EROSIVE POTENTIAL OF TROPICAL SOILS USING GEOTECHNICAL TESTS FOR DIRECT AND INDIRECT EVALUATION

Abstract

This study assessed the erodibility potential of tropical soils using geotechnical test for direct and indirect evaluation. The experimental program of this research consisted of the following laboratory tests: slaking tests, MCT (modified water immersion mass loss tests and infiltrability tests) and Inderbitzen tests. The direct assessment, through the Inderbitzen test, was the one that best represented the erosive behavior of the soils and allowed to establish a hierarchy as to the potential erodibility of the analyzed samples. The indirect assessments, by the slaking test or those of the MCT methodology, were not enough to set a classification of the potential erodibility of the soil samples analyzed. However, when combined, the slaking test and those of the MCT methodology are recommended as preliminary criteria in the evaluation of soil erodibility potential. Thus, for further detail and reliability in the prediction of soil erodibility potential of soil samples from pedological horizons of cutting profiles, it is recommended to use the direct method of evaluation through the Inderbitzen test.