Application of TDR in compacted clay soils: Issues of dry density, water content range, and calibration

The paper deals with three issues relevant to the application of TDR methods for monitoring water content in compacted clay soils: (i) the dependence on dry density, (ii) the ability to monitor changes in water content in clay soil approaching saturation, and (iii) difficulties in performing efficient and reliable calibrations. A calibration scheme which inherently controls dry density of the specimen has been developed and applied. The methodology creates continuous calibration curves over a range of volumetric water content from a single test specimen. The new approach has been applied in monitoring the advance of a wetting front through a compacted swelling clay in a laboratory environment.