1.

0 INTRODUCTION
Grain size is a powerful tool for describing a sites geomorphic setting, interpreting the
geomorphic significance of fluid dynamics in the natural environment, and distinguishing local
versus regional sediment transport mechanisms. Grain size is also a dominant controlling factor
in sediment geochemistry. Cations derived from mineral weathering and pollution sources are
preferentially adsorbed onto clay, which has the highest surface area to volume ratio of any
particle size class.
The grain size distribution of a sediment sample is determined by any one of a number of
techniques or combination of techniques, depending on the range of sizes present in a sample.
For this procedure, fines are any particle smaller than 63.5 microns. Sand is 63.5 microns to 2
mm in diameter. Gravel is larger than 2 mm.

2.0 OBJECTIVE
The sieve analysis determines the grain size distribution curve of soil sample by passing them
through a stack of sieves of decreasing mesh opening sizes and by measuring the weight retained
on each sieve. The sieve analysis is generally applied to the soil fraction larger than 63m.

3.0 LEARNING OUTCOME

At the end of this experiment, students are able to:
3.1 Understand the methods used to determine the size of soil particles in the laboratory;
3.2 Carry out the calculation processes used in the particle size determination;
3.3 Understand the methods used to determine the consistency properties of fine grained soils in
the laboratory;
3.4 Carry out the calculation and plotting processes used in consistency limit methods of
classification;

3.5 Appreciate the way in which particle size and consistency properties are used to classify and
predict the probable behavior of soils and also to indicate the type of tests needed to assess their
engineering characteristics.

4.0 THEORY
(BS1377: Part 2:1990:9.3), Sieving can be performed in either wet or dry conditions. Dry
sieving is used only for soil with a negligible amount of plastic fines such as gravels and clean
sands, whereas wet sieving is applied to soils with plastic fines. According to the British
Standard, dry sieving may be carried out only on materials for which this procedure gives the
same results as the wet-sieving procedure. This means that it is applicable only to clean granular
materials, which usually implies clean sandy or gravelly soils that is, soils containing negligible
amounts of particles of silt or clay size. Normally the wet-sieving procedure should be followed
for all soils. If particles of medium gravel size or larger are present in significant amounts, the
initial size of the sample required may be such that riffling is necessary at some stage to reduce
the sample to a manageable size for fine sieving.