CE 412

GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERING 1: SOIL MECHANICS

LAB 6: SPECIFIC GRAVITY OF SAND AND SOIL

Lab Date: September 19, 2017

Report Date: September 26, 2017

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 TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. ABSTRACT…………………………………………………………………………………………….2

2. OBJECTIVES…………………………………………………………………………………………..4

3. THEORETICAL BACKGROUND…………………………………………………………..………4

4. MATERIALS AND EQUIPMENT………………………………………………………………..4

5. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURES……………………………………………………………….5

6. DISCUSSION OF