Project Details
Projekt
Analysis and modeling of soil shrinkage and swelling dynamics as a function of predrying intensity and frequency and its influence on soil hydraulic properties
Applicant
Professor Dr. Xinhua Peng
Subject Area
Soil Sciences
Term
from 2005 to 2009
Project identifier
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 18121044
Knowledge about changes in soil pore structure during shrinkage and/or swelling processes improves the understanding and prediction of water flow and solute transport. The rearrangement of soil particles and aggregates modifies the original pore size distribution, and especially forms soil cracks. Soil cracks lead to a non-uniform soil structure and improve macropore flux. However, the geometry of soil cracks within the soil matrix upon wetting/drying cycles and its influence on hydraulic properties is not clear. Therefore, in this study, we investigate the changes of the geometry of soil cracks and of two-dimension shrinkage (i.e. vertical and horizontal) under shrinkage/swelling frequency and intensity and evaluate how far they influence hydraulic soil properties.
DFG Programme
Research Fellowships
