Experimental Researches Regarding Determination of Soil Cone Index in a Soil-Tyre Interaction Process

Abstract. Soil compaction mainly occurs in occasions related with agricultural traffic, when the soil is subjected to various applied loads by different types of agricultural implements. Soil surface compaction and deep soil compaction occurs because of soil-tyre interaction process that will modify the initial stress state. This will alter the initial soil physical properties, so it is possible to evaluate the soil compaction by measuring their variation. This paper presents a tool and a method for experimental determination, in laboratory conditions, of soil cone index at soil-tyre interface layer and on soil profile, being focused only on data related with soil cone index influenced by wheel load and number of passes. The analysis of measured data showed that the analyzed method for experimental determination of soil cone index can be used also in field conditions, for studies related with spatial variation of soil cone index due to agricultural traffic