Thesis(M.S.)--Auburn University, 2007. / Abstract. Vita. Includes bibliographic references.

Soil degradation is a complex process which may occur anywhere and at any time. It directly affects the physical, chemical and biological processes within the soil profile. Soil degradation can either be as a result of natural hazards or due to manmade actions, such as mismanagement on cropping patterns, soil preparation and cultivation practices. Regardless of how it is caused, soil degradation has strong negative effects on plant and soil productivity. Soil degradation can accelerate a series of processes such as erosion, compaction, loss of organic matter, loss of whole soil biota, surface sealing and contamination. This thesis presents the assessment of soil properties to improve our understanding of soil degradation on raised-bed orchards in the Vietnamese Mekong delta (MD). Measurements were made on 10 citrus plantations which had been established during a range of years from 1970 to 1998 at Hau Giang province. Soil sampling was made in the dry season of 2010 at two soil depths for each raised-bed to determine soil chemical and physical properties. The soil penetration resistance (PR) was periodically measured once a week together with soil sampling for moisture measurements during a period of 5 months. Analysis indicated the pH value of the soil was tending to decrease, nutrient imbalance and deficiency was developing, and the soil structure was deteriorating during the age since the raised-beds were originally constructed. Preventive and restorative measures need to be considered for restoring and retaining the quality of the soil and the ground water. These measures should consist of (1) neutralizing of excess acidity, (2) balancing of nutrients, (3) maintaining of soil organic matter, and (4) application of appropriate irrigation schedules. / Suy thoái đất là một tiến trình phức tạp xuất hiện ở mọi nơi, mọi lúc làm tác động trực tiếpđến các quá trình lý, hóa và sinh học trong phẫu diện đất. Nó có thể là kết quả của các hoạtđộng do tự nhiên hoặc do con người như sử dụng sai hoặc thực hành quản lý đất đai bất hợplý. Cho dù nguyên nhân thế nào chăng nữa, suy thoái đất cũng gây ra các ảnh hưởng bất lợinặng nề lên cây trồng và sức sản suất của đất. Suy thoái đất có thể thúc đẩy hàng loạt cácquá trình như là xói mòn, nén dẽ, mất vật liệu hữu cơ và sinh vật đất, đóng váng bề mặt vàô nhiễm. Luận văn này trình bày sự đánh giá về các đặc tính của đất để mở mang sự hiểubiết về suy thoái đất trên các vườn cây ăn trái ở đồng bằng sông Cửu Long. Thí nghiệmthực hiện trên 10 vườn cam quít với khoảng thời gian thành lập vườn từ 1970 đến 1998 tạitỉnh Hậu Giang. Mẫu đất được lấy vào mùa khô năm 2010 ở hai độ sâu cho mỗi vườn đểphân tích các chỉ tiêu lý hóa đất. Sức kháng xuyên của đất được đo định kỳ mỗi tuần kếthợp với lấy mẫu để xác định ẩm độ đất trong suốt khoảng thời gian 5 tháng. Kết quả phântích cho thấy pH đất có khuynh hướng giảm, sự thiếu và mất cân bằng dinh dưỡng đất ngàycàng lộ rõ, và cấu trúc đất đang xấu đi theo độ tuổi của vườn. Các biện pháp phòng ngừa vàphục hồi cần được quan tâm đối với việc phục hồi và duy trì chất lượng của đất và nướcngầm. Các biện pháp nên bao gồm (1) trung hòa độ chua đất, (2) cân bằng dinh dưỡng, (3)duy trì vật liệu hữu cơ trong đất, và (4) áp dụng chế độ tưới thích hợp. / <p>QC 20130909</p>

In the state of Florida one of the primary factors which influences design of structures is the effect of hurricane force winds on structures. These forces can be greater than any other force encountered throughout the lifetime of said structure. For this reason, designing a structure to resist such forces can greatly increase the cost and time required for completing construction projects. Traditionally, large concrete footings have been utilized to resist wind-induced uplift forces. These footings do little more than act as large reaction masses to weigh down the building. An alternative and little-used method for resisting these large uplift forces is the use of mini-pile anchors. Mini-pile anchors generate side shear at the interface between the pile and the soil which resists the uplift forces.This thesis provides an overview of the design methods used to estimate wind-induced uplift forces and several foundation options used to withstand these forces. More traditional/less complicated foundations are compared to the more sophisticated mini-pile method which makes more efficient use of construction materials. The cost efficiency of each method is evaluated which provides a guideline for where and when a given foundation option is appropriate.Finally, a case study where the new method was used is presented which documents the design and construction procedures.

