A METHOD FOR CALCULATING THE SATURATION PERCENTAGE FROM THE WEIGHT OF A KNOWN VOLUME OF SATURATED SOIL PASTE

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Abstract
The relationship between the saturation % and the wt. of a known volume of saturated soil paste is expressed as a simple algebraic equation. The assumptions upon which the equation is based are that there is no gas phase present in the soil paste and that the densities of the liquid and of the soil particles are constant. A method is descr. for the calculation of saturation % that is suitable for field use. The reproducibility of the method is good. The accuracy of the calculated values is, in many cases, equal to that of the detd. values; in other cases, the calculated values are slightly higher. The difference is thought to be related to the tendency of the clay minerals to swell when wetted and puddled. A correction can be detd. and applied that makes it possible to use the procedure with such soils. The procedure is not applicable to soils of high organic matter content.

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