Weight Volume Relationship

1. Phase Relationship
Soil Models
2. Weight-Volume
a. Volume relationship
b. Weight relationship
c. Special Cases

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 Learning Outcomes:

1. Determine the proportions of the

main constituents in a soil.
2. Determine the phase relationships
diagram in soils.

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 1. Phase Relationship
In its natural state, soil consists of solids,
liquid (water) and gases (air)
The spaces between the particles are
called voids predominantly filled by
water (liquid) and air(gases)
If void is full of water saturated
If void is full of air - dry

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Phase Relationship weight
and volume

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 Three phase soil model

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 Three phase soil model
With the three phase soil model
diagram, we can obtain the various unit-
weight relationships as given below.

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 Three phase soil model
Some assumptions/considerations to obtain
the various relationships between unit weight,
void ratio, moisture content etc.
Unit solid volume, Vs = 1
Unit solid mass, Ms = 1
Unit total volume, V = 1

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 Unit solid volume
Air Va

Water Vw

Solid Vs=1

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 Unit solid mass
Air Ma

Water Mw

Solid Ms=1

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 Unit total volume

Air Va

Water Vw

V=1

Solid Vs

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Weight Volume Relationship
Total volume of a given soil sample

V Vs Vw Va
Total weight of a given soil sample

W Ws Ww Wa
Or, Total mass of a given soil sample

M Ms Mw Ma
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 2.a. Volume Relationship
Volume of a given soil sample

V Vs Vw Va
V Vs Vv Eq 1

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 Volume Relationship
Void Ratio, Porosity
Void Ratio, e Volume
Ratio of the volume of voids to the of
volume
voidsof
solids : in decimal quantity
Vv
e Vs Eq 2
Porosity, n
Volume
Ratio of the volume of voids to the total volume of
soil sample of solids

Vv
n V Eq 3
Total
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Volume 13
 Volume Relationship
Degree of Saturation, Specific Volume
Degree of Saturation, S
Ratio of the volume of water to the volume of voids
: in percentage
Vw
S Vv Eq 4

Specific Volume, V
Ratio of the volume of soil per unit volume of
solids
V
V' Vs 1 e Eq 5

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 Volume Relationship
Relationship of Void Ratio, e and
Porosity, n
Vv Vv
e Vs Eq 2 n V Eq 3

n e
e 1 n Eq 6 n 1 e Eq 7

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 2.b. Weight Relationship
Weight of a given soil sample

W Ws Ww Wa

Wa 0
W Ws Ww
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 Weight Relationship Moisture
Content
Moisture content, w
The ratio of the weight of water to the
weight of solids in a given volume of soil
Also known as water content

Ww
w Ws Eq 1

for a given Volume of soils

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Weight Relationship Unit Weight
Unit weight,
The ratio of the weight of soil per unit
volume of soil
Also known as moist unit weight

W
V Eq 2

Ws 1 w
V Eq3

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Weight Relationship, Dry Unit Weight
Dry Unit weight, d
The ratio of the weight of soil, excluding
water, per unit volume of soil

Ws
d V Eq 4

d 1 w Eq5
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Weight Relationship Unit Weight
(Moist & Dry)
Unit weight, , is expressed in imperial unit as
lb/ft3, in SI kN/m3
Since Newton is a derived unit, it is
convenient to relate to mass density, in
kg/m3

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Weight Relationship Unit Mass
Unit Mass, and Dry Unit Mass, d

M
V Eq 6

Ms
d V Eq7

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 Weight Relationship Specific
Gravity
Specific Gravity, Gs
The ratio of weight of soil solids to the unit
weight of water of equal volume of soil solids
Value 2.6 2.8 : common value 2.7
For coarse grained soil Pycnometer
For fine grained soil 50L density bottle
Ws
Gs wVs
Eq 8

Ms
Gs wVs
Eq 9
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 Weight Relationship Specific
Gravity
If volume of soil, Vs =1, from Eq. 8
Ws Ws
Gs wVs w

