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Title: EFFECT OF VEHICLE LOAD, TRANSDUCER DEPTH, AND TRANSDUCER TYPE ON SOIL PRESSURES

Author
item Raper, Randy
item Arriaga, Francisco

Submitted to: ASAE Annual International Meeting
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: 7/18/2005
Publication Date: 7/18/2005
Citation: Raper, R.L., Arriaga, F.J. 2006. Effect of vehicle load, transducer depth, and transducer type on soil pressures. ASAE Annual International Meeting, St. Joseph, Michigan. Paper No. 051159. p. 15.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Measurement of soil stresses caused by vehicle loading is difficult and often subject to extreme variability. Two types of soil stress transducers were compared in an experiment conducted in a Norfolk sandy loam soil in the USDA-ARS National Soil Dynamics Laboratory’s (NSDL) soil bin facilities. Stress state transducers (SST), electronic transducers developed at the NSDL for measuring six directional stresses and determining the stress state, were used for this experiment. Rubber bulbs connected by a rubber hose to a dial pressure gage, which measure hydrostatic stress, were also used in this experiment. Both transducers were buried at depths of 7.5, 15, or 23 cm and were used to measure soil stresses caused by a 30.5L-32 tire with dynamic loads of 18 or 36 kN. The SST’s were buried by inserting them into an excavated hole while the rubber bulbs were inserted by a special tool designed to leave the soil surface and surrounding soil undisturbed. Peak values of mean normal stress measured with the SST and hydrostatic stress measured with the rubber bulbs were found to be affected by both loading and burial depth. Similar magnitudes and variation were observed for each transducer. Residual stress, defined as the stress remaining after loading was removed, was found to be affected by both loading and burial depth when measured with the rubber bulbs. Continued development and testing of the rubber bulb transducers could provide a simple method of determining levels of compaction that could damage soils and thus prevent excessive trafficking.