruments and systems at the disposal of the geodesist, so that is now feasible to measure and analyze these micro and macro crustal movements within the accuracies required.

The paper describes three such systems:

1. (1) The Wild Electronic Theodolite T-2000 with a highly precise distance-measurement instrument, the DI-4S, together with a data collector, the GRE-3, which are connected to a computer and a plotter to measure and analyze both micro and macro crustal movements.

2. (2) The Wild NAK-2 level with an antimagnetic compensator which increases the accuracy in the height/velocity monitoring of vertical crustal movements by virtual elimination of the influence of natural or man-made magnetic fields on the automatic level.

3. (3) The use of analytical photogrammetry employing both terrestrial and aerial photography to monitor crustal movements.

By taking advantage of these new instruments and systems, the scientists capability to provide crustal movement data for use in the analysis and prediction of micro or macro crustal movement is greatly enhanced.     

Review: Hydraulic head measurements—new technologies, classic pitfalls

The hydraulic head is one of the most important metrics in hydrogeology as it underlies the interpretation of groundwater flow, the quantification of aquifer properties and the calibration of flow models. Heads are determined based on water-level measurements in wells and piezometers. Despite the importance of hydraulic head data, standard textbooks used in groundwater curricula provide relatively little discussion of the appropriate measurement procedures. This paper presents a review of the literature dealing with the determination of hydraulic heads, and aims to provide quantitative guidance on the likely sources of error and when these can be expected to become important. The most common measurement procedures are discussed and the main sources of error are identified, i.e. those related to (1) the measurement instruments, (2) the conversion from pressure to heads, (3) time lag effects, and (4) observation well defects. It is argued that heads should be determined following well-defined guidelines, and that it should become standard practice in hydrogeology to provide quantitative estimates of the measurement error.     

Numerical investigation of hydraulic characteristics and prediction of cavitation number in Shahid Madani Dam's Spillway

The prediction of the probability of cavitation occurrence to prevent serious damages in the spillways is the major concern for hydraulic engineers. In this research,the three-dimensional model of Shahid Madani Dam's spillway was simulated with the Flow 3 D software and by the comparison of numerical model results with the experimental data, the probability of occurrence of the cavitation phenomenon has been investigated. The flow parameters including pressure, velocity, and water depth were calculated for three different flow rates of 495 m~3/s, 705 m~3/s and 2 205 m~3/s respectively.The Renormalization Group(RNG) turbulence model was used to simulate current turbulence. Comparison of simulation results for pressure, velocity and water depth with the results of the experimental model with two statistical indices Root Mean Square Error(RMSE) and Coefficient of Determination(R~2) showed that the numerical simulation results are in good consistency with experimental model. However, simulation results indicated that at any flow rates with a return period of 1 000 years, probable maximum flood and designed flow rates, the cavitation number is not lower than the critical cavitation number. Therefore, it is predicted that the cavitation phenomenon in Shahid Madani Dam's spillway will not happen.     

Size effect in metastable water

We experimentally determined the maximum tension in synthetic fluid inclusions from the difference between the temperatures of homogenization (T _h) and spontaneous vapor nucleation (T _n). At temperatures of 100–200°C, liquid water may exist at negative pressures of up to 100–150 MPa. Owing to an increase in surface tension, the effect is even more significant in salt solutions and occurs at higher temperatures. A decrease in the linear dimension of fluid phase by an order of magnitude and, correspondingly, a three orders of magnitude decrease in volume (which is proportional to R ₃) increase the maximum tension by ～25MPa. Tension in the liquid phase of water-salt systems may be higher than ~200 MPa without cavitation. Metastability of water and salt solutions in small-sized vacuoles generates stresses in the fluid-mineral system resulting in high solubilities of solid phases. An increase in volume due to coalescence of small inclusions or vanishing of metastability results in an abrupt decrease in supersaturation.     

