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ARS Home » Midwest Area » St. Paul, Minnesota » Soil and Water Management Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #62174
Title: FRACTAL PRINCIPLES APPLIED TO THE PREDICTION OF SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY

Author
item GIMENEZ, DANIEL - UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA
item Allmaras, Raymond
item HUGGINS, DAVID - UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA

Submitted to: Agronomy Abstracts
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 7/20/1995
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Saturated hydraulic conductivity, Ksat, is a function of macropore properties such as interaggregate pore volume and pore-wall roughness. Previous studies on undisturbed and packed columns showed that these macropore properties are fractal between limits (statistical fractals). Macroporosity, fractal dimension of pore volume, Dv, and fractal dimension of pore-wall roughness, Dsp, were incorporated into models of the Kozeny- Carman form to predict Ksat. Models tested on four data sets derived from eleven soils demonstrated Ksat sensitivity to macroporosity, Dv, and Dsp. These parameters were, however, not enough to fully predict Ksat among soils. Scale of determination also impacts the fractal parameters and prediction of Ksat.