Direct Measurement of Soil Deformation using the Bead-grid Method

Soil compaction is the alteration of physical properties of the soil and has significant effect on crop production. With the introduction of larger and heavier agriculture machinery it is now a problem throughout the world. Significant knowledge is still required to study and develop a model to predict soil compaction. Numerous theoretical models are now available but these are far from being able to resolve practical problems. A combination of experimental study and theoretical calculations may provide a solution and lead to the development of an effective predictive model. In this study, experiments involving bead-grid are used to measure soil deformation under an axial compressive load. Measurement of horizontal and lateral deformations was performed using precision potentiometers and the data transferred to a computer for the plotting of deformation contours and soil deformation analysis. The results show that the bead-grid method provides an effective and accurate means for measuring soil deformation.