The thermal constants of soil are well known to be influenced by the water content. But their relations are not exactly determined. Patten obtained those relationship by his excellent experimental researches. His experimented soil was however comparatively of dry state, so that those results can not be applied to such soil as the author's.
The method employed in this study is phsical one. The soils examined were two sorts of soil, e.i loam and the mixture of loam and clay. And their conductivity, thermal as well as of temperature, specific heat and specific volume are determined in relation to their water content.
The apparatus as shown in fig. 1 consists of a brass cylinder in which soil puts, its surrounding cooling jacket containg ice and water, and three thermocouples are inserted to soil at three separate points (see fig. 1, 2, 3).
The equation of the heat conduction of soil in the cylinder is
-Cρ/K∂θ/∂t=1/r{∂θ/∂r+r∂
2θ/∂r
2}…… (1)
The temperature derivatives respectivly to distance from the center of the cylinder, as well as to time are represented approximately by
δθ/∂r=θ
1-θ
2/Δr
1+θ
2-θ
3/Δr
2/2=θ
1-θ
3/2Δr=θ
1-θ
3/4…… (2)
∂
2θ∂r
2=θ
1-θ
2/Δr
1-θ
2-θ
3/Δr
2/Δr
1+Δr
2/2=θ
1-2θ
2+θ
3/2/4/2=θ
1-2θ
2+θ
3/4…… (3)
∴ -Cρ/KΔθ/Δt=1/8{3θ
1+θ
3-2θ
2}…… (4)
Where θ
1, θ
2 and θ
3 are soil temperatures at three different points off from the center.
The seciffc heats of the soil are obtained by using another applicance —a calorimtter— and a thin rubber sack water-tightly packed with soil of known moisture content.
The results obtained are shown in fig. 3.
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