Discussion

The application of the determination of the water content of the soil in the field of engineering and
construction is that it provides as one of the data in analyzing the soil properties in a given site. Doing
preliminary test in the soil before constructing the proposed project will greatly help for overall success
in any projects.

In analyzing any soil sample, water plays an important role in the engineering field. The presence of
water in the soil capillaries is the one that affects the engineering properties of soil. This is because soil
is the ultimate factor upon which the stability, strength, durability, resistance to undue effects of nature
and man-made activities of a building or structure depends.

According to the article of Gromicko and Shepard about soil settlement, settling will be reflected in any
part of structure bearing upon the settled soil. Water content in soils can affect the foundation and also
the mixing of concrete because without proper analyzing the soil mixture it can create extreme
differential settlement that will eventually lead to the cracking of structures. Another moisture-related
problem is the addition of excessive moisture to the soil. This can create a condition in which water is
absorbed into spaces between soil particles. Soil becomes less dense, which reduces its ability to
support a load. The moisture content will dictate how the soil behaves in settlement, degree of
expansion and various engineering parameters.

Conclusion

The water content (w) is also called natural water content or natural moisture content is the ratio of the
weight of water to the weight of the solids in a given mass of soil. This ratio is usually expressed as
percentage.

In the experiment, we use the conventional oven-drying method to determine the water content of the
soil after it was sieved into three different sieve numbers composed of sieve no. 10, 4, and 3/8. In order
to determine the water content of the soil, we get the new weights of the sample after have been
exposed to heating. In our test results, sieve no. 3/8 loss about 4-5 grams of moisture content, sieve no.
4 and 10 losses about 1-2 grams only. For the water content,

specific gravity should be taken into consideration by any engineer project supervision to
know the strenth of the material.
4.1 The specific gravity of a soil is used in relating a weight of soil to its volume and in calculation of
phase relationship, i.e. the relative volume of solids to water and air in a given volume soil. 4.2 The
specific gravity is used in the computations of most of the laboratory tests, and is needed in nearly all
pressure, settlement, and stability problems in soil engineering.

Also

A more efficient method of removing air bubbles should be developed, as the presence of air bubbles
causes the greatest error. More care should be given in adding water to the soiland-water mixture, to
prevent additional air to be entrapped. Also, more time should be allotted for letting the specimen
reach thermal equilibrium.

References
McGehee, J. (2011, Febuary 22). Specific Gravity of Soil. Retrieved from
https://stemsoup.wordpress.com/2011/02/22/specific-gravity-of-soil/

Verma, S. (2018, Febuary 2). What is the use of specific gravity in civil field? Retrieved from
https://www.quora.com/What-is-the-use-of-specific-gravity-in-civil-field

Wilnun, Z., & Starzewski, K. (1975). Soil Mechanics in Foundation Engineering. London: Surrey University
Press.