Non-destructive methods of measuring water content in soils have been
extensively developed in the last decades, especially in soil science. Among
these methods, the measurements based on the electrical resistivity are simple
and reliable thanks to the clear relationship between the water content and the
electrical resistivity of soils. In this work, a new electrical resistivity
probe was developed to monitor the change in local water content in the
triaxial apparatus. The probe is composed of two-pair of electrodes, and an
electrical current is induced through the soil at the vicinity of the contact
between the probe and the specimen. Some experimental data on the changes in
resistivity with the degree of saturation were obtained in specimens of a
natural unsaturated loess from Northern France. Two theoretical models of
resistivity were also used to analyze the obtained data. Results are finally
discussed with respect to the loess's water retention properties