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DOT600 Roadbed Water Content Meter 

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A circuit board containing water content measurement electronics is mounted 
below the sample chamber and is electrically connected to a waveguide 
mounted in the bottom of the chamber.  As water content of the sample 
increases, the oscillation frequency of the circuit decreases, and this frequency 
is related to water content through empirical calibration.    

6.3.2  Sample Chamber Volume and Compression Force 

The sample volume is calculated from known diameter of the sample chamber 
and the distance between the bottom of the chamber and the compression 
piston.  The distance is measured with a magnetic displacement sensor.  The 
compression force is calculated by knowing the distance between the 
compression piston and the spring compression plate.  This distance will 
determine how far the springs between these two plates have compressed. This 
is determined by comparing two different magnetic displacement sensors.  
Knowing the distance the springs have compressed and the spring rate we can 
then calculate the compression force.   

6.3.3  Water Content Calibration 

The water content measurement uses a calibration derived by the DOT600 
manufacturer using soils with a range of textures.  The calibration coefficients 
are selected using material type.  The DOT600 response can be affected by soil 
salinity in addition to clay content.  Soils high in clay and electrical 
conductivity (greater than about 1.5 deciSiemens/meter) may require a soil 
specific calibration.  The water content response is linear so a one-point 
calibration will work. 

7.  Maintenance 

Sample Chamber and Compression Cap 

The sample chamber and compression cap should be cleaned after use.  Failure 
to do so could affect future water content measurements. 

The lead screw should be lubricated as needed with a liquid graphite lubricant. 

Enclosure 

Before placing the sample chamber in the location for measurement, the 
surface should be clear of any dust or soil.   

Calibration 

The unit should be recalibrated at least once for each two-year period. 

 

 

Содержание DOT600

Страница 1: ...DOT600 Roadbed Water Content Meter 1 10 C o p y r i g h t 2 0 1 0 C a m p b e l l S c i e n t i f i c I n c ...

Страница 2: ...tional customers residing in countries served by Campbell Scientific Inc directly Affiliate companies handle repairs for customers within their territories Please visit www campbellsci com to determine which Campbell Scientific company serves your country To obtain a Returned Materials Authorization RMA contact CAMPBELL SCIENTIFIC INC phone 435 753 2342 After an applications engineer determines th...

Страница 3: ...easurements 6 4 2 4 System Menu 6 4 2 5 Measurement Report 6 5 Making Measurements with the DOT600 7 5 1 Tare Scale 8 5 2 Fill Sample Chamber 9 5 2 1 Weigh the Sample 9 5 3 Compress Sample and Measure Water Content 10 5 3 1 Write Measurement Data to Record 13 5 3 2 Start New Test 14 5 4 Removing Samples 14 6 Detailed Description 15 6 1 Power System 15 6 1 1 Battery Charger and Power Switch 15 6 2 ...

Страница 4: ... 4 A 7 Description of the Test Performed and Factors Which Could Have Effect on Results of DOT600 Measurements A 5 Figures 1 Cross sectional drawing shows mounting of battery and charger regulator beneath panel 15 A 1 Typical scale calibration The standard error is 0 013 g A 3 A 2 Typical calibration data for the displacement sensors A 4 A 3 Partial calibration set showing calibration data and equ...

Страница 5: ...e water content is measured using dielectric permittivity sensitive methods A separate scale and magnetic linear sensors measure the sample volume and mass which allows calculation of bulk density and conversion of the measured volumetric water content to gravimetric water content Measurement results are written to a data table for permanent record All measurements are controlled by a Campbell Sci...

Страница 6: ...housed in a rugged case Contained in the case are 1 Cable to charge DOT 600 from AC power source 2 Sample chamber base 3 Sample chamber cylinder 4 Ratcheting box end wrench 5 Compression cap 6 Sieve 4 mesh 7 DOT600 operating manual 8 RS 232 serial cable 9 PC200W software 10 External Keypad 2 ...

Страница 7: ...hod weighing sample before and after oven drying The DOT600 water content measurement uses a calibration to convert sensor output period to volumetric water content This calibration was derived at the factory for various soil types The calibration coefficients used are determined by the material type selected by the user Repeated measurements on the sandy loam soil over the water content range fro...

Страница 8: ...unctions are listed in Table 1 TABLE 1 Common and Special Keypad Functions Key Usage 2 and 8 Navigate up and down through the menu list one line at a time Enter Selects the line or toggles the option of the line the cursor is on Esc Backs up one level in the menu Home Moves cursor to top of the list End Moves cursor to bottom of the list BkSpc Delete character to the left Shift Change alpha charac...

Страница 9: ...l to the element and press the Enter button to enter value The entered information will appear in the report Abbreviations such as Matrl Type are used because the number of characters used in a field is limited Parameter Description Tester Enter name of person performing the measurements Test Enter a numeric test identifier Material Type Matrl Type Press Enter and scroll the pick list to select a ...

Страница 10: ...milar to information recorded on data sheets commonly used by Departments of Transportation Table 2 describes the report information Units are SI or Imperial as selected by user TABLE 2 Information in the report Variable Description TIMESTAMP Date and time when measurements are written to data file RECORD Record number Project Value entered by user to identify project DMY Day month and year Tester...

Страница 11: ...DOT600 case using the built in bubble Turn DOT600 on and wait for program to compile and Main Menu to appear After entering Project Information and Test ID Data values as desired select Make Measurements in the Main Menu The Measurement selection allows the user to select the various measurement functions The Process Step shows the status of the measurement Beginning at Test the user can scroll do...

