CE F243

Soil Mechanics

BITS Pilani Sayantan Chakraborty, Ph.D., AM ASCE, MIE

[Link]@[Link]
Pilani|Dubai|Goa|Hyderabad

January 23, 2025 1

 BITS Pilani
Pilani|Dubai|Goa|Hyderabad

Lecture 8
Phase Relationships, Physical Soil
States, and Soil Classification
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Learning Outcome

➢ Importance of solid-air-water relationship

➢ Understand soil as 3-phase system
➢ Get familiar with phase diagram
➢ Definition of various gravimetric and volumetric
parameters
➢ How water changes states of fine-grained soil
➢ Determine different index properties of soil
➢ Classify soils

CE F243 - Soil Mechanics

Introduction
➢ Soil → composed of soil minerals, water, and air
➢ Three phases
▪ Solid Air

▪ Water
Water
▪ Air
➢ Two phases when
▪ Completely dry Solids
▪ Fully saturated
▪ Relative volumetric and gravimetric proportions of solids, water,
and air influence the physical properties of soil. 4

CE F243 - Soil Mechanics

Phase Diagram
➢ Phase Diagram: Diagrammatic representation of different
phases in a soil mass
Va Wa = 0
➢ Volume Air
▪ Volume of air = Va Vv
▪ Volume of water = Vw Vw Water Ww
▪ Volume of voids = Vv
▪ Volume of solids = Vs

➢ Weight (or mass) Vs Solids Ws

▪ Weight of air = Wa = 0
▪ Weight of water = Ww
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▪ Weight of solids = Ws
CE F243 - Soil Mechanics
Water Content

Va Wa = 0
Air
Water content Water Ww
Vv
or moisture
Vw Water Ww content, w = X 100

Solids Ws
Vs Solids Ws

Min w = ? Max w = ? 6

CE F243 - Soil Mechanics

Void Ratio

Air
Va Wa = 0 Vv
Air
Water
Vv
Vw Water Ww Void ratio, e =

Vs Solids
Vs Solids Ws

Min e = ? Max e = ? 7

CE F243 - Soil Mechanics

Porosity
Air

Vv
Va Wa = 0 Water
Air

Vv Porosity, n = X 100

Vw Water Ww Va
Air

Ws Vw Water
Vs Solids

Vs Solids
Min n = ? Max n = ? 8

CE F243 - Soil Mechanics

Degree of Saturation

Va Wa = 0
Air
Vw Water
Vv
Ww Degree of
Vw Water
Saturation, S = X 100

Air
Vs Solids Ws
Vv
Water

Min S = ? Max S = ? 9
CE F243 - Soil Mechanics
Bulk Unit Weight Water Ww

Bulk/Total/Moist Unit Weight

Solids Ws
Wa = 0
Va
Air Bulk Unit Weight,
b or t or m =
Vv
Vw Water Ww Va
Air

Vw Water
Vs Solids Ws

Vs Solids
Saturated Unit Weight, sat = t at S = 100%
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CE F243 - Soil Mechanics
Dry Unit Weight

Solids Ws
Va Wa = 0
Air Dry Unit
Vv Weight, d =

Vw Water Ww Va
Air

Vw Water
Vs Solids Ws

Vs Solids
Dry Unit Weight, d = t at S = 0% 11
CE F243 - Soil Mechanics
Dry Unit Weight

Va Wa = 0
Air
Solids Ws
Vv
Vw Water Ww Dry Unit
Weight, d =
Va
Air
Vs Solids Ws

Vw Water

Two soil samples (prepared using the same

soil) have the same total volume, but
different dry densities. Which soil sample Vs Solids
can be considered to be more compacted?
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CE F243 - Soil Mechanics
Submerged Unit Weight

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CE F243 - Soil Mechanics
Submerged Unit Weight

Weight of
Ws — Water
water
Solids
Submerged Unit displaced by
Weight,  ’= solids

Vv = Vw Water

Vs Solids
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CE F243 - Soil Mechanics
 Weight of
Submerged Unit Weight water
displaced by
Ws solids

’ = Water Water
— Water —
sat – w Solids +

Vv = Vw Water

Vs Solids
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CE F243 - Soil Mechanics
Unit Weight of Soil Solids

Va Wa = 0 Solids Ws
Air

Vv Unit Weight of
Soil Solids, s =
Vw Water Ww

Vs Solids

Vs Solids Ws

Specific Gravity of Soil Solids, Gs = s / w

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CE F243 - Soil Mechanics
Specific Gravity of Soil Solids

Weight of soil
solids

Specific gravity (Gs)

Weight of water having

same volume as soil solids
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CE
[Link] F243 - Soil Mechanics
Unit Weights

s ? sat ? t ? d ? '

= = = =
≤ ≤ ≤ ≤
≥ ≥ ≥ ≥
> > > >
< < < <
CE F243 - Soil Mechanics
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CE F243 - Soil Mechanics
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Pilani|Dubai|Goa|Hyderabad

THANK YOU
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