Laboratory evaluation of soil geotechnical properties via electrical conductivity

Abstract

In recent years, the use of electrical methods has been improved considerably in several areas such as environment, agronomy, geophysics and geotechnics. Electrical resistivity may be used as a parameter in soil characterization; it may have many advantages for the determination of geotechnical factors influencing the behavior of soil. In this research, laboratory tests were carried out on natural sodic soil from the region of Ain Nouissy (Mostaganem) to investigate the geotechnical and chemical behavior of a natural soil using electrical resistivity measurements under various conditions. This study aims therefore to identify relationships between electrical resistivity of the soil and some physical and chemical parameters such as water content, porosity, salt concentration and pH. Moreover, electrical resistivity has been measured with the addition of salts into the natural soil. The results show that electrical resistivity reduced drastically with the addition of salt. The obtained results will be used to evaluate properties needed for soil characterization, as well as to track soil behavior with respect to salt concentration for use in soil remediation.