KWAME NKRUMAH UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE

AND TECHNOLOGY, KUMASI

COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING
CIVIL ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT

COURSE: SOIL MECHANICS

SIEVE ANALYSIS AND HYDROMETER TEST

ATTERBERG LIMIT TEST

SPECIFIC GRAVITY TEST

COMPACTION TEST

GROUP 7

CIVIL ENGINEERING YEAR 2

 PURPOSE OF EXPERIMENT

This test was performed to determine the percentage of different grain sizes contained within the
given soil sample. The mechanical or sieve analysis was performed to determine the distribution
of the coarser, larger-sized particles and the hydrometer method is used to determine the
distribution of the finer particles.

SIGNIFICANCE

The distribution of different grain sizes affects the engineering properties of soil. Grain size
analysis provides the grain size distribution, and it is required in classifying the soil.

EQUIPMENT: Balance, Set of sieves, Cleaning brush, Sieve shaker, Mixer(blender),

Hydrometer, Sedimentation cylinder, Thermometer, Beaker, Timing device, distillation bottle,
oven, riffle boxes, trays

TEST PROCEDURE

Sample preparation for wet sieving

1) Pass the soil sample provided through a riffle box and weigh between 500 and 1000 gm.

2) Sieve the weighted sample in step1 through a BS test sieve 2.00mm.

3) The fraction greater than 2.00 mm should be poured into a rubber bowl, flood it with water for
24 hours.

4) The fraction smaller than 2.00 mm. Weigh between 50 -100 gm and pour it into a rubber bowl
and flood it with water for 24 hours.

5) Wash both soaked samples at step 3 and 4 over the 2.00 mm and 0.075 mm sieve respectively
and dry them in the oven for at least 16 hours.

Procedure

1) Select the BS Sieve and arrange in the order as follows (2.00, 4.75, 6.70, 9.50, 13.20, 19.00,
37.50) mm for sample greater than 2.00 mm and (0.075, 0.150, 0.200, 0.300, 0.425, 0.600, 1.00)
mm for sample smaller than 2.00 mm.

2) Separate the sample into various fractions by sieving through the above sieve in descending
order.

3) Record the weight of soil retained on each sieve.

Sample Preparation for Hydrometer analysis

1) Sieve the sample provided through 0.075 mm BS sieve and weigh 15 to 25 gm.

2) Pour the soil into the cup of the stirring apparatus and add 100ml sodium hexametaphosphate
solution and add some distilled water and then stir for at least 15 mins.

3) Pour the mix solution into 1000ml glass measuring cylinder and leave it overnight.

4) Remix the solution thoroughly while putting your palm(stopper) on the mouth of glass
measuring cylinder.

5) After mixing the soil solution thoroughly, place the content on a level surface.

6) Take the hydrometer readings corresponding to the upper meniscus at an interval of 30

seconds, 1 minutes, 2 minutes, etc.

7) After taking the 2 minutes reading remove the hydrometer from the solution.

8) For each reading take the temperature of the solution.

9) Continue the reading by inserting the hydrometer into the solution for the following time
interval from the start (4, 8, 15, 30, 60, 120, 240, 1440) minutes.

10) Hydrometer SHOULD NOT be kept continuously in the solution.

 SUMMARY OF RESULTS AND SAMPLE CALCULATIONS

Weight(g) 732g

Metric(mm) Weight Percentage Percentage Percentage

Retained(g) Retained (%) Cumulative Passing(%)
Retained (%)
19.00 44.50 6.08 6.08 93.92
13.20 95.68 13.07 19.15 80.85
9.50 126.95 17.34 36.49 63.51
6.70 120.80 16.50 52.99 47.01
4.75 101.07 13.81 66.80 33.20
2.00 110.80 15.14 81.94 18.06

Weight (g) 81.93 g

Metric(mm) Weight Percentage Percentage Percentage Corrected

Retained(g) Retained (%) Cumulative Passing (%) Percentag
Retained (%) e Passing
(%)
1.00 13.14 16.04 16.04 83.96 15.16
0.600 3.20 3.91 19.95 80.85 14.46
0.425 1.85 2.26 22.21 77.79 14.05
0.300 1.05 1.28 23.49 76.51 13.82
0.200 0.84 1.03 24.52 75.48 13.63
0.100 0.57 0.70 25.22 74.48 13.45
0.075 1.05 1.28 26.50 73.50 13.27

FORMULAE FOR HYDROMETER ANALYSIS

1) Rh` is the hydrometer reading, consisting of the decimal part only with the decimal point
moved three places to the right.

