Paper presented at the 16th European-African Regional Conference of the ISTVS
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Title: Moisture content impacts on soil load bearing capacity and its spectral behaviour
Authors: Ahmed Elawad Eltayeb Ahmed, Gyorgy Pillinger, and Peter Kiss
Abstract: Soil moisture content plays a crucial role in determining the load-bearing capacity of soil, which is an important mechanical property in off-road engineering since it shows the soil's ability to withstand a load without excessive deformation or failure. The term soil spectral behaviour refers to how soil interacts with light of different wavelengths, either by absorbing or reflecting it. One of the factors that can affect the soil’s spectral behaviour is its moisture content. From an autonomous vehicle’s aspect, understanding the impact of soil moisture content on its spectral reflectance and bearing capacity is a critical consideration. This study investigates the influence of soil moisture content on the soil load-bearing capacity (pressure-sinkage relationship) and its spectral behaviour. The Bevameter technique was utilized to determine the soil-bearing capacity, using the moisture analyzer for quantifying the soil moisture content. In addition, a spectrophotometer was employed to analyze the soil colour (spectral behaviour). The results show that the soil moisture content has a significant effect on both the load-bearing capacity and the spectral reflectance of the tested soil. The findings have significant implications for off-road vehicles since the load-bearing capacity of the soil is a critical factor affecting the vehicle’s performance over soil terrain. Understanding the effect of moisture content on the load-bearing capacity and the spectral behaviour of soil can help in optimizing a vehicle’s design and its operation on various soil types under different moisture conditions.
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