Agricultural Engineering / Infiltrometer Kostiakov Model
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LABORATORY 11 · AGRICULTURAL ENGINEERING

Double-Ring Infiltrometer Soil Infiltration Dynamics & Kostiakov Model

Measure the cumulative water infiltration and infiltration rate of an agricultural soil using a double-ring infiltrometer and determine Kostiakov model parameters. Explore interactive farm machinery simulation, irrigation hydraulics, and agricultural engineering telemetry.

FARM MACHINERY · SOIL & WATER · POST-HARVEST · STRUCTURES

Your virtual agricultural engineering laboratory.

CUMULATIVE INFILTRATION I—
FIELD & TEST CELL TELEMETRY

Ready to sample with Time t = 50.0 min.

50.0 min
Inner ring diameter: 30.0 cm

Adjust Time t, then execute agricultural trial.

Agricultural engineering telemetry and biosystems states are evaluated rigorously using 64-bit IEEE 754 precision. Residuals reflect ordinary least-squares regression across successive observations. Continuous data structures support high-fidelity agricultural and environmental modeling.

Agricultural assumptions and boundary condition limits

Double-ring measurements evaluate positive ponding head, whereas sprinkler and rainfall infiltration occur under zero-ponding negative pressure. Evaluated on undisturbed agricultural silt loam soil at 14% initial moisture. Cumulative infiltration data is linearized via natural logarithm transformation to extract α and c.

Agricultural apparatus & field instrumentation sensors.

Standard Double-Ring Infiltrometer Set

Inner ring diameter 30 cm, outer buffer ring diameter 60 cm, height 30 cm, welded rolled steel.

Heavy Steel Driving Plate & Sledgehammer

Drives rings into soil to 10 cm depth without disturbing the internal soil surface.

Mariotte Syphon Constant-Head Bottle

Maintains a constant 5.0 cm water depth in the inner ring and logs water level changes.

Hook Gauge & Stillwell Tube

Measures water level elevation in the inner ring with 0.1 mm precision.

Soil Core Sampler & TDR Moisture Probe

Measures initial soil water content and dry bulk density in the surrounding test plot.

Precision Electronic Digital Stopwatch

Records elapsed infiltration intervals from 1.0 to 120.0 minutes.

FOLLOW THE METHOD

A reason behind every step.

Measure the cumulative water infiltration and infiltration rate of an agricultural soil using a double-ring infiltrometer and determine Kostiakov model parameters. Standardized parameter settings: 10.0, 30.0, 50.0, 70.0, 90.0, 120.0 min.

01

Ring Siting & Driving

Select a representative, level site free of large stones and surface cracks. Place the double rings concentrically and drive them vertically into the soil to exactly 10 cm depth using the driving plate and hammer.

02

Surface Scour Protection

Place a thin burlap fabric or perforated plastic sheet inside the inner ring to prevent soil surface puddling, detachment, and slaking when pouring water.

03

Buffer Ring Filling

Fill the outer ring with water first to approximately 5 cm depth to establish an outer saturated buffer zone and prevent lateral capillary spread.

04

Inner Ring Mariotte Startup

Rapidly fill the inner ring to exactly 5 cm depth, remove the burlap, connect the Mariotte syphon or hook gauge, and start the master stopwatch at t = 0.

05

Elapsed Interval Logging

Record hook gauge water level drops at standardized elapsed intervals: 10, 30, 50, 70, 90, and 120 minutes, replenishing the water level to maintain steady head.

06

Kostiakov Logarithmic Regression

Transform cumulative infiltration I (mm) and elapsed time t (min) into natural logarithms, plot ln I versus ln t, and perform linear regression to evaluate α and c.

YOUR NOTEBOOK · 0 OBSERVATIONS

Turn measurements into agricultural engineering insight.

See a complete example report ↗

Points are your recorded observations. The solid regression line validates Infiltrometer Kostiakov Model mathematical scaling.

LINEAR REGRESSION FIT · y = mx + b
ln(I) = α · ln(t) + ln(c) = 0.6500 · ln(t) + 1.2500
#Elapsed Infiltration Time t (min)Cumulative Infiltration I (mm)ln(Time t in min)ln(Cumulative infiltration I in mm)Remove

No readings yet. Execute an agricultural trial and record it.

Calculate it yourself.

CHECK YOUR UNDERSTANDING

Explain what the agricultural metrics mean.

What is the primary function of the outer ring in a double-ring infiltrometer?

In the Kostiakov equation I = c·t^α, if α = 0.65 and t = 100 min with c = 3.5 mm/min^α, what is cumulative infiltration?

What happens to the infiltration rate of an agricultural soil as time progresses during ponding?

Which soil texture typically exhibits the highest basic steady-state infiltration rate?