Electrical resistivity method for the measurement of density changes near a probe

In order to investigate changes in porosity in saturated silica sand, an electrical resistivity probe for physical model testing was developed. For non-conducting particles, electrical resistivity measurements in porous media actually measure the resistivity of the pore water, changes of which are directly related to porosity change. The sensor has been integrated in a measurement probe and a model pile to measure density changes continuously during penetration. This first implementation used in the geotechnical centrifuge shows the feasibility of the method, although the initial results also show some systematic errors resulting from the construction of the probe and the measurement method itself.