Abstract
Water repellent soils can be naturally promoted (e.g. after wildfires) or synthetically induced by mixing with hydrophobic compounds (e.g. polydimethylsiloxane). The study of soil water repellency has lasted for over one century which implied the significant effect of soil water repellency on water infiltration, evaporation, soil strength, and soil stability. Water repellent soils can also be exploited by geotechnical engineers to offer novel and economical solutions for ground infrastructure. This paper synthesizes different methods for assessing soil water repellency based on varied indexes (e.g. contact angle, time for a drop to infiltrate) and with a focus on water entry pressure. Measurements of these parameters in synthetic water- repellent sands were taken, some results of which are summarized with discussion of key factors affecting water repellency. A comparison of these methods shows that water entry pressure can be more representative for assessing the water repellency of bulk samples.
Highlights
Soil water repellency has been studied worldwide for over one century [1]
The aim of this paper is to review different methods for assessing soil wettability, with a particular focus on water entry pressure
This paper summarizes various methods for soil water repellency assessment
Summary
Soil water repellency (or hydrophobicity) has been studied worldwide for over one century [1]. The two commonly used methods for characterizing the magnitude of water repellency are contact angle measurement and water drop penetration time test [11]. These methods take advantage of the interaction between liquid and solid, through a balance of capillary forces (Eq 1). Measurement, water drop penetration time, and molarity of ethanol drop will be introduced first Both underlying theories and methods will be introduced at first including sample results. As a novel method to quantify soil water repellency, will follow
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
