Soil Mechanics Laboratory
Introduction
Moisture Content, Unit Weight, Specific Gravity
and Phase Relationships
Dr. Khalid R. Mahmood
Sources:
Soil Mechanics – Laboratory Manual, B.M. DAS (Chapters 2 - 3)
Civil Engineering - Texas Tech University
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Class Outlines
Handouts: Syllabus, Report Format
Significance of the Class
Lab No.1: Moisture Content, Specific gravity
and Unit Weight of soil
Background: Phase Relationship
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Syllabus
Text books:
Soil Mechanics: Laboratory Manual
by Braja M. Das
Lecture Notes
ASTM Standards 2005
Class organization
1 hour class
2 hours lab
Class Schedule
Attendance
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Report Format
Each group will submit one report per lab
Reports are due one day before the class at 9am
(Ex: for Wed. class, submit report on Tuesday at 9am)
All reports should follow the report format
Title and Table of Contents
Purpose & Objective
Apparatus & Procedures
Deviation from ASTM Standards
Table of results
Figures
Sample Calculations
Discussion and Conclusion
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Report Format - Conclusion
Report your results (use a table)
Do the results fall within the expected range
or not?
(Check tables and match your results)
If not, Explain why (what went wrong?)
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Significance of this Class
Why do you need to learn about soils?
Almost all structures are either constructed
of soil, supported on soil, or both.
Who must be concerned with soils?
Civil engineers (structural, environmental and
geotechnical) must have basic understanding
of the soil properties in order to use them
effectively in construction.
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Transcosna Grain Elevator, Canada
Oct. 18, 1913
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West side of foundation sank 24-ft 7
Settlement
Palacio de las Bellas, Artes,
Mexico City
Leaning Tower, Pisa
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Shear Failure – Slope Stability
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Organization of the Lab Tests
Soil Properties
Physical Mechanical
(Soil Characteristics)
Moisture Specific Atterberg Strength
Gradation Permeability Compressibility
Content Gravity Limits (Shear)
Unit Weight
(Soil Classification)
Geotechnical engineering Geotechnical engineering
Structural engineering Structural engineering
Pavement engineering Pavement engineering
Environmental engineering
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Today’s Lab
Determination of unit weight (density)
Determination of moisture content
Determination of specific gravity
Establishing the phase (weight-volume)
relationship diagram
Calculation of:
Dry unit weight
Void ratio
Porosity
Degree of saturation
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1- Unit Weight, g
Take several measurements for diameter and height
Take the average for H, D
Calculate g
D
M
g
V H
where
D2
V H
4
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2- Moisture Content, w
Definition: Moisture content is an indicator of the
amount of the water present in soil.
Moisture content, w(%)
w %
Mw Mw
100 but not
Ms MT
ASTM 2216 (Conventional Oven Method)
ASTM D 4643 (Microwave Oven Method)
3 minutes at 50% Power (mass ≈ 50 g)
Mw – Mass of waters
Ms – Mass of solids
MT – Total mass
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2- Moisture Content – Sample Size
Minimum mass of moist material selected to be
representative of the total samples:
Maximum Particle Size Standard Sieve Recommended Min. Mass
(95-100% Passing) Size of moist specimen
2 mm or less # 10 20 g
4.75 mm #4 100 g
9.5 mm 3/8-in 50 g
19.0 mm ¾-in 250 g
37.5 mm 11/2 -in 1000 g
75.0 mm 3-in 5000 g
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2- Moisture Content - Procedure
1 2 3
5 6
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2- Moisture Content – Sample Calculation
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3- Specific Gravity, Gs
Definition; specific gravity, Gs, of soil solids is the
ratio of the density of the aggregate soil solids to
the density of water. Ms
Mathematically, G g s Vs = 1 g/cm at 4 C w
3 0
w
s or w = 62.4 lb/ft3
Mw
Vw
Ms
but Vs Vw ; hence Gs
Mw
ASTM D 854
This method is applicable for soils composed of
“Particles smaller than 4.75mm in size”.
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3- Specific Gravity – Sample Size
The procedure employs Archimedes’s principle
“A body submerged in water will displace a volume of water equal to its own
volume.”