Страница 12: ...lect Tare Scale The display will then shift back to the Make Measurement menu When the Measurement value is 0 the measurement is complete Weighing measurements take about 3 seconds When the tare measurement is complete the weight of the item on the scale is displayed next to Tare g found at the bottom of the list Use arrow keys to scroll down list If an accurate measurement is not made within 9 se...

Страница 13: ...range is 0 4 1cm to 1 0 2 5cm NOTE Once the material is pushed through the sieve tap the sample chamber sieve on a hard surface and remove the sieve Brush away any material on the side or bottom of the sample chamber Take care to not let the base detach from the sample chamber cylinder while moving the filled sample chamber It is advisable to hold the sample chamber at the base when moving the cha...

Страница 14: ... read weigh If an accurate weight measurement is not made within 9 seconds a wind error message will appear on the screen and the weighing process will need to be started again 5 3 Compress Sample and Measure Water Content Place the filled and weighed sample chamber base over the pins with the indices aligned The base should rest flat against the surface Make sure there is no soil under sample cha...

Страница 15: ...r Content Meter Place the compression cap on the sample chamber by aligning the pins in slots and twist to lock Turn the compression nut clockwise by hand or with a wrench until you can feel the sample being compressed 11 ...

Страница 16: ...nd 45 PSI CAUTION When sample is compressed remove wrench from compression nut and place on foam away from the compression chamber Failing to do so will create interference with the magnetic positioning sensors NOTE Sample elasticity will require some time for the sample to compress 30 sec to 1 min As the sample compacts the pressure will decrease and the compression may need to be adjusted NOTE 1...

Страница 17: ...een Additional values can be seen by scrolling down with the arrow key 8 key 5 3 1 Write Measurement Data to Record Any operation from Tare_Scale to Sample_VWC may be repeated at this time and values updated accordingly Once the measurement is finished data may be recorded by selecting Measurement and Rec Sample Data to write the sample data to datalogger storage Once data is recorded it is stored...

Страница 18: ...ry values 2 increment test 5 4 Removing Samples Remove the sample chamber completely from the enclosure Loosen the compression nut by turning the ratchet in a counter clockwise direction Remove the compression cap Remove the sample chamber ring from the sample chamber base The sample can then be removed from the sample ring 14 ...

Страница 19: ...ulator beneath panel 6 2 CR850 Datalogger The CR850 Measurement and Control Datalogger monitors all measurement sensors executes measurement program and stores the measurement results as a time stamped record These operations are controlled by a custom datalogger program designed by Campbell Scientific 6 3 Water Content Measurement 6 3 1 Electronics and Waveguide The water content measurement uses...

Страница 20: ...ent magnetic displacement sensors Knowing the distance the springs have compressed and the spring rate we can then calculate the compression force 6 3 3 Water Content Calibration The water content measurement uses a calibration derived by the DOT600 manufacturer using soils with a range of textures The calibration coefficients are selected using material type The DOT600 response can be affected by...

Страница 21: ... is the only soil constituent that 1 has a high value for dielectric permittivity and 2 is the only component other than air that changes in concentration a device sensitive to dielectric permittivity can be used to measure volumetric water content The waveguide that is the bottom of the 3 inch diameter sample chamber has interlaced circuit traces that form the plates of a capacitor The amount of ...

Страница 22: ...ple volume and applied force With measured sample volume and weight dry bulk density can be calculated which allows water content to be expressed in gravimetric terms A CR850 datalogger with 8 line 21 character display and control keypad is the user interface and performs calculations along with controlling measurement sequence and generating a record of all measurements and parameters entered by ...

Страница 23: ...is 0 013 g A 4 Displacement Sensor Calibration Magnetic displacement sensors provide position of both the compression piston and the plate above the compression springs With the information both sample chamber volume and compression force can be derived Calibration of the displacement sensors was performed by placing spacers of known length in the sample chamber and calibrating to measurement outp...

Страница 24: ...sult in no error contribution to the measurement A 6 Soil Water Content Calibration Multiple soil water content calibrations are derived to cover a range of soil textures Water content measurement methods that are sensitive to dielectric permittivity are inherently sensitive to soil texture and specifically clay content The calibrations were obtained by independently measuring sample volumetric wa...

Страница 25: ...weight over 2 5 seconds There were no significant differences in error among any of the positions The total specified error of the load cell is 0 32g From our testing the maximum error of the load cell was 0 22g giving us a maximum error of 22 for a typical 100g soil sample The load cells also appear to not have an error bias It is concluded that placing the sample chamber anywhere on the scale su...

Страница 26: ... Testing showed a positive error bias for thicknesses of 400 inches to 600 inches and a negative error bias for thicknesses of 600 inches to 1 00 inch The error for sample thicknesses between 600 inches to 1 00 inch also tends to be minimized Testing of the displacement sensor used for measuring spring compression was done by using a load cell to determine compression pressure Repeated measurement...

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Страница 28: ...da Corp CSC 11564 149th Street NW Edmonton Alberta T5M 1W7 CANADA www campbellsci ca dataloggers campbellsci ca Campbell Scientific Centro Caribe S A CSCC 300 N Cementerio Edificio Breller Santo Domingo Heredia 40305 COSTA RICA www campbellsci cc info campbellsci cc Campbell Scientific Ltd CSL Campbell Park 80 Hathern Road Shepshed Loughborough LE12 9GX UNITED KINGDOM www campbellsci co uk sales c...

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