Resistivity electrical measure from a common soil in Morelia, Michoacán considering the compaction effect.

Abstract

In several countries have been carried out studies applying the principle of electrical resistivity, in order to establish correlations that allow to obtain, under a standardized system, the physical and mechanical properties of soils as an alternative option of the traditional tests of geotechnical. In this work, electrical resistivity experiments were performed in a sandy loam with gravel, which is a typical material of the City of Morelia, Michoacán and is commonly used in the construction of the layers of the pavements built in Mexico. This indirect exploration technique was applied, in order to calibrate and study the results obtained by the effects of compaction on the properties of the material. Thus, one of the variations developed in this research is the consideration of the compaction of the sample, which in general is not considered in current studies. To avoid the effects of the traditional mold used in the "Proctor" compaction test, a manufactured mold was introduced, with a strong enough to withstand different energies of compaction and insulating material to read the electrical resistivity without altering the compacted samples. The results show that there is a good relationship between the water content, the electrical resistivity and the maximum dry volumetric mass. The application of these studies would allow to obtain fast results in the practice of engineering.