No abstract

No abstract

No abstract

The processes of decomposition that the body will have after the time of death are peculiar and complex. The body swells and expels gases and fluids, and the flesh decays. It also attracts many insects and scavengers. We know that these fluids are nutrients for the vegetation, and if the body is inhumed in the subsurface, they allow a rapid crop growth that remote sensors can mark. During forensic investigations, mapping the fluid migration in the subsurface can help reconstruct the genesis of a clandestine grave. Several studies show how different remote sensors and analyses can be sensitive to human burials. This paper presents a preliminary experiment studying the fluid dispersion in the subsurface using simulated body fluids in a shallow grave and detecting it through the ground penetrating radar (GPR) technique (given its ability to detect dielectric constant changes in the investigated media) and other remote sensing techniques. Although the simulation of the body fluids related to the dielectric constant was accurate and allowed us to better understand how decomposition in the subsurface does not always migrate in the way that was initially expected (toward gravity), other typical characteristics of the body fluids, other soils and external factors were left out and would be studied in future simulations.

Extreme shrinkage, high swelling, excessive settlement, and low shear strength are some undesirable properties of clayey soils. Stabilizing the clayey soil by means of chemical admixtures has been widely adopted in the past. As an alternative to these traditional techniques, the present study proposes an economical and environmentally friendly solution that involves the use of waste tire fibers in clayey soil. The waste tire fibers of three aspect ratios of 9, 6.4, and 4.5 were mixed with four different contents, i.e., 0.25, 0.50, 0.75, and 1.00 %, in clayey soil. In the present study, the one-dimensional consolidation behavior of fiber-reinforced clayey soil was investigated with the help of various consolidation parameters. Test results have confirmed that the swelling nature of clayey soil can be controlled remarkably well with the addition of waste tire fibers. The significant reduction in the settlement was observed for the low aspect ratio fibers. The results show that the rate of consolidation of clayey soil increases considerably with the addition of longer and thicker fibers. Thus, the time required for 90 % consolidation is reduced from 64 to 40 minutes for untreated clayey soil. With an increase in fiber content and size, the void ratio in fiber-reinforced clayey soil increased, which further leads to an increase in hydraulic conductivity. It can be stated that the utilization of waste tires as a reinforcing material in clayey soil can be an economical option for the construction industry mainly because it is an ecofriendly use of tire disposal.