3D Electrical Resistivity Tomography Method for Simulating of Polygonal Soil Cracks [ READ ]
Dr Asem Ahmed Hassan, Dr Mundher Dhahir Nsaif, Ibrahim Mustafa Abbas
Continuous wetting and drying of soils cause a cyclic process of swelling, shrinkage and cracking that adversely impacts the geotechnical properties and behaviour of these soils. In particular, continuous drying and shrinkage of soil might lead to the development of interconnected cracks to form polygonal blocks that significantly reduce the soil strength and stability. In this paper, 3D numerical modelling using Electrical Resistivity Tomography method is adopted for simulating polygonal cracks, commonly found in soils. The cracks are simuated in dry and wet soils at different scenarios. The results showed that the method is sensitive to soil cracking due to the high resistivity contrast between the cracked soil and the intact surrounding soil. As the air-filled cracks are infinitely resistive, soil cracks are reflected in the models as anomalous high resistivity spots that can be distinguished from the background. The geometry and cracking depth can be identified particularly in cases where the crack intersects the soil at the surface due to the departure of the electrical current.
Dr Asem Ahmed Hassan, Dr Mundher Dhahir Nsaif, Ibrahim Mustafa Abbas
Continuous wetting and drying of soils cause a cyclic process of swelling, shrinkage and cracking that adversely impacts the geotechnical properties and behaviour of these soils. In particular, continuous drying and shrinkage of soil might lead to the development of interconnected cracks to form polygonal blocks that significantly reduce the soil strength and stability. In this paper, 3D numerical modelling using Electrical Resistivity Tomography method is adopted for simulating polygonal cracks, commonly found in soils. The cracks are simuated in dry and wet soils at different scenarios. The results showed that the method is sensitive to soil cracking due to the high resistivity contrast between the cracked soil and the intact surrounding soil. As the air-filled cracks are infinitely resistive, soil cracks are reflected in the models as anomalous high resistivity spots that can be distinguished from the background. The geometry and cracking depth can be identified particularly in cases where the crack intersects the soil at the surface due to the departure of the electrical current.
