Inexpensive DC to AC Inverter Device for Artificial Saline Soils Resistivity Analysis

Abstract

In aired and semiarid areas like Iraq, saline soil may be considered one of the major concerns. In addition to environmental effects, they may produce significant geotechnical hazards that could interrupt the structure stability depending on the salt type and its concentration. So, it is crucial to identify the degree of the soil salinity with a proper tool for getting a qualified assessment and consequently offering a suitable treatment. In this paper, the electrical resistivity technique has been employed to detect the degree of soil salinity by considering a new electronic system. The system used a single-phase Direct Current (DC) to Alternating Current (AC) inverter accompanied by a transformer. Natural soils became artificially saline after mixing with different brines including sodium chloride, magnesium chloride, calcium chloride, and sodium silicate. Each salt was added to the pure water at low percentages varying from 0% to 10% and mixed with the dry soil. The mixture was compacted and transferred to a self-developed pre-calibrated cylindrical resistivity cell of four steel electrodes. Afterward, electrical resistivity measurements were taken using the electronic component and personal computer, and the corresponding results are discussed and analyzed. Results show that an electrical resistivity method is a good tool for detecting soil salinity, and the adopted electronic device for measuring soil resistivity differentiates the resistivity values such that the measurements are very sensitive to the salt type and concentration, and which was so pronounced when adding low percentages of salt.