Leak-Free Pressure Plate Extractor for Measuring the Soil Water Characteristic Curve
Wang, X
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Univeristy of Wisconsin-Madison

Benson, CH
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison

(Received 24 April 2002; accepted 17 June 2003)

Abstract
A new pressure plate extractor, referred to as the leak-free pressure plate extractor (LFPPE), is described where air leakage around the ceramic plate effectively is eliminated. The LFPPE was designed so that it would be robust, easy to use, and readily assembled and disassembled for testing and maintenance. An example shows that the LFPPE yields a soil water characteristic curve (SWCC) that is consistent with portions of the SWCC measured with other independent methods (chilled mirror hygrometer and hanging column). A testing procedure is also described that has been employed for measuring numerous SWCCs with the LFPPE without an incident of air leakage.

Keywords:
hygrometer, pressure plate, soil, soil water characteristic curve, suction, unsaturated soil, water retention

Paper ID: GTJ11392
DOI: 10.1520/GTJ11392

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Author Wang, X Affiliation Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Univeristy of Wisconsin-Madison Author Benson, CH Affiliation Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison Author Wang X, Benson CH Title Leak-Free Pressure Plate Extractor for Measuring the Soil Water Characteristic Curve Symposium , Committee on