A compactação devido ao tráfego agrícola tem se tornado um dos grandes problemas de degradação do solo. Os modelos de predição vêm sendo utilizados para investigar o impacto do tráfego sobre atributos físicos do solo. Neste estudo, relações entre parâmetros mecânicos que descrevem a compressão do solo e atributos físicos são estabelecidas, a precisão das estimativas são testadas em campo, limitações físicas do solo são quantificadas por efeito do tráfego, a sensibilidade de indicadores de compactação é avaliada, e um sistema de predição de resistência à compactação para solos brasileiros é descrito, implementado e proposto. Regressões foram usadas estimar os parâmetros mecânicos do solo, e simples modelos foram propostos em função da densidade inicial sucção matricial. Teste de campo foram usados para avaliar a precisão das estimativas, e boa concordância foi observada entre medições e simulações. Em cenários simulados, solos compactados mostraram-se bastante sensíveis a variação de fatores limitantes para as plantas, medidos pelo intervalo hídrico ótimo. Medidas de resistência à penetração e sucção matricial pós-tráfego não substituíram avaliações diretas de variação de volume no diagnóstico de compactação do solo. Um fundamental modelo de resistência à compactação em função da tensão aplicada foi proposto, e parâmetros de máquina, pneu e solo podem ser utilizados para predição do risco de compactação em Latossolos brasileiros. / Compaction due to agricultural field traffic has become one of the major problems of soil degradation. Prediction models have been used to investigate the impact of the traffic on physical soil attributes. In this study, relationships among mechanical parameters which describing soil compression and physical attributes are established, the accuracy of the estimation are field-tested, physical soil limitations are quantified due to the traffic effect, the sensitivity of compaction indicators are evaluated, and a soil strength prediction system for Brazilian soils is described, implemented and proposed. Regression were used to estimate the soil mechanical parameters, and simple models were proposed as a function of the initial bulk density and matric suction. Field tests were used to evaluate the accuracy of the estimations, and good agreement was observed between measurements and simulations. On simulated scenarios, compacted soils were quite sensitive to the variation of limiting factors for the plants, measured by the least limiting water range. Post-traffic penetration resistance and matric suction measurements did not replace direct volume variation evaluations in the soil compaction diagnosis. A fundamental model of soil strength calculation as a function of the applied stress was proposed, and machinery, tyre and soil parameters can be used to predict the risk of compaction for Brazilian Oxisols.

A compactação devido ao tráfego agrícola tem se tornado um dos grandes problemas de degradação do solo. Os modelos de predição vêm sendo utilizados para investigar o impacto do tráfego sobre atributos físicos do solo. Neste estudo, relações entre parâmetros mecânicos que descrevem a compressão do solo e atributos físicos são estabelecidas, a precisão das estimativas são testadas em campo, limitações físicas do solo são quantificadas por efeito do tráfego, a sensibilidade de indicadores de compactação é avaliada, e um sistema de predição de resistência à compactação para solos brasileiros é descrito, implementado e proposto. Regressões foram usadas estimar os parâmetros mecânicos do solo, e simples modelos foram propostos em função da densidade inicial sucção matricial. Teste de campo foram usados para avaliar a precisão das estimativas, e boa concordância foi observada entre medições e simulações. Em cenários simulados, solos compactados mostraram-se bastante sensíveis a variação de fatores limitantes para as plantas, medidos pelo intervalo hídrico ótimo. Medidas de resistência à penetração e sucção matricial pós-tráfego não substituíram avaliações diretas de variação de volume no diagnóstico de compactação do solo. Um fundamental modelo de resistência à compactação em função da tensão aplicada foi proposto, e parâmetros de máquina, pneu e solo podem ser utilizados para predição do risco de compactação em Latossolos brasileiros. / Compaction due to agricultural field traffic has become one of the major problems of soil degradation. Prediction models have been used to investigate the impact of the traffic on physical soil attributes. In this study, relationships among mechanical parameters which describing soil compression and physical attributes are established, the accuracy of the estimation are field-tested, physical soil limitations are quantified due to the traffic effect, the sensitivity of compaction indicators are evaluated, and a soil strength prediction system for Brazilian soils is described, implemented and proposed. Regression were used to estimate the soil mechanical parameters, and simple models were proposed as a function of the initial bulk density and matric suction. Field tests were used to evaluate the accuracy of the estimations, and good agreement was observed between measurements and simulations. On simulated scenarios, compacted soils were quite sensitive to the variation of limiting factors for the plants, measured by the least limiting water range. Post-traffic penetration resistance and matric suction measurements did not replace direct volume variation evaluations in the soil compaction diagnosis. A fundamental model of soil strength calculation as a function of the applied stress was proposed, and machinery, tyre and soil parameters can be used to predict the risk of compaction for Brazilian Oxisols.

Diss. (sammanfattning) Uppsala : Sveriges lantbruksuniversitet, 2004. / Härtill 8 uppsatser.

