Subsurface Soil Erosion Measurement Device
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing devices for measuring soil erosion are unable to assess erosion below the surface level, as they primarily focus on surface-level measurements and do not effectively quantify erosion occurring beneath the soil surface.
Innovation Solution
A device comprising a first hollow injection tube driven into the ground with a liquid injection system and a second hollow expulsion tube connected to a turbidimeter, allowing for the measurement of turbidity changes as the injection rate is increased, determining the critical erosion threshold by analyzing the slope of the turbidity-flow rate curve.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If surface-level erosion measurement methods are used, then surface erosion can be measured, but subsurface erosion cannot be detected
Solution Approach 1:
The invention transitions from surface-level (2D) erosion measurement to subsurface (3D depth) measurement by inserting hollow tubes into the ground at different depths. This dimensional extension allows the system to detect erosion not only at the surface but also at various depths below the surface, resolving the contradiction between measurement precision and adaptability to different measurement depths.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention introduces hollow injection tubes and collection tubes as intermediary elements that extend into the subsurface. These intermediaries serve as conduits to deliver liquid to subsurface layers and collect eroded material from depths, enabling the detection of subsurface erosion that would otherwise be inaccessible to direct surface measurement methods.
2Measurement precision
If liquid injection rate is increased to enhance erosion detection sensitivity, then measurement sensitivity improves, but energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention employs dynamic adjustment of liquid injection rates through controlled pumping systems. The injection rate can be varied based on soil conditions, erosion risk levels, and measurement requirements, allowing the system to optimize between sensitivity and energy consumption by using higher rates only when necessary for detection rather than maintaining constantly high rates.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the parameter of liquid injection rate dynamically based on measurement needs. By adjusting this parameter rather than maintaining a fixed high rate, the system achieves high measurement sensitivity only when required, thereby reducing overall energy consumption while preserving the capability for sensitive erosion detection when conditions demand it.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables the measurement of soil erosion at depths below the surface by detecting the critical transit speed threshold of the liquid, indicating erosion through changes in turbidity and flow rate, providing a more comprehensive assessment of soil degradation.
Implementation Method 1
The liquid is then injected into the ground through the injection hole, part of which is absorbed by the ground and part of which flows through the ground to the capture hole
Implementation Method 2
a device comprising a first hollow injection tube driven into the ground with a liquid injection system and a second hollow expulsion tube connected to a turbidimeter, allowing for the measurement of turbidity changes
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4
Figure 5~6
AI summary
The device has a liquid injection unit (7) fixed tightly at an end of a hollow injecting tube (2) and a liquid reservoir (1). An injection hole (8) is located above a head (6), where the hole injects liquid into soil (3). A recuperating unit recuperates the liquid from the soil at interior level of a surface, and has a liquid channeling hole (10) communicated with a chamber (9). A transferring unit has an expulsion hollow tube (12) connecting the chamber and a turbidimeter at the surface, where the tube (12) is independent of the tube (2). An independent claim is also included for a method for measuring soil erosion at a lower level of a surface.