Parallel Plates Compared with Conventional Rods as TDR Waveguides for Sensing Soil Moisture

Dielectric methods of estimating the water content of soils, especially TDR, have become accepted as routine measurement techniques. Basic to the TDR technique is the waveguide, which is inserted into the soil for obtaining measurements of the effective soil permittivity, from which water content is estimated. In this study we compare the use of flat stainless steel plates with cylindrical stainless steel rods. We suggest that the use of plates gives a more even distribution of electromagnetic energy within the soil volume sampled and reduces the so called ``skin effect'' where the electromagnetic energy is concentrated close to the surface of the electrodes. Plates will not be suitable for all measurement purposes but wherever they can be applied they should result in more representative measurements from the medium under investigation. Calculations of electrical field intensity are presented to compare the relative energy density between the electrodes. Field and laboratory studies were alsoconducted considering some of the practicalities of using the alternative waveguides.