Ws Gs w Eq 9

Ww wWs wGs w Eq 10

= 9.81kN/m3 or 1g/cm3 or 62.4 lb/ft3

w
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 Specific Gravity & Unit Weight
From Vs=1
W Ws Ww Gs w wGs w
V V 1 e
1 w Gs w
1 e Eq 10Eq 11

Ws Gs w
Eq 12
Eq 11
d V 1 e
Gs
or e d
w
1 Eq 13
Eq12
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Weight Volume Relationship,
Vs=1

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Proving the diagram formulae
For Vs = 1
W Ww
V w Vw
Ww wGs
Vw w w
w
wGs

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 Degree of saturation
For Vs=1

Vw wGs
S Vv e

Se wGs

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 2.c. Volume -Weight
Relationship Special Cases
Saturated Unit Weight, S=1
W Ws Ww Gs w wGs w
sat V V 1 e

Se wGs for S ,e
1 wGs
Gs wwGs w Gs w e w ( Gs e ) w
sat 1 e 1 e 1 e
Eq 14
Soil is completely filled with water
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Volume -Weight Relationship
Special Cases
Dry Unit Weight, S=0
Ws Gs w
Eq 12
Eq 11
d V 1 e

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Volume -Weight Relationship
Special Cases
Effective Unit Weight or Buoyant Unit Weight
Weight of a saturated soil, surrounded by water,
per unit volume of soil

' sat w
( Gs 1 )
' 1 e
w Eq 14
Eq 15

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 Saturated soil

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 Various Unit-Weight
Relationships

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Dry Unit Wt. of Some Typical
Soils

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 Example From pages 62,63

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 Example

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 Homework
1. Derive all of these expressions from
basic definitions: G Se
a) Unit weight 1 e
w

e
b) Volume of void = Vv V
1 e

G Se
c) Total weight = W
1 e
V w

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 Homework
2. For a soil sample having a void ratio of 0.750, determine the
porosity.
3. In a sample of moist clay, the void ratio is 0.788 and the degree of
saturation is 0.93. Assuming Gs=2.70, determine the dry density,
the bulk density and the water content.
4. Consider a natural soil sample taken from a proposed borrow pit.
The volume of the hole from which the sample was taken was
1.1ft3. The total sample weighed 130lb and, after drying, weighted
119lb. Assume specific gravity 2.7 and unit weight of water
62.4lb/ft3
Required:
a) Water content
b) Unit weight
c) Dry unit weight
d) Volume of solids
e) Volume of water
f) Degree of saturation
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 Homework
5. An embankment for a highway is to be constructed
from a soil compacted to a dry unit weight of
18kN/m3. The clay has to be trucked to the site
from a borrow pit. The bulk unit weight of the soil in
the borrow pit is 17kN/m3 and its natural water
content is 5%. Calculate the volume of clay from
the borrow pit required for a 1 cubic meter of
embankment. Assume Gs=2.7.

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 Relative Density
emax e
Dr emax emin
Commonly used to indicate the in situ
denseness or looseness of granular soil.
Described in percentage
emax soil in its loosest state
emin soil in its densest state
e - in situ soil
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Values of Relative Density
Values of D varies from 0% (very loose)
to 100% (very dense)
In place soils seldom have relative
densities less than 20 30%
Compacting a granular soil to a relative
density greater than 85% is difficult

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Qualitative Description of Granular
Soil Deposits

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Relative Density - Porosity
nmax
em ax 1 nmax
nmin
em in 1 nmin
n
e 1 n

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Relative Density - Porosity
From there, we obtain:
emax e
Dr emax emin

1 nm in nm ax n
Dr
nm ax nm in 1 n
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Relative Density - Porosity
From the definition of dry unit weight,
we obtain:
1 1
d min d
Dr
1 1
d min d max

d d min d max
Dr d d d
max min
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