Critical and residual states are key soil conditions relevant to slope stability. Evaluating the available shear strength in relation to these conditions is crucial for reliable stability analyses. The best way to determine the strength parameters is through properly selected laboratory tests of soil mechanics. However, in specific cases, these parameters can be estimated based on other material properties of soils. The work clarifies the applicability of various correlation equations from the literature and proposes new relationships, created from laboratory- determined results of strength and index parameters of soils from the Bohemian Central Mountains. It shows how different equations or different material properties of soils can predict the required value of strength. The work also describes how the residual strength of soils and its estimation can be affected. This is mainly caused by the clay fraction proportion and by the shear rate used in its laboratory determination. The results are applied to a specific geotechnical problem - to estimate the critical state and the residual friction angle of soils from the selected study area of the D8 motorway, which is well known thanks to the stability problems. Last but not least, various errors and misunderstandings are discussed, which are often...

No description available.

Compaction caused by certain intensive forest management practices can reduce tree growth, but the causes of growth reduction are usually complex interactions between soil properties and tree species. We used a 7 by 7 factorial greenhouse experiment to create a matrix of bulk density ((Ï b)) and volumetric water content (θv) to determine soil compaction effects on seedling growth of: (i) ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa Dougl. ex Laws) grown on Dome and Cohasset soils from California; (ii) shortleaf pine (Pinus echinata) on a Clarksville soil from Missouri; and (iii) loblolly pine (Pinus taeda) on an Argent soil from South Carolina. We also characterized soil physical properties and determined compaction effects on soil strength, air/water balance and least limiting water range (LLWR) for each of the soils. Optimum water content for compaction varied from 19%(Argent) to 34%(Cohasset). Compactive effort curves varied for the four soils;maximum Ï b were 1.33, 1.52, 1.58 and 1.65 Mg m-3 for the Cohasset, Dome, Clarksville, and Argent soils, respectively. Compression indices ranged from 0.33 to 0.38. In general, soil strength increased linearly with a θv decrease at the higher Ï b levels, but the effect varied with each soil type. Cohasset, with the lowest BD, had the highest soil strength (3.5 MPa), while strengths exceeding 2.0 MPa were not found for the Argent soil. Compaction affected the soil water retention curves and associated air/water balance parameters for all soils, particularly the Cohasset and Dome soils. Aeration porosity became limiting at Ï b of 1.3, 1.42, 1.44 and 1.55 Mg m-3 for the Cohasset, Dome, Clarksville and Argent soils respectively. The LLWR was lowest for the Dome and Argent soils (0.3 cm 3 cm-3 ) and in some cases increased with compaction. Models of root growth opportunity were developed using multiple regression. The general model of root length density (RLD) = b0 + b1 θv + b2 Ï b + b3 θv2 described rooting response for the Clarksville-shortleaf and Argent-loblolly soil-species combinations (p = 0.005). However, the root response of ponderosa pine on Cohasset was linear and pine roots in the Dome soil responded to an interaction between θv and Ï b. No model adequately described oak seedling growth as a function of BD and VW. High soil strength at low water contents and low aeration porosity at high water contents limited root growth. Shoot mass of seedlings growing within the least limiting water range (LLWR) was greater than those growing outside the range for all soil-species combinations except the Argent-loblolly pine (p = 0.05). The loblolly pines had greater shoot mass at volumetric water contents above the upper LLWR limits (aeration limiting). The LLWR is a promising method for integrating compaction's influence on soil properties and thus root growth potential since single factors did not appear to adequately explain each soil's compressibility. Furthermore, response surface models of RLD as a function of VW and BD in conjunction with the LLWR and seasonal site water data have potential for determining compaction- induced soil limitations for tree growth, but need to be calibrated for both soil and species. / Master of Science

Microbial Induced Calcite Precipitation (MICP) is an attractive alternative for a variety geotechnical ground improvement practices commonly used today and has a variety of potential applications. This research focuses primarily on its use as a soil stabilization technique using the bacteria Sporosarcina Pasteurii and a single injection point percolation method adapted from previous research in granular soils. This method, and most published data, show an inherent variability in both physical and engineering properties due to the distribution of precipitated calcite within the specimen. The focus of this research is on the quantification of the variability in shear strength parameters induced by MICP treatment in sand. Also, on the initial development of a new treatment method which aims to reduce this inherent variability and offer a more feasible option for field applications. The MICP treated soil columns were sampled at constant intervals from the injection point and then subject to direct shear testing (DST) and calcite distribution analysis. This analysis reiterates previously documented reduction in cementation as distance from injection point increases. The reduction in cementation results in reduced shear strength parameter improvements. This research also concluded a minimum of two percent mass of calcite per total mass of treated soil for significant strength improvements.