Platform for moisture content determination of fine-grained soil

Abstract

Determination of moisture content of soil is crucial and must be performed as frequently as necessary to ensure the quality of construction work. In order to address the limitations and inaccuracies of existing methods, a new concept has been implemented. An artificial neural network and state-of-the-art electronic circuitry are embedded to realise an automatic measurement system based on a low-cost computing platform. Also, to facilitate user interaction with the system, a sophisticated graphical user interface was created. This system, from both a hardware and a software perspective, brings new ideas not only to the moisture content determination test but also to the geotechnical laboratory and field instrumentation in terms of accuracy, automation and machine intelligence. This work shows that hardware and software embedded in test equipment can automate the test procedures in geotechnical engineering, using an appropriate sensor and a data acquisition and processing routine. This paper presents the technical details of the system set-up, hardware and software development, workflow and system validation for the determination of moisture content of fine-grained soil.