ADVANCING ENGINEERING PHYSICS EDUCATION: DEVELOPMENT OF A NUCLEAR LABORATORY SETUP FOR ACCURATE SOIL WATER CONTENT MEASUREMENT

Abstract

An important soil characteristic that is extensively researched in the fields of environmental science, engineering, geology, and soil science is the soil water content (θ). For example, θ influences the assessment of soil hydraulic conductivity, soil strength, groundwater recharge, and aeration. A measurement of θ is required in order to monitor and regulate a number of soil activities. A quick and non-destructive method for determining μ in soils with substantially different compositions is Gamma Ray Attenuation (GRA). However, lab physics courses hardly ever address GRA. A proposed experiment uses a teaching GRA device to
measure θ. A Geiger-Müller detector, a radiation counter, and a radioactive source with a 37Cs decay made comprised the experimental setup. Four different granulometric compositions of soil samples were examined. The transmitted gamma-ray photon intensity and θ were found to be strongly correlated (correlation coefficients ranging from −0.95 to −0.98). The variations in soil porosity observed between the GRA and conventional techniques were from around 7.8% to 18.2%. Additionally, when measuring θ using the GRA in combination with the conventional gravimetric approach, a significant linear connection
was seen (correlation values between 0.90 and 0.98). The effectiveness of the teaching GRA apparatus in measuring θ was proven. Furthermore, the tool provides undergraduate students from a variety of subject areas with an introduction to a few essential components of the study of current physics.