The late Paleozoic El Imperial Formation,western Argentina: Glacial to post-glacial transition and stratigraphic correlations with arc-related basins in southwestern Gondwana

The El Imperial Formation of the San Rafael Basin records a succession of depositional environments during the latest Mississippian to earliest Permian that span before, during, and after the glaciation of west central Argentina. At the base of the formation, a restricted marine environment is recorded in mudstone containing marl and rippled and deformed sandstone beds. This unit, or sequence 1, is incised by a deltaic facies association composed of cross-bedded sandstone and conglomerate that form at least 5 stacked Gilbert deltas. The deltaic facies association grades upward into the glacially-influenced facies association, made up of stratified diamictite, mudstone with dropstones, and massive deformed sandstone, indicating deposition by wet-based tidewater glaciers that calved icebergs into the basin, with contributions from mass movement processes. The glacially-influenced facies association is overlain by mudstone and horizontally laminated and cross-bedded sandstone of the post-glacial open marine facies association, recording post-glacial transgression followed by relative sea level fall. The deltaic, glacially-influenced, and post-glacial open marine facies associations comprise sequence 2. Sequence 2 is incised by conglomerate of the upper fluvial member, or sequence 3.The strata of the El Imperial Formation are correlated to those of the other arc-related basins of western Argentina: Río Blanco, Calingasta–Uspallata, and Tepuel. A Bashkirian transgression and fluvial incision in the El Imperial Formation correlate with events in the Río Blanco and Calingasta–Uspallata Basins to the north, whereas glaciation continues to the south in the Tepuel Basin through the Early Permian. The deviating stratigraphic record of the Tepuel Basin may be the result of its higher latitudinal position during the Pennsylvanian–Early Permian and higher altitude due to either tectonic convergence of the Patagonian microplate or convergence along the Panthalassan margin of southwestern Gondwana.     

Automated Sizing of Coarse-Grained Sediments: Image-Processing Procedures

This is the first in a pair of papers in which we present image-processing-based procedures for the measurement of fluvial gravels. The spatial and temporal resolution of surface grain-size characterization is constrained by the time-consuming and costly nature of traditional measurement techniques. Several groups have developed image-processing-based procedures, but none have demonstrated the transferability of these techniques between sites with different lithological, clast form and textural characteristics. Here we focus on image-processing procedures for identifying and measuring image objects (i.e. grains); the second paper examines the application of such procedures to the measurement of fluvially deposited gravels. Four image-segmentation procedures are developed, each having several internal parameters, giving a total of 416 permutations. These are executed on 39 images from three field sites at which the clasts have contrasting physical properties. The performance of each procedure is evaluated against a sample of manually digitized grains in the same images, by comparing three derived statistics. The results demonstrate that it is relatively straightforward to develop procedures that satisfactorily identify objects in any single image or a set of images with similar sedimentary characteristics. However, the optimal procedure is that which gives consistently good results across sites with dissimilar sedimentary characteristics. We show that neighborhood-based operations are the most powerful, and a morphological bottom-hat transform with a double threshold is optimal. It is demonstrated that its performance approaches that of the procedures giving the best results for individual sites. Overall, it out-performs previously published, or improvements to previously published, methods.     

Anthropogenic subsidence in the Mexicali Valley,Baja California,Mexico, and slip on the Saltillo fault

Deep fluid extraction in the Cerro Prieto geothermal field (CPGF) has caused subsidence and induced slip on tectonic faults in the Mexicali Valley (Baja California, Mexico). The Mexicali Valley is located in the southern part of the Salton Trough, at the boundary between the Pacific and North American plates. The Valley is characterized by being a zone of continuous tectonic deformation, geothermal activity, and seismicity. Within the Cerro Prieto pull-apart basin, seismicity is concentrated mainly in swarms, while strong earthquakes have occurred in the Imperial and Cerro Prieto transform faults, that are the eastern and western bound of the basin. Since 1973, fluid extraction at the CPGF has influenced deformation in the area, accelerating the subsidence and causing rupture (frequently as vertical slip or creep) on the surface traces of tectonic faults. Both subsidence and fault slip are causing damage to infrastructure like roads, railroad tracks, irrigation channels, and agricultural fields. Currently, accelerated extraction in the eastern part of CPGF has shifted eastwards the area of most pronounced subsidence rate; this accelerated subsidence can be observed at the Saltillo fault, a southern branch of the Imperial fault in the Mexicali Valley. Published leveling data, together with field data from geological surveys, geotechnical instruments, and new InSAR images were used to model the observed deformation in the area in terms of fluid extraction. Since the electricity production in the CPGF is an indispensable part of Baja California economy, extraction is sure to continue and may probably increase, so that the problem of damages caused by subsidence will likely increase in the future.     

