Soil Texture Based Approach for Thermal Conductivity Evaluation

Abstract

The proper estimation of soil solids conductivity, λs, is of primary importance for evaluation of soil conductivity at various degrees of saturation. This property, i.e. λs, cannot be measured directly. Its value is usually estimated by various semi-empirical relations which have been reported in the literature to be improper in many of engineering applications. One of the possible reason is the fact that these models do not take into account the influence of organic matter. The aim of this paper is to create the ‘Feret-like triangles’ where λs values are plotted as a function of soil texture. For that purpose, a series of numerical simulations is carried out. The micromechanics approach, formulated in [1], is used. The nomograms provide information on the solids conductivities as a function of the soil texture, namely the percentage of individual separates. Different cases, with respect to the organic matter content, are also analyzed.