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Dependence of “True” Surface Energy of Soils on Air Entry Pore Size and Chemical Constituents
Author(s) -
Hadas A.
Publication year - 1987
Publication title -
soil science society of america journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.836
H-Index - 168
eISSN - 1435-0661
pISSN - 0361-5995
DOI - 10.2136/sssaj1987.03615995005100010039x
Subject(s) - soil water , surface energy , organic matter , cation exchange capacity , mineralogy , specific surface area , oxide , radius , soil science , chemistry , materials science , geology , composite material , biochemistry , computer security , organic chemistry , computer science , catalysis
Stability and strength of soil structure depend on soil constituents and the manner in which they interact with each other. Some constituents, such as CaCO 3 , organic matter (OM), and Fe oxide act as cementing agents. Soil structure strength dependence on those soil constituents was studied. Apparent and “true” surface energy of a soil was defined as the amount of energy required to produce a new unit of surface area or propagate a crack, respectively. These energy values were determined by modifying Sack's (1946) and Griffith's (1924) theory to data obtained from brittle fracture tests on molded soil samples from 16 soils varying in clay, OM, CaCO 3 , and Fe 2 O 3 contents. A negative linear relationship between the apparent surface energy and the pore radius at air entry was found. No distinct relationship was found between the “true” surface energy of the soils and the contents of CaCO 3 and Fe oxide. An inverse relationship was found between “true” surface energy and cation exchange capacity. Possible new research directions are discussed in view of the data presented.