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Aggregate Analysis as an Aid in the Study of Soil Structure Relationships 1
Author(s) -
Baver L. D.,
Rhoades H. F.
Publication year - 1932
Publication title -
agronomy journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.752
H-Index - 131
eISSN - 1435-0645
pISSN - 0002-1962
DOI - 10.2134/agronj1932.00021962002400110009x
Subject(s) - citation , aggregate (composite) , soil water , library science , mathematics , computer science , environmental science , soil science , nanotechnology , materials science
From the physical point of view a soil may be pictured as being made up of mechanical and structural elements. The mechanical elements are the individual primary particles of various sizes, such as sand, silt, and clay. The structural elements are crumbs or granules of various dimensions which have been formed by the aggregation of the smaller mechanical elements. The extent to which a soil breaks up into crumbs or granules may be referred to as the "state of aggregation" of the soil. The different structural elements must be distinguished from the mechanical in order to , obtain the complete picture of aggregation. Such a separation would be called "an aggregate analysis." Various methods might be used for making an aggregate analysis. Any of the common sedimentation methods could probably be employed with certain modifications. Tiulin uses a graded nest of sieves for separating the different sizes of aggregates. It is the purpose of this paper to discuss the value of the elutriation method for making these separations and for studying the stability of the aggregates.