Soil erosion by a continuous water jet

Abstract

This article presents an experimental investigation on the erosion of soils using a continuous water jet. The experimental work shows the erosive behavior of the water jet and studies the different effects of its impact on the soil. The study presents empirical relations for the volume of soil cut, the jet diameter and its expansion with the distance, and also relations for the variation of the penetration rate and the eroded soil mass with varying water jet parameters. The results of the experiment show a critical velocity below which no penetration or erosion occurs. This critical velocity fundamentally depends on the soil properties and has been related to the resistance of the soils tested.