Quantification of the Transparency of the Transparent Soil in Geotechnical Modeling

Abstract

An indispensable process of geotechnical modeling with transparent soils involves capturing and analyzing images, in which favorable transparency is required for optical measurements. This paper proposes an objective framework for quantification of transparency in transparent soil based on its transmittance. Specifically, transparent soil with fused quartz serves as the soil sample for the detection of transmittance, and transmittance’s impact on imaging quality in geotechnical modeling with transparent soil is investigated through an evaluation function of image clarity. According to the results of research about transparent soil with fused quartz, viewing depth and refractive index matching are the dominant factors that affect variations in transmittance of transparent soil, and the variations of transmittance are subjected to exponential decay regarding viewing depth or refractive index matching based on the theoretical modeling’s function of curve fitting. Moreover, experimental results indicate that imaging quality of geotechnical modeling with transparent soil is enhanced with increasing transmittance, and imaging quality shows a remarkable improvement when transmittance is greater than 90%.

Experimental Study on the Permeability Characteristic of Fused Quartz Sand and Mixed Oil as a Transparent Soil

“…For the fluid phase of the transparent soil, fluid with the same refractive index can be created by mixing two oils, one with a high refractive index and one with a low refractive index [30]. A mixture of 15# mineral oil and EI solvent oil (a kind of aliphatic hydrocarbon mixture) [31] was used in this experiment. In particular, Shell 15# mineral oil and TEACSOL EI solvent were used.…”

Experimental Study on the Time-Dependent Characteristics of MLPS Transparent Soil Strength

“…Each MLPS particle generally looks like a disk-shaped platelet with a diameter of 25–30 nm and a thickness of around 1 nm [ 14 ]. The refractive index of hydrated MLPS was 1.336, nearly equivalent to that of water (1.333), resulting in the magical visibility [ 15 , 16 ]. The fluid-like and solid-like performances are adjustable by controlling the different proportions of MLPS powder [ 17 , 18 , 19 ].…”