Alcance
This document specifies a method for rapid determination of water content in soils. The method is based on refractive index measurement of a sucrose solution after it is mixed with a soil sample.It is applicable to the determination of water content in geological or geotechnical research as well as geotechnical engineering. In addition, it can be used for commercial work in a variety of fields, e.g. agriculture and civil engineering.The working range is up to approximately 50 % moisture content. The precision of the method typically ranges between 0,5 % and 1 % and depends on the type of refractometer that is used.The result of this method is strongly influenced by soil matrices. Higher contents of clay and/or organic matter will lead to significant lower values for water content compared to standard methods such as that described in ISO 11465.