MEASUREMENT OF WATER CONTENT IN SOLID MEDIA USING OF POROUS ALUMINA SENSORS

Authors:	H. Wakoh, T. Hirano
Keywords:	water distribution, porous substrate, ceramic sensor
Abstract: A method for predicting vertical profiles of water content in porous substrates has been investigated. If density of the substrates is homogeneous and the chemical potential is in equilibrium with the gravity after the substrate sucks water, then the relationship between the water content , ad the same height z from a water table and the matrix potential ø, at the same height is given by = 1 - 2z/Rø where R is an empirically determined constant. The value of ø was simply measured by means of porous alumina sensors. For nine ground substrates, the values of were predicted by this method. Water contents for the same substrates were calculated from a laboratory-determined distributions of water contents. The agreement of the predicted and calculated contents is shown to be sufficient for practical.
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