2) Rh = Rh` + Cm

3) Cm, the meniscus correction, is 0.50.

4) Hr is the effective depth corresponding to Rh given by Hr = 200.6 – 3.95Rh

−(T−17.5)
5) The viscosity is given by η = 0.289 + 0.7797 e 28.43
6) T is the temperature of the suspension at a given time.

7) D is the equivalent particle dimeter given by D = c

√ Hr η
( ps−1 ) t

8) ps is the particle density which was found to be 2.64; t is the elapsed time from the start of
sedimentation.

9)Mt is the temperature correction to hydrometer reading given by;

Mt=−1.4664−0.0342T −0.00537 T 2

10) Rd is the modified hydrometer reading given by Rd = Rh` - Ro` + Mt

11) Ro is the hydrometer reading at the upper rim of the meniscus in the dispersant solution in
distilled water.

100 ps
12) K is the percent by mass less than D given by K= Rd where m is the mass of
( ps−1 ) m
the sample used(21.85g).

13) Because a fraction of 21.85 g of the total weight (732g) was used for the hydrometer test, a
correction was to be made on the % passing. The correction factor is then multiplied by all the %
passing for D.

Corrected Percentage Passing Sieve 0.075 13.27

Correction Factor = = =0.1327
100 100

14) D10 is the diameter at which 10% of the particles passes, D10 = 0.06mm

15) D30 is the diameter at which 30% of the particles passes, D30 = 4.00mm

16) D60 is the diameter at which 60% of the particles passes, D60 = 8.00mm

D 60
17) Coefficient of Uniformity(Cu) = = 133.33
D 10
2
D 30
18) Coefficient of Gradation (Cc) = = 33.33
D 60 x D 10

ATTERBERG LIMIT TEST

TEST PROCEDURE

1. LIQUID LIMIT TEST

Apparatus

1) Balance

2) Liquid limit device

3) Grooving tools

4) Two Spatula

5) Two handkerchiefs (wet and dry)

6) Flat board

7) Oven

8) Wash bottle containing distilled water

9) Container for moisture content

10) Mortar and pestle

Procedure

1) Determine the mass of each five moisture containers.

2) Sieve through 0.425 mm of sample provided.

3) Weigh about 250 gm of the sieved sample passing through 0.425 mm sieve and pour it on flat
board.

4) Mix it with the distilled water to form uniform paste with consistency that would require 40 to
50 drops of the cup to cause closing of groove to the length of 10mm

5) A portion of the paste to be placed in the cup of liquid limit device.

6) Spread it with few strokes of spatula.

7) Trim it to the depth of 1cm at the point of maximum thickness and return the excess of the soil
to the flat board.

8) Divide the soil in the cup by firm stroke of grooving tool along the diameter through the
centreline of the cup.

9) Lift and drop the cup by turning the crank at rate of two revolutions per second until the two
halves of soil cake come into contact with each other for the length of about 10mm.
10) The number of blows required to cause the groove to close for about 10mm shall be
recorded.

11) Take a sample of the soil and determine the water content.

12) Add soil in the cup to the remaining soil on the flat board and clean the cup.

13) Repeat the process from step 2 with different moisture contents for at least four more times
for the blows between 10 and 50.

14) Determine the corresponding water content for at least 16 hours and plot a ‘flow curve’ of
number of blows against water content (%).

2. PLASTIC LIMIT TEST

TEST PROCEDURE

Apparatus

1) Balance

2) Container for moisture content

3) Two Spatula

4) Flat board

5) Oven

6) Wash bottle containing distilled water

7) Mortar and pestle

Procedure

1) Determine the mass of each five moisture containers.

2) Sieve through 0.425 mm of sample provided.

3) Take about 30 gms of sieved sample and thoroughly mixed with the distilled water on flat
board to form uniform paste with consistency.

4) Allow it to season for sufficient time to allow water to permeate through the soil mass.

5) Take about 10gms of this plastic soil mass and roll it between fingers and flat board with just
sufficient pressure to roll the mass into a thread of 3mm diameter throughout its length.

6) Kneed the soil together to a uniform mass and re-roll.

7) Continue the process until the thread crumbles when the diameter is 3mm.

8) Collect the pieces of the crumbled thread in container for moisture content determination for
at least 6 hours.

9) Repeat the process for the remaining half.

`0) Take the average of the results calculated to the nearest whole number.

