IN SITU MEASUREMENT OF SOIL PERMITTIVITY AND PERMEABILITY

This paper describes the design of a probe for in situ measurement of the relative permittivity and relative permeability of soil at vhf. A semi-automatic method of data reduction, programmable on a pocket calculator and therefore suitable for direct field use, is developed. A demonstration version of the probe has been produced. Tests on a dielectric material with known properties suggest that the readings which it produces are reliable to an accuracy of a few per cent. A series of measurements has been made on soil samples; not surprisingly these emphasise the dominant role of water content in determining dielectric constant. (Author/TRRL)