The key to successful application of this procedure is the
removal of entrapped air
Recommended mass for test specimen
Specimen Dry Mass (g) Specimen Dry Mass (g)
Soil Type
250 mL Pycnometer 500 mL Pycnometer
SP, SP-SM 60 ± 10 100 ± 10
SP-SC, SM, SC 45 ± 10 75 ± 10
Silt or Clay 35 ± 5 45 ± 10
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3- Specific Gravity - Apparatus
See Example in Table 3-3 Pg 13
Video Demos
Report Gs in terms of GS (200C) = GS (Ti0C) x A
A – From Table 3-2 Pg 12
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3- Specific Gravity – Expected Values
Expected Values for Gs
Type of Soil Gs
Sand 2.65 - 2.67
Silty sand 2.67 – 2.70
Inorganic clay 2.70 – 2.80
Soils with mica or iron 2.75 – 3.00
Organic soils < 2.00
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Phase Relationships
Phase Relationships
Three phase diagram
Weight relationships
Volumetric relationships
Weight – Volume relationship
Examples
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Phase Relationships: A 3-Phase Material
Air
Water
Solid
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The Mineral Skeleton
Solid Particles
Volume
Voids (air or water)
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Three Phase Soil
(Partially Saturated)
Air
Water
Solids
Mineral Skeleton Idealization:
Three Phase Diagram
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Two Phase Soil
(1) Fully Saturated Soils
Water
Solids
Mineral Skeleton Fully Saturated
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Two Phase Soil
(2) Dry Soils [Oven Dried]
Air
Solids
Mineral Skeleton Dry Soil
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Weight-Volume Relationships
Va Air Wa~0
Vv
Vw
Water Ww
VT WT
Vs Solids Ws
Volume Weight
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Weight Relationships (weight -ratios)
Weight ratios
Moisture Content, w Air Wa~ 0
Specific Gravity, Gs
Water Ww
Weight Components: WT
Weight of Solids = Ws
Solids Ws
Weight of Water = Ww
Weight of Air, Wa ~ 0
Ww
Water Content, w(%) 100%
Ws
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Specific Gravity (weight ratio)
Weight of a Subs tan ce
Specific Gravity
Weight of an Equal Volume of Water
Unit Weight of a Subs tan ce
Specific Gravity
Unit Weight of Water
Ws
Vs Ws
Specific Gravity, Gs 100%
gw Vs g w
Unit weight of Water, gw or w
gw = 1.0 g/cm3 (strictly accurate at 4° C)
gw = 62.4 pcf
gw = 9.81 kN/m3
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Typical Values for Specific Gravity, Gs
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Volumetric Relationships (Vol. ratios)
Volumetric ratios
Void ratio, e
Porosity, n(%) Va Air
Degree of Saturation, S (%) Vv
Vw
VT Water
Volume Components:
Volume of Solids = Vs
Volume of Water = Vw Vs Solid
Volume of Air = Va
Volume of Voids = Va + Vw = Vv
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Volumetric Relationships
Vv
Void Ratio , e
Vs
Vv
Porosity , n(%) 100%
VT
Vw
Degree of Saturation, S (%) 100%
VV
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Weight-Volume Relationships
Steps to develop the weight-volume relationship
Separate the three phases
The total volume of a soil
V Vs Vv Vs Vw Va
Assuming the weight of air (Wa) to be negligible, the
total weight is then given as
WT Ws Ww
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Example:
Determine moisture content, void
ratio, porosity and degree of
saturation of a soil core sample.
Also determine the dry unit
weight, gd
Data:
Weight of soil sample, MT = 1013g
Vol. of soil sample, VT = 585.0cm3
Specific Gravity, Gs = 2.65
Moisture Content, w = 12.1%
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M T M w M s (1)
Mw
Ws W but w Ws W wM
w M w 109
904 ( gs)) (2)
G gvwVw
Vas V
M
V (
V
M
w
VV
VV
)
M
109
M
585
(341
134
1013
. .
9 1 109
904 243 109
3 )109
3.9134
g .cm
341
g
3
1cm3 3
9.cm
Vs g wV w Gsg wg w 2.651.0(1g.0/( gcm
T w s
s T aw w s s
/ cm) )
Sample Calc. substitute (2) in (1)
M T w M s M s (1 w) M s
MT 1013
Ms 904 g
1 w 1 0.121
134.9cm3 Ma~0
Air
gw = 1.0 g/cm3
243.9cm3
109.0cm3 Water 109.0g
585.0cm3 w =12.1% 1013.0g
Gs =2.65
341.1cm3 Solid 904.0g
Volumes Weights
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Sample Calculation (cont.)
M T M w M s (1)
Mw
but w M w w M s ( 2)
Ms 5 Va VT (Vs Vw ) 585 (341.1 109) 134.9cm3
1 substitute (2) in (1)
M T w M s M s (1 w) M s
Ms
MT
1013
904 g 6 Vv Vw Va 109 134.9 243.9 g
1 w 1 0.121
2 M w M T M s 1013 904 109 g
Ww W 109( g )
gw Vw w 109cm3
3 Vw g w 1.0( g / cm3 )
Ws Ws 904 ( g )
4 Gs Vs 341.1cm3
Vs g w Gsg w 2.65 1.0( g / cm3 )
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Weight-Volume Relationships (cont.)
From the previous figure we can find:
Ww 109 ( g )
Moisture content, w w 100 12.1%
Ws 904 ( g )
Vv 243.9cm3
Void ratio, e e 0.715
Vs 341.1cm3
Vv 243.9 (cm3 )
Porosity, n n 100 41.7%
VT 585.0 (cm3 )
Vw 109
Degree of saturation, S S 100 44.7%
Vv 243.9
Ws 904 g
Dry unit weight, gd gd
VT 585
1.55 3
cm
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Weight-Volume Relationships (cont.)
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Typical Unit weights
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This Report Should Include
1. Unit Weight of Soil, g
2. Water Content, w
3. Specific Gravity, Gs
4. Three Phase Diagram
5. Void ratio, e
6. Porosity, n
7. Degree of Saturation, S
8. Dry Unit Weight, gd
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