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Method to Measure Soil Pores Outside the Range of Mercury Intrusion Porosimeter¹

ABSTRACT

A method was developed to extend the pore size measurement range of the Hg intrusion porosimeter. Normally, the pore size diameters and corresponding volumes that can be measured are limited by the minimum pressure necessary to fill the sample chamber with Hg and by the maximum pressure that can be applied through the porosimeter. By comparing Saran coated clod bulk densities to a density measured at the minimum porosimeter pressure, the volume of large pores can be estimated. The volume of pores smaller than the ones that can be directly measured by intrusion porosimetry are calculated by comparing the difference between the sample density measured at the maximum porosimeter pressure and the solid particle density. The volume of Hg intruded into the soil can be used as a direct measure of the pore volume between the maximum and minimum pore size diameters. The volume of solids can be calculated by dividing the oven-dried sample weight by the soil particle density, taken here as 2.65 Mg m^–3. The volume of solids and three pore size class volumes can then be added together to calculate the total volume of soil solids and pores.

¹ Contribution of the Ill. Agric. Exp. Stn., Urbana, IL 61801. Funding was provided in part by Hatch Project 394 and Arnold O. Beckman Research Endowment.

² Assistant Professor, Agron. Dep., Univ. of Illinois, Urbana, IL 61801.

Received for publication April 25, 1986.