ISSN 2347-3487 Volume 11 Number 10 Journal of Advances in Physics 4137 | Page Council for Innovative Research July 2016 www.cirworld.com Thermal Properties of Soil Samples from Coastal Sand Landform in Ilaje Local Government Area of Ondo State, Nigeria 1 Oluyamo, S. S., 2 Famutimi, O. F., 3 Adekoya, M. A. and 4 Aramide, T. M. 1 Department of Physics, Federal University of Technology Akure, P.M.B. 704, Nigeria Email: oluyamos@yahoo.com 2 Department of Physics, Federal University of Technology Akure, P.M.B. 704, Nigeria Email: meetlekanonline@yahoo.com 3 Department of Physics, Edo University Iyamho, Edo State, Nigeria. E-mail: mathewadekoya14@gmail.com 4 Department of Physics, Federal University of Technology Akure, P.M.B. 704, Nigeria Email: temitopearamide2@gmail.com ABSTRACT This study examines the thermal conductivity of some selected soil samples from coastal sand landform in Ilaje local government area of Ondo State, Nigeria. The soil samples were sieved into different particle sizes; 300 m  , 425 m  , 600 m  , 850 m  and 1180 m  with appropriate mesh and moulded in form of a Lee’s disc. The thermal conductivity of the samples was determined using parallel plate method. The values of the thermal conductivity increase as the moisture content increases and decreases with increase in particle sizes for the soil samples. The values of the thermal conductivity obtained ranged between 0.3444 1 1 Wm K   and 1.8894 1 1 Wm K   . It was noted that the conductivity of the landforms conforms to the range of conductivities of soil required for some specific crops such as maize, cowpea, pineapple, okro and root crops. The results in the research would be useful to soil/building engineers and soil scientists as well as modern mechanized farmers in determining appropriate land forms for agricultural and structural purposes. Indexing terms/Keywords Soil material, Thermal conductivity, Particle Sizes Academic Discipline And Sub-Disciplines Soil Physics/Thermal Properties SUBJECT CLASSIFICATION Material Science TYPE (METHOD/APPROACH) Experimental Data and Analysis INTRODUCTION The study of soil properties are of great significant in determining its application in agriculture and many engineering activities where heat transfer is involved especially in the soil .The importance of thermal properties in agriculture and other area of sciences and engineering cannot be overemphasized .Thermal conductivities enable engineers to determine the proper soil for road construction, water drilling and may also help farmers to determine the best soil suitable for planting of crops. It is an important attribute when conserving energy building products [1-3]. Material structure, size, porosity, moisture content, density, presence of defect, temperature and pressure and other factors are the most influenced when determining the thermal properties of a material [4,5]. Various researches had been carried out on thermal properties of soil samples without due consideration on the effect of particle sizes of the material samples. This research work focuses on determining the thermal properties of some soil samples and the effect of particle sizes/moisture content on them. The applications of the soil samples in agriculture and building industries will also be examined. SAMPLE PREPARATION AND EXPERIMENTAL METHOD Three different soil samples obtained from a Coastal Sand (CS) landform in Ilaje Local Government Area of Ondo State, South Western Nigeria were used in the study. The soil samples were collected at a depth of about 0 - 30 cm and Global Positioning System (GPS) were used to determine the location of the samples. The location and sources of soil collection are shown in Table 1. A mechanical test sieve shaker was used to sieve the soil samples into different particle sizes; 300 m  , 425 m  , 600 m  , 850 m  and 1180 m  respectively. The samples were oven-dried at a temperature of 50 0 C for 40 minutes, compressed and turned into circular disc’s shape using modified hydraulic press. The samples moisture content was determined using digital moisture meter and kept inside a desiccator to maintain constant moisture. The apparatus used was a modification of the standard Lees’ disc method for the measurement of thermal conductivity by the absolute plane parallel plate technique. This utilizes a steam chest to provide a temperature of 100 o C on one side of the sample and subsequently cooling measurements in order to calculate the heat flow through the sample