A Tractor Hydraulic Assisted Embedded Microprocessor-Based Penetrometer for Soil Compaction Measurement

Measurement of soil compaction in terms of penetration resistance using a hand penetrometer requires more time and effort. A tractor hydraulic-assisted embedded microprocessor-based penetrometer was developed to make the results easy to monitor and decrease human error. The developed penetrometer consisted of a driving system for pushing the penetrometer probe into the soil at a desired speed, a sensor unit (load cell and ultrasonic sensor) for measuring the force required to push the probe and the depth of penetration, and a data logging system. The embedded system of the penetrometer comprised various components: Arduino Uno microcontroller, I2C, WiFi module, and HX711 amplifier. The system was able to measure a soil penetration resistance of 5000 kPa up to a depth of 500 mm. A WiFi module helped to transmit the data to an Android mobile application. The acquired data also include date/time parameters along with latitude and longitude locations picked up from the GPS of the mobile. Its performance was assessed based on sensor characteristics such as accuracy, sensitivity, non-linearity, and non-repeatability. The average and maximum absolute variations in the cone index values measured with developed system and a hand-held digital penetrometer were observed to be 22.50% and 27.88%, respectively.& COPY; 2023 ISTVS. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.