A Simplified Falling‐Head Technique for Rapid Determination of Field‐Saturated Hydraulic Conductivity

Bagarello, Vincenzo; Iovino, Massimo; Elrick, D. E.

doi:10.2136/sssaj2004.6600

Cited by 116 publications

(91 citation statements)

References 29 publications

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“…A group of well known techniques establish a constant head or a falling head infiltration process and use the initial, transient infiltration rates or the steady state ones to deduce the upper soil field saturated hydraulic conductivity, K fs . The early time techniques include the Early Time Constant Head (ECH), Early Time Falling Head (EFH), Early Time Constant Head Falling Head (ECFH) and Simplified Falling Head (SFH) techniques (Fallow et al, 1994;Elrick et al, 1995Elrick et al, , 2002Odell et al, 1998;Bagarello et al, 2004). The steady state techniques include the Guelph Permeameter (GP) and Single Ring Pressure Infiltrometer (PI) techniques Elrick, 1986, 1990).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In other cases, an independent measurement, or an estimate, of α ⁎ can be used to obtain an estimate of K fs , e.g., ECH and SFH techniques, and the One Ponding Depth approach for the GP and PI techniques (Reynolds and Elrick, 1990;Elrick and Reynolds, 1992;Fallow et al, 1994;Bagarello et al, 2004). The approaches using an independent estimate of α ⁎ appear more attractive than those simultaneously estimating K fs and α ⁎ , since these last approaches involve additional experimental and computational demands.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The recently proposed Simplified Falling Head (SFH) technique (Bagarello et al, 2004) consists of applying a small volume of water on a soil surface, confined by a ring inserted into the soil, and then measuring the time from the application of water to the instant at which the surface area is no longer covered by water. The field saturated hydraulic conductivity is calculated using an expression derived by Philip (1992) for a falling head process that includes gravity and an independent estimation of α ⁎ is used.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A laboratory analysis of falling head infiltration procedures for estimating the hydraulic conductivity of soils

et al. 2006

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A laboratory analysis of falling head infiltration procedures for estimating the hydraulic conductivity of soils

et al. 2006

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“…Steady-state methods were expected to give less variable K fs estimates when compared to WU1, also as a consequence of the use of a fixed α* value for the whole field, whereas variations of this parameter exist in the field depending on the texture and structure [1]. On the other hand, this assumption substantially facilitated the hydraulic characterization, yielding at the same time a sufficient level of accuracy for determining K fs (e.g., [11,15,38]). …”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The single-ring infiltrometer technique [12,13] is a routinely used method for measuring K fs in the field (e.g., [14][15][16][17]). With a single-ring infiltrometer, a constant or falling-head infiltration process has to be established.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Comparing Transient and Steady-State Analysis of Single-Ring Infiltrometer Data for an Abandoned Field Affected by Fire in Eastern Spain

Prima

Lassabatère

Rodrigo‐Comino

et al. 2018

Water

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Abstract:This study aimed at determining the field-saturated soil hydraulic conductivity, K fs , of an unmanaged field affected by fire by means of single-ring infiltrometer runs and the use of transient and steady-state data analysis procedures. Sampling and measurements were carried out in 2012 and 2017 in a fire-affected field (burnt site) and in a neighboring non-affected site (control site). The predictive potential of different data analysis procedures (i.e., transient and steady-state) to yield proper K fs estimates was investigated. In particular, the transient WU1 method and the BB, WU2 and OPD methods were compared. The cumulative linearization (CL) method was used to apply the WU1 method. Values of K fs ranging from 0.87 to 4.21 mm·h −1 were obtained, depending on the considered data analysis method. The WU1 method did not yield significantly different K fs estimates between the sampled sites throughout the five-year period, due to the generally poor performance of the CL method, which spoiled the soil hydraulic characterization. In particular, good fits were only obtained in 23% of the cases. The BB, WU2 and the OPD methods, with a characterization based exclusively on a stabilized infiltration process, yielded an appreciably lower variability of the K fs data as compared with the WU1 method. It was concluded that steady-state methods were more appropriate for detecting slight changes of K fs in post-fire soil hydraulic characterizations. Our results showed a certain degree of soil degradation at the burnt site with an immediate reduction of the soil organic matter and a progressive increase of the soil bulk density during the five years following the fire. This general impoverishment resulted in a slight but significant decrease in the field-saturated soil hydraulic conductivity.

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Falling head ponded infiltration in the nonlinear limit

Triadis

2014

Water Resources Research

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The Green and Ampt infiltration solution represents only an extreme example of behavior within a larger class of very nonlinear, delta function diffusivity soils. The mathematical analysis of these soils is greatly simplified by the existence of a sharp wetting front below the soil surface. Solutions for more realistic delta function soil models have recently been presented for infiltration under surface saturation without ponding. After general formulation of the problem, solutions for a full suite of delta function soils are derived for ponded surface water depleted by infiltration. Exact expressions for the cumulative infiltration as a function of time, or the drainage time as a function of the initial ponded depth may take implicit or parametric forms, and are supplemented by simple asymptotic expressions valid for small times, and small and large initial ponded depths. As with surface saturation without ponding, the Green-Ampt model overestimates the effect of the soil hydraulic conductivity. At the opposing extreme, a low-conductivity model is identified that also takes a very simple mathematical form and appears to be more accurate than the Green-Ampt model for larger ponded depths. Between these two, the nonlinear limit of Gardner's soil is recommended as a physically valid first approximation. Relative discrepancies between different soil models are observed to reach a maximum for intermediate values of the dimensionless initial ponded depth, and in general are smaller than for surface saturation without ponding.

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A Simplified Falling‐Head Technique for Rapid Determination of Field‐Saturated Hydraulic Conductivity

Cited by 116 publications

References 29 publications

A laboratory analysis of falling head infiltration procedures for estimating the hydraulic conductivity of soils

A laboratory analysis of falling head infiltration procedures for estimating the hydraulic conductivity of soils

Comparing Transient and Steady-State Analysis of Single-Ring Infiltrometer Data for an Abandoned Field Affected by Fire in Eastern Spain

Falling head ponded infiltration in the nonlinear limit

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