Evaluación del comportamiento estructural de la base de un lisímetro de pesada transportable

Abstract

Structural behaviour evaluation of a transportable weighting lysimeter base.Nowadays, the most common lysimeters in agriculture have important dimensionsdue to the fact that the lysimeter vessels are of large size. For the installation of theselysimeters is necessary the construction of retaining walls that isolate the lysimeter vesselof the surrounding terrain. In addition, to perform the calibration and maintenance of theselysimeters is necessary to access inside, so they end up by configuring an undergroundcontainer. This container needs a considerable foundation that transmits the loads to theground. In this communication, we study the base of a transportable weighting lysimeter designed specifically to be used in horticultural farms. The base consists of two sets ofelements: a structure as a superficial foundation and a perforated box at the bottom. Thesuperficial foundation structure transmits the loads to the ground and provides asupporting surface with which to level the outer container to the possible seats. Theperforated box allows the outlet of water from the vessel drainage and to accommodate asubmersible suction pump. The components of the base are projected with theSolidWorks design software and its structural behaviour is analysed using finite elementswith the tools of SolidWorks simulation. The components of the base are studied to obtaina design that transmits the loads on the ground in an acceptable way. The results obtainedallows to verify the proposed approach and to establish the restrictions during its use.