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Using official copies ensures you have the exact, uncorrupted engineering tables, correction factors, and reporting requirements mandatory for legal and professional project submittals.
The standard provides a rigorous procedure for the field measurement of soil infiltration rates using a double-ring infiltrometer. This method is essential for civil engineering and environmental projects, including the design of septic tank fields, irrigation systems, and stormwater management facilities. Understanding ASTM D3385-18
Estimating groundwater recharge and canal or reservoir leakage.
The foundational mechanics rely on separating vertical and horizontal flow vectors. When water is introduced to a single ring driven into the ground, lateral capillary forces cause the liquid to diverge outward, artificially inflating the calculated vertical velocity.
The test should continue until the infiltration rate stabilizes. This means that the volume of water infiltrating the soil over consecutive time intervals becomes relatively constant (typically for a period of several hours). Phase 4: Recording Variables astm d338518 pdf
The ASTM D3385-18 equipment is designed to minimize lateral water flow, ensuring that the measurement in the inner ring reflects a one-dimensional vertical infiltration rate.
Industrial and municipal facilities rely on this data to design evaporation ponds and sludge drying beds.
It is not intended for soils containing very plastic "fat" clays or large gravel-size particles.
Infiltration Rate of Soils in Field Using Double-Ring Infiltrometer1 Using official copies ensures you have the exact,
This test is most effective for fine-to-medium-textured soils. It is not suitable for highly gravelly, stony, or fractured rock formations where driving the rings causes severe soil disturbance or bypass flow paths.
In 1975, ASTM Committee D18 on Soil and Rock published the first version of , titled Standard Test Method for Infiltration Rate of Soils in Field Using Double-Ring Infiltrometer . The method was deceptively simple: drive two concentric metal rings into the ground, fill both with water, and measure how fast the water level drops in the inner ring. The outer ring created a buffer zone so water flowed vertically from the inner ring, not horizontally. This gave a true infiltration rate—how fast rainwater, irrigation, or runoff enters the soil.
The is the standard test method for determining the infiltration rate of soils in the field using a double-ring infiltrometer. Engineers, hydrologists, and environmental scientists rely on this protocol to assess how water moves downward through the ground surface. Understanding this standard is essential for designing stormwater management systems, septic tank absorption fields, and landfill covers. What is ASTM D3385-18?
Repeat the process for the inner ring, driving it to the same depth. Step 3: Pre-Wetting and Setup Place splash guards on the soil surface inside both rings. The test should continue until the infiltration rate
Given the natural variability of soil, the standard recommends conducting tests at multiple locations to obtain a representative infiltration rate for a given site. Test duration can vary from a few hours to several days, depending on the soil type.
In the mid-20th century, civil and geotechnical engineers faced a quiet but critical problem: how to measure the rate at which water could move through soil on-site, without digging it up and bringing it to a lab. Soils behave differently when disturbed. A lab test on a remolded sample might miss the cracks, roots, or layers that actually control water flow in the ground.
Select a flat, undisturbed area. Gently clear away loose surface debris, heavy vegetation, and thatch. Avoid excavating or scraping deeply, as this alters the natural bulk density and structural porosity of the topsoil layer. Step 2: Driving the Rings