Comparison of the Effects of Various Soil Handling Equipment on the Density of Prime-Farmland Subsoils

摘要

The primary objective of this study is to evaluate the influences of different equipment systems on prime farmland subsoil compaction due to surface mining in the Midwest. Basis for this research effort centers on four (4) major experiment designs: (1) Comparison of soil bulk density values for three distinct equipment systems evaluated on the same general soil types (i.e. scrapers, bucket-wheel excavators and end-dump haulback); (2) Evaluation of the effects of soil replacement in repeated lifts using scrapers; (3) Presentation of bulk density values representing soil compaction for four (4) equipment systems (i.e. bucket-wheel excavators, draglines, scrapers and end-dump haulback) on four separate mine sites in the midwest; and (4) A prediction analysis model is developed for subsoil bulk density following reclamation based on equipment characteristics and a statistical evaluation of texture.