Engineering

CIV2242: Week 2a

Phase relationship

Prof Ranjith PG
Clayton Campus
 Lecture outline
What does phase mean?
3 phase system, 2-phase system

Basic geotechnical terminology (Physical characterisation)

Water content, density, specific gravity, void ratio, porosity,
degree of saturation
What, why and applications

Mass-volume-density relationship
Weight-volume-unit weight relationship

What is the difference between

mass and weight?

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What does phase mean?

3 2 1

Ground
level

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Phase diagram Three phase system

Is a Four Phase System possible?

CIV2242: Phase relationship 4

Phase diagram Two phase system

CIV2242: Phase relationship 5

 Why do we need Phase Diagram?

To define and establish relationships for the following

quantities:
Water content - gravimetric (w) & volumetric (w)
Degree of saturations (Sr)
Void ratio (e)
Porosity (n)
Bulk density (), dry density (d),
Bulk unit weight (), dry unit weight (d),
Specific gravity (G)

Physical characterisation

CIV2242: Phase relationship 6

Three phase soil model - Water content

Water content/moisture content

Water content/moisture content
Gravimetric water content
Gravimetric water content
(water content)
(water
w = Mwcontent)
/Ms
ww=(%)
Mw/Ms
= (Mw/Ms) x 100
w (%) = (Mw/Ms) x 100
Volumetric water content
w = Vw/Vt
Degree of saturation
Sr = Vw/Vv

Oven drying method to

Oven drying
measure method
water to
content
measure water content

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 Water content determination

Example 1:

30.0 g 24.0 g

Drying for 24 hr at
105C
Example 2:

10.0 g 55.0 g 40.0 g

Mass of empty Mass of container Drying for 24 hr at Mass of container

container and wet soil 105C and dry soil

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What does water content indicate?

Dry, moist or saturated

Higher the water content lesser the soil strength
Water makes soil softer
Geotechnical Engineers how to deal with water in the soil?

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Mass-volume-density relationship Bulk density,
dry density
Bulk Density
= Mt / Vt

Dry density
d = Ms / Vt

Solid density/particle density

s = Ms / Vs

Measurement unit = kg/m3, g/cc (g/cm3)

What is the density of water?

Dry density is very important and always

used by Geotechnical Engineers

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 Bulk density, dry density determination

Revisit example 1

30.0 g 24.0 g

Drying for 24 hr at
105C
2 cm

5 cm

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 What does density indicate?

Loose Dense Very dense

Higher density means high strength, less

deformation

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 Measurement of soil density
Directly by mass and volume in the laboratory (Vernier
calliper, water displacement method).
Directly on site by mass of soil from a small excavated
hole whose volume is found by back filling with
calibrated sand.
Indirectly in field using nuclear density meter.

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Weight-volume-unit weight relationship
Bulk unit weight, dry unit weight
What is the difference between mass and weight?
If you know dry or bulk (total/in situ) density, how do you calculate unit
weight

Dry unit weight d = d g = (ms/Vt)g

Bulk unit weight = g = (mt/Vt)g
Measurement unit: kN/m3 What is g?
g = 9.81 m/s2

What is the unit weight of water?

CIV2242: Phase relationship 14

 Dry unit weight - (kN/m3)

6.0 9.0 12.0 15.0 18.0 21.0

Angularity 14.5 19.0

Loose sand
Grading dense sand
Deposition

6.0 17.0

Organic Clay Soft Clay Stiff Clay

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 Specific gravity

Specific gravity of soil solids

G = s / w

What is the measurement unit?

What is the specific gravity of water?
Most natural soils have specific gravity in the range of 2.6 to
2.8
Measured in the labs using density bottle, gas pycnometer

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Three-phase soil model- void ratio, porosity

Porosity,
n = Vv / Vt

Void Ratio
e = Vv / Vs

Measurement unit?

CIV2242: Phase relationship 17

 What does void ratio indicate?

Loose Dense Very dense

Higher void ratio means high voids, less dense, less strength, high
deformation
emax = void ratio at the loosest state (materials put together under no
vibration or compaction)
emin = void ratio at the densest state (materials put together under
compaction and/or vibration)

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 Typical Void Ratios

0.0 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5

0.40 0.90
Angularity
Dense Sand
Grading
Loose Sand Deposition

0.60 3.20

Stiff Clay Soft Clay Organic Clay

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 Relative density (Dr)

Dr (%) = 100 (emax- e ) Current void ratio

(emax - emin)

Loosest state Densest state

Relative density indicates in situ denseness or looseness of granular soil

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

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Two phase soil models (soil solid + Air)
(completely dry soil)

What is the degree of

saturation?

What is the total mass?

What density? (bulk, saturated

or dry)

CIV2242: Phase relationship 21

Two phase soil models (soil solid + water)
(fully saturated soil)

What is the degree of

saturation?

What is the total mass?

What density? (bulk, saturated

or dry)

Saturated density=
sat = (Ms+Mw)/(Vs+Vw)

Volume of voids?

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 Draw phase diagram & determine e, n, Sr

Revisit example 1

30.0 g 24.0 g

Drying for 24 hr at
105C
2 cm

5 cm

Specific gravity G = 2.66

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 Example 3

A moist soil sample has void ratio of 0.34 and specific gravity of 2.68.
How to find:
1. dry density (d),
2. saturated density if the sample gets saturated (sat)

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 Example 4

A cylindrical sample of soil taken from field is 6.3 cm in diameter and 12.5
cm long, and has a mass of 683g. After oven drying it weighs 495 g. Take
specific gravity (G) = 2.7.
How to find:
1. water content (w %),
2. bulk density ( g/cm3),
3. dry density (d g/cm3),
4. void ratio (e) and porosity (n)
5. degree of saturation (Sr %)

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Solution using phase diagram

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 Interrelationships between void ratio, porosity, bulk
density, dry density, particle density

n = e / (1+e)

e = n / (1-n)
= G / (1+e)
d w

= / (1+e)
d s

= / (1+w)
Specific volume = 1+e d

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 CIV 2242- 2014 Exam paper
QUESTION 2 (22 minutes)

In natural state, a soil has a volume of 9500 cm3 and weighs 18 kg. The oven dried weight of the soil is
16.12 kg. If the specific gravity (Gs) is 2.65, calculate (8 min)

Moisture content (%)

Moist unit weight (kN/m3)

Dry unit weight (kN/m3)

Void ratio

Porosity

Degree of saturation

CIV2242: Phase relationship

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