Compression and shear stress tests measure a soil’s resistance to deformation when it’s submitted to shear or compression. Altered soil functions, especially the reduced hydraulic conductivities and impeded aeration, could decrease crop growth and productivity as well as the filtering and buffering capacity of soils. Testing shear and compression strength offers valuable insight for soil use
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Increasing land use intensity has created a major problem worldwide because it leads to soil deformation. Machine traffic on arable soils has increased in load and wheeling frequency, which leads to (sub)soil compaction and deeper soil degradation on terms of its hydrologic and pneumatic functions. To evaluate potential risks for irreversible soil deformation, it's necessary to get an idea of the soil's mechanical stability.
A commonly applied method for this is to determine the pre-compression stress, commonly under static loading conditions in oedometer tests. Another possible method is conducting agricultural scientific research, such as repeated cyclic/dynamic loading studies in the form of wheel passes or animal trampling.
