Soil texture determination by an acoustic cone penetrometer method

Soil texture is an important soil property, contributing to many aspects of soil performance, ranging from productivity to ease of tillage. Currently, textural analysis is either estimated in the field with limited accuracy, or analyzed in a laboratory setting through a time consuming and labor intensive process. This study outlines the development of a new system for in-situ soil textural analysis using an automated cone penetrometer outfitted with a microphone, where the resulting sound produced from the cone-soil interface is used to determine soil texture. The system was tested in a laboratory setting using soil samples with well defined textural compositions. Correlations between the textural breakdown of the samples, and the power for certain frequency ranges were made. The prediction model for clay that was developed had an adjusted R2 of 0.950, while the models for silt and sand had lower adjusted R2 values. Future research should look into the effects of soil moisture content, bulk density, and organic matter content on the acoustic signal.

Name thesis:degree_name

M.S.

Level thesis:degree_level

Thesis

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Agricultural and Biological Engineering

Grantor

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2017

Author dc:creator

• Tate, Brandon Lee

Contributors dc:contributor

• Grift, Tony E.

• Soil texture

Statement dc:rights

• Copyright 2016 Brandon L. Tate

Language dc:language

en

Handle dc:identifier

http://hdl.handle.net/2142/95517

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/95517