none 10.1190/geo2010-0299.1 Society of Exploration Geophysicists Society of Exploration Geophysicists 186 51825520 5981 2025121115245750100 10.1190 2025-12-11T20:25:08Z 2011-11-21T18:33:51Z 9 Geophysics 1942-2156 0016-8033 09 1 2011 09 01 2011 76 5 Fred Kofi Boadu Duke University 1 , Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Durham, NC, . E-mail: boadu@duke.edu . USA ABSTRACT Frequency-dependent electrical measurements of soils contain useful information about their texture and structure that can be linked to their engineering and transport properties. We performed frequency-dependent electrical measurements on 29 natural soils with wide variability in physical and textural properties in a laboratory environment at a constant stress level and in the frequency range of 0.01 Hz–10 kHz. The engineering and hydraulic properties of these soils, that is, the hydraulic conductivity K, void ratio e, fines content fc, intergranular void ratio eg and the dry density γd are concurrently measured. The electrical behaviors of the soils are modeled with an equivalent circuit model, which are described by six circuit parameters. Relationships between the circuit parameters and the soil properties (geotechnical engineering and hydraulic) are investigated. Crossplots of frequency exponent η and resistivity ρ0 and that of η and grain percent resistivity δr clusters soils with high and low values of hydraulic conductivity, whereas crossplots of relaxation time τ and ρ0 clusters soils with high and low intergranular void ratio. Regression models are developed using the parameters η and δr to predict the hydraulic conductivity with R2=0.85; ρ0 and τ to predict the intergranular void ratio with R2=0.74 and ρ0 and η to predict the dry density with R2=0.67. 09 1 2011 09 01 2011 11 21 2011 F329 F338 10.1190/geo2010-0299.1 https://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/geophysics/article/76/5/F329/308385/Predicting-the-engineering-and-transport https://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/seg/geophysics/article-pdf/76/5/F329/3221476/geo2010-0299.pdf https://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/seg/geophysics/article-pdf/76/5/F329/3221476/geo2010-0299.pdf http://geophysics.geoscienceworld.org/cgi/doi/10.1190/geo2010-0299.1 1090-0241 Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering Boadu 126 2000 10.1061/(ASCE)1090-0241(2000)126:8(739) Hydraulic conductivity of soils from grain size distribution: New models 0016-8033 Geophysics Boadu 75 3 2010 10.1190/1.3374465 Influence of petrophysical and geotechnical engineering properties on the electrical response of unconsolidated earth materials 1083-1363 Journal of Environmental and Engineering Geophysics Boadu 5 2000 10.4133/JEEG5.4.1 Estimating hydraulic conductivity and porosity of soils from spectral electrical response measurements 1083-1363 Journal of Environmental and Engineering Geophysics Boadu 11 2006 10.2113/JEEG11.3.161 Effect of clay and salinity on the spectral electrical response of soils 0024-581X The Log Analyst Börner 32 1991 A relation between the quadrature component of electrical conductivity and the specific surface area of sedimentary rocks 0016-8025 Geophysical Prospecting Börner 44 1996 10.1111/j.1365-2478.1996.tb00167.x Evaluation of transport and storage properties in soil and groundwater zone from induced polarization measurements Soil mechanics laboratory manual Das 2002 0022-1694 Journal of Hydrology de Lima 235 2000 10.1016/S0022-1694(00)00256-0 Estimation of hydraulic parameters of shaly sandstone aquifers from geoelectrical measurements 0016-8033 Geophysics Dias 65 2000 10.1190/1.1444738 Developments in a model to describe low-frequency electrical polarization of rocks Applied regression analysis Draper 1981 An introduction to geotechnical engineering Holtz 1981 0956-540X Geophysical Journal International Jougnot 180 2010 10.1111/j.1365-246X.2009.04426.x Spectral induced polarization of partially saturated clay-rocks: A mechanistic approach 0163-1829 Physical Review B: Condensed Matter and Materials Physics Kaplan 32 1985 10.1103/PhysRevB.32.7360 Effect of disorder on a fractal model for the ac response of a rough interface 0031-9007 Physical Review Letters Katz 54 1985 10.1103/PhysRevLett.54.1325 Fractal sandstone pores: Implications for conductivity and pore formation 0021-9797 Journal of Colloid and Interface Science Leroy 270 2004 10.1016/j.jcis.2003.08.007 A triple-layer model of the surface electrochemical properties of clay minerals 0148-0227 Journal of Geophysical Research Leroy 114 2009 10.1029/2008JB006114 A mechanistic model for the spectral induced polarization of clay material 0031-9007 Physical Review Letters Liu 55 1985 10.1103/PhysRevLett.55.529 Fractal model for the ac response of a rough interface Fractals in physics Liu 1986 Theory of the AC response of rough interfaces The fractal geometry of nature Mandelbrot 1983 10.1119/1.13295 0016-8505 Geotechnique McCarter 47 1997 10.1680/geot.1997.47.1.179 Soil characterization using electrical measurements Statistical methods for engineers McCuen 1985 Geophysical data analysis Menke 1989 Fundamentals of soil behavior Mitchell 2005 0013-4686 Electrochimica Acta Nyikos 30 1985 10.1016/0013-4686(85)80016-5 Fractal dimension and fractional power frequency-dependent impedance of blocking electrodes 0016-8033 Geophysics Olhoeft 50 1985 10.1190/1.1441880 Low-frequency electrical properties Particle and Particle Systems Characterization Pape 1984 The role of fractal quantities, as specific surface and tortuosities, for physical properties of porous media 0166-6622 Colloids and Surfaces Pape 27 1987 10.1016/0166-6622(87)80331-1 Interlayer conductivity of rocks — A fractal model of interface irregularities for calculating interlayer conductivity of natural porous mineral systems 0022-2720 Journal of Microscopy Pape 148 1987 10.1111/j.1365-2818.1987.tb02861.x Theory of self-similar network structures in sedimentary and igneous rocks and their investigation with microscopical and physical methods 0021-9606 Journal of Chemical Physics Pfeifer 79 1983 10.1063/1.446210 Chemistry in noninteger dimensions between two and three. 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