MAPUA UNIVERSITY

Muralla St. Intramuros, Manila

SCHOOL OF CIVIL, ENVIRONMENTAL
AND GEOLOGICAL ENGINEERING

GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERING 1
(Soil Mechanics)

LABORATORY WORK NO. 2

SPECIFIC GRAVITY OF SOIL SOLIDS

COURSE AND SECTION: CE161P-2/A1

SUBMITTED BY:

GROUP NO.: 4 DATE OF SUBMISSION: September 6, 2020

MEMBERS:

BOLANDRINA, Leslie M. ESTRELLA, Pamela

BORE, John Carlo ONIA, John Jubert
BUNAGAN, Joshua TORRES, Bernadette
DIAZ, Kristian Eli

SUBMITTED TO:
PROFESSOR: Mr. Henry Florendo

GRADE

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 FINAL DATA SHEET

Table/Data

Table 1. Specific Gravity of Distilled Water Temperature in °C

Temperature in Specific Gravity Temperature in Specific Gravity

°C GT °C GT
20 0.9982 31 0.9957
21 0.9980 32 0.9954
22 0.9978 33 0.9951
23 0.9976 34 0.9947
24 0.9973 35 0.9944
25 0.9971 36 0.9941
26 0.9968 37 0.9937
27 0.9965 38 0.9930
28 0.9963 39 0.9928
29 0.9960 40 0.9926
30 0.9957

Sample Computation
The specific gravity of the soil, G can be obtained from
W S G1
GS =
W S −W 1 +W 2
In which,
GS = specific gravity of distilled water at temperature T (see Table 1)
W S = oven-dry weight of soil sample (grams)
W 1 = weight of pycnometer bottle, soil, and water (grams)
W 2 = weight of pycnometer bottle plus water (from calibration curve in grams)

TRIAL 1
W 2 =W B +V B ( 1+ ∆ Tε ) ( γ T −γ A )
W 2 =W B +V B ( 1+(T −T c )ε ) ( γ T −γ A )
W 2 =57.33+ 100 ( 1+(28−30)0.10 x 10 4 ) ( 0.9963−0.0012 )

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 W 2 =156.84
W S G1
GS =
W S −W 1 +W 2
50(.9963)
GS =
50−187.65+156.84
GS =2.60

TRIAL 2

W 2 =57.33+ 100 ( 1+(29−30) 0.10 x 10 4 ) ( 0.9960−0.0012 )

W 2 =156.81
50 (.9965)
GS =
50−191.37+156.81
GS =3.23

TRIAL 3

W 2 =57.33+ 100 ( 1+(31−30) 0.10 x 104 ) ( 0.9954−0.0012 )

W 2 =156.75
50( .9960)
GS =
50−188.83+156.75
GS =2.78

TRIAL 4

W 2 =57.33+ 100 ( 1+(32−30)0.10 x 104 ) ( 0.9951−0.0012 )

W 2 =156.72
50(.9957)
GS =
50−187.71+156.72
GS =2.62

Table/Data

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A. Calibration of Pycnometer Bottle

1. Experimental Procedure
Determination No. 1 2 3 4
WBottle +Wwater 156.25 160.80 156.70 156.25
W 2∈ g
Temperature in °C 28 27 29 30

2. Theoretical Procedure
Weight of Bottle, W B, in g: Cubical expansion for glass in 1/°C:
57.33 0.10 x 10−4
Temperature of Calibration T C, in °C: Unit weight of air, γ A, in g/cc
30 0.0012
Volume of Bottle T C , V B , in cc:
100
Trial No. 1 2 3 4
Temperature, T, in °C 28 29 31 32
Unit Weight of Water T , γ T , in g/cc 0.9963 0.9960 0.9954 0.9951
W 2 =W B +V B (1+∆ Tε )(γ T −γ A ) 156.84 156.81 156.75 156.72

B. Specific Gravity Determination

Trial No. 1 2 3 4
Weight of bottle + water + soil in g 187.65 191.37 188.83 187.71
Temperature in °C 28 27 29 30
Weight of bottle + water in g 156.25 160.80 156.79 156.63
Weight of dry pycnometer in g 57.33 61.58 57.71 57.71
Weight of container + dry soil in g 120.75 116.74 167.57 167.57
Weight of dry soil 50 50 50 50
Specific gravity of water from table 0.9963 0.9965 0.9960 0.9957
Specific gravity of soil 2.60 3.23 2.78 2.62
Average Specific gravity of soil 2.8075

Answers to Questions:

1. Define specific gravity of soil?

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 This is the mass of soil relative to the mass of a standard such as mass of
water in equal volume. It refers to the mass of the solids that are in the soil
compared to the mass and the volume of the water.

2. What are typical values of the specific gravity for soils?

2.65-2.85, high organic content soils are below than 2 while heavier soil
with heavier contents such as metal particles is at 3

3. What can you use to measure the specific gravity of material lighter than
water?

We may use the hydrometer, Westphal Method (balance) and the

Buoyancy Method for materials lighter than water

5. What is the effect of water temperature on the determination of the

specific gravity of soils?

When the temperature of water increases its weight decreases therefore, the water
temperature is indirectly proportional to the specific gravity of soil. This is because
water tends to be less dense as it gets warmer and evaporates as it reaches its point.

6. Why would a contractor be interested in knowing the specific gravity of

a soil?

To know how the construction should proceed. Civil engineers need to know
the soil specifics to professionally design the structural integrity of the
building. Contractors on the other hand use the soil specifics to know how to
carry out the construction. Whether the soil can keep up with a crane’s weight
etc.

Results and Discussion

The average specific gravity obtained from the soil sample was 2.8075. This
value coincides for the type of soil which is clay and silty clay. But this does not

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guarantee that the soil sample is a silty clay or clay. Since soil is not a homogenous
material, and different particles may incorporate the soil sample, this would
already affect the value that the experimenter would obtain for the specific gravity.
As for the water, it is observed that as the temperature increases, its weight
decreases. This could affect the value that would be obtained for the specific
gravity of the soil. Since this would be use for the computation of the specific
gravity. The errors from the specific gravity of trial 1 and 2 is slightly high but
these values are still in the accepted range. Several errors might be the cause of
these errors such as in weighing the equipment and materials that are used in the
experiment.

Conclusion

In this experiment, the soil water content is broadly considered and reported
the literature because of its broad and significant role. It is a key aspect of the
hydrological cycle, offers help to organisms, communicates with climate and is
significant thought I ground and surface water flexibly, natural, and geo-
specialized viewpoints. Additionally, the sources of errors are impossible in any
test.

References:

 https://www.certifiedmtp.com/blog/specific-gravity-of-soil-
solids/#:~:text=The%20%22specific%20gravity%22%20of%20soils,their
%20own%20separate%20gravity%20measurements.
 https://www.certifiedmtp.com/blog/specific-gravity-of-soil-
solids/#:~:text=The%20%22specific%20gravity%22%20of%20soils,their
%20own%20separate%20gravity%20measurements.