Soil structure characteristics and new approach in research on its quantitative parameter

In this paper, the approach to study the soil structure quantitatively and the situation of the study are analyzed. A new structure parameter comprehensive structure potential (CSP) which can demonstrate both the characteristics of the soil particle arrangement (i.e. the geometric feature of soil structure) and the soil particle linkage (i.e. the mechanic feature of soil structure) is proposed. This parameter is easy to be obtained and distinct in its mechanism. It has been proved through a series of experiments that this parameter is not only efficient and reasonable to consider the influence of soil structure on its property, but also sensitive to the factors affecting the soil structure.