A new prototype cell to study electrical and geo-mechanical properties of peaty soils

摘要

The paper presents a new prototype cell, which has been realized for simultaneous monitoring of the electrical and geo-mechanical properties of peat. The apparatus is a modified hydraulic oedometer implemented with pore-pressure control, back-pressure facility and two electrode porous plates for multifrequency complex conductivity measurements during compression of the sample. Technical issues are addressed and solutions are reported together with the calibration of both the electrical and mechanical system. A combined consolidation–conductivity test on a peat sample is presented. The complex conductivity response can be interpreted in terms of a change in soil properties (such as porosity and structure of the sample) during the consolidation. Preliminary results make this apparatus a suitable tool to improve the characterization of peat deposits in terms of hydraulic and mechanical properties.