Numerical investigation of hydraulic characteristics and prediction of cavitation number in Shahid Madani Dam's Spillway

The prediction of the probability of cavitation occurrence to prevent serious damages in the spillways is the major concern for hydraulic engineers. In this research, the three-dimensional model of Shahid Madani Dam’s spillway was simulated with the Flow 3D software and by the comparison of numerical model results with the experi-mental data, the probability of occurrence of the cavitation phenomenon has been investigated. The flow parameters including pressure, velocity, and water depth were calculated for three different flow rates of 495 m3/s, 705 m3/s and 2 205 m3/s respectively. The Renormalization Group (RNG) turbulence model was used to simulate current turbulence. Comparison of simulation results for pressure, velocity and water depth with the results of the experimental model with two statistical indices Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) and Coefficient of Determination (R2) showed that the numerical simulation results are in good consistency with experimental model. However, simulation results indicated that at any flow rates with a return period of 1 000 years, probable maximum flood and designed flow rates, the cavitation number is not lower than the critical cavitation number; Therefore, it is predicted that the cavitation phenomenon in Shahid Madani Dam’s spillway will not happen.     

区分毛细和吸附作用的非饱和土抗剪强度模型

基于对非饱和土中孔隙水毛细和吸附作用的区分,得到了一种机制明确的非饱和土抗剪强度模型。首先,假定两种非饱和土的特殊状态,即只存在毛细作用的理想毛细状态和只存在吸附作用的理想吸附状态。分别给出了这两种理想状态的抗剪强度模型,其中毛细作用的影响可表示为考虑气化过程的有效饱和度和吸力的乘积,吸附作用的影响可初步简化表示为表观黏聚力的最大值。其次,利用二元介质模型,认为非饱和土中土-水作用是由这两种理想状态的不同权重组合而成。通过气化概率分布函数,表示了实际非饱和土中两种理想状态的参与比重,建立了适用于较广吸力变化范围的非饱和土抗剪强度模型。最后,通过与试验结果及当前流行的模型拟合结果的对比,验证了所建立的模型的合理性。研究表明,在考虑吸力对非饱和土力学性质的影响时,应该区分吸力的不同作用。     

一种装配式新型张力计的研制

土体干湿过程引发的岩土工程问题已逐渐受到重视。通常采用张力计量测80 kPa以内的土体吸力,并将其应用于边坡失稳等岩土工程问题的分析中。然而,传统张力计由于内部腔体体积过大且结构复杂,造成张力计难以饱和,吸力量测时反应时间长,并易发生汽化,严重影响其可靠性和灵敏性。为弥补传统张力计的设计缺陷,提出了一种装配式新型张力计。该张力计内腔结构简单且体积小。饱和前先拆分张力计再分别饱和其主要部件,最后重新装配。此设计简化了饱和程序并提高了效率。通过对比传统张力计和新型张力计的性能,证实了新型张力计具有更强的汽化持久性,其吸力量测的灵敏性和可靠性得到了显著的提高。标定试验表明,相比于传统张力计,新型张力计的灵敏性提高了90%。测量-80 kPa的孔隙水压力时,新型张力计的平衡时间为1.5 min,仅占传统张力计反应时间的10%。相同的测量条件下,传统张力计的测量误差为30%,而新型张力计的测量误差仅为0.7%。