Dielectric Method for Prediction of Porosity of Saturated Soil

Abstract

The electromagnetic theory of Maxwell‐Fricke for the electrical conduction through heterogeneous media is extended to develop a theoretical relationship for fluid‐saturated porous media, accounting for the orientation of particles, the porosity and the dielectric constants of the pore fluid, the solid phase and the mixture. Based on this relationship, it is shown that a knowledge of the dielectric constants of saturated soils in the horizontal and vertical directions at high frequencies around 50 MHz provides the necessary data for the evaluation of the porosity for most soils when the dielectric constants of the particle and the solution are known. The method provides a rapid means for laboratory evaluation of the porosity of any saturated soil. It may also be adopted to in situ evaluations of the porosity of any saturated soil.