Electromagnetic Characterization of Coarse-Grained Soils with a One Port Large Coaxial Cell

This paper reports the design, the calibration and the application of a one port large coaxial cell. The objective of the device is to characterize the electromagnetic properties of compacted and partly saturated coarse grained soil under controlled boundary conditions. The dielectric spectra were obtained by means of fitting the measured scattering function using a Transvers electromagnetic mode (TEM) propagation model considering the frequency dependent complex permittivity. The method was applied on a construction site material with aggregate up to 15 mm. 6 samples were characterized, the results showing a good agreement in terms of Root Mean square error.