Comparison of different settings and pre-treatments in soil particle-size distribution measurement by laser-diffraction method

Abstract

Results of the performed preliminary particle size determination (PSD) experiments of soils show the importance of the preparation details of the laser diffractometer method (LDM). The analysis of the effect of each preparation factor on soil PSD data calls attention to the need for working out standard instructions defining the pre-treatments and settings for the LDM instrument. Further laboratory experiments involving larger soil datasets are required for the better understanding of the effects of soil pre-treatments and settings on PSD data. There is a practical reason of substituting the time-consuming pipette method with the LDM. In case of this substitution, linkages of the LDM PSD data and other soil properties are to be established. Correlation study of the LDM and conventional PSD data could make the harmonization of newly built and historical databases possible. Finally, the introduction of the LDM technique to soil physical methodology could generate the reevaluation of existing soil physical interrelations.