From the experiment

1) Liquid Limit = 43%

Plastic Limit = 20.315%

Plasticity Index = LL – PL= 43% - 20.315% = 22.685%

Plasticity Index
2) Activity of Clay = = 0.22685/0.058= 3.911
Percentage by weight finer than 2 microns

Soil with an activity of clay above 1.25 has active clays present and thus has montmorillonite
present.

CLASSIFICATION OF SOIL SAMPLE

AASHTO Soil Classification

General Classification: Granular materials. This is because 13.27 percent passes No. 200 Sieve.

Group Classification

a) Sieve Analysis: Percent Passing

i) 2.00mm: All groups satisfy this condition

ii) 0.425mm: Group A-3 is ruled out because it requires a minimum of 51% passing whereas
14.05 percent passed.

iii) 0.075mm: Remaining groups satisfy the condition

b) Characteristics of fraction passing 0.425mm

i) Liquid Limit: Group A-2-4 and Group A-2-6 are ruled out because they require a maximum
liquid limit of 40% whereas the liquid limit of the soil is 43%.
ii) Plasticity Index: Group A-1-a, A-1-b and A-2-5 have been ruled out because they don’t satisfy
the condition.

GI= ( F−35 ) [ 0.2+ 0.005 ( wl −40 ) ]+ 0.01(F−15)(I p −10)

Where F = Percentage by mass passing American sieve No.200 expressed as a whole number

w l = liquid limit (%) expressed as a whole number

I p = plasticity index (%) expressed as a whole number

GI = -4.93

When a negative group index number is calculated, it is reported as zero.

Therefore, the soil sample is classified as A-2-7(0) according to the AASHTO Soil
Classification.

Unified Soil Classification

Major Division: Coarse-Grained Soils (More than 50% retained on No. 200 sieve)

Sand (more than 50% of coarse fraction passing No. 4 sieve) is considered because upon
calculation the percentage of coarse fraction retained on No.4 sieve is less than 50%.

SP (Since it does not meet the criteria for SW), that is, Cc is greater than 3.

SC (Plasticity index greater than 7 and Atterberg limits above A-line)

Therefore, the soil sample is classified as SP-SC according to the Unified Soil Classification
and this indicates a soil range of poorly graded sands to clayey sands.

SPECIFIC GRAVITY

TEST PROCEDURE

Apparatus
1) Balance

2) Glass Jar

3) Dry Cloth

4) Shallow Tray

5) Glass Lid

6) Rubber Stopper

7) Wash bottle with distilled water

Procedure

1) Determine the mass of a dry, empty, clean bottle plus lid

2) Pour soil sample into the bottle about halfway

3) Record mass of soil in glass vessel plus glass lid.

4) Add water to the sample to be a little above the height of the soil sample

5)Fix rubber stopper in the glass vessel and agitate the sample to remove entrapped air.

6) After shaking place, the glass vessel on a level surface without any disturbances for 16 hours.

7) After 16 hours carefully place the glass vessel in a shallow bowl or tray.

8) Top up the water to the brim and carefully slide the glass lid without trapping air.

9) Clean bottle leaving no evidence of water, weigh and record mass of the bottle and content
plus lid.

10) Pour sample out of bottle then clean the bottle weigh and record mass of bottle with water
only plus lid.

DETERMINATION OF RESULTS

Let M1 = Mass of empty bottle

M2 = Mass of bottle and dry soil

M3 = Mass of bottle, soil and water

M4 = Mass of bottle filled with water

 M 2−M 1
Specific Gravity ( G ) =
( M 2−M 1 ) −( M 3−M 4 )

COMPACTION TEST

TEST PROCEDURE

Apparatus

1) A cylindrical metal mould, base plate, collar and metal block

2) A standard hammer of weight 4.5kg

3) Balance for weighing

4) Oven

5) Some containers for moisture content

Procedure

1) Sieve the material provided through BS test sieve 19mm.

2) Weigh about 7000g of the sieved material.

3) Weigh the mould and base plate.

4) Find the volume of the mould with the metal block in it.

5) Mix weighed samples with water at percentage of ranging from 2% to 5% depending upon
fines within the material at hand.

6) Fill the mould in 5 layers, compact each layer by 55 blows with hammer, the compacted
sample must be above the height of the mould.

7) Trim the soil to the height of mould and weigh mould with soil.

8) Take two containers and fill them halfway with the soil sample and determine the moisture
content.

9) Repeat the process from step 5 until the mass of the mould and soil start to fall.

From the experiment,

Maximum Dry Density = 2.125 gm/cc

Optimum Moisture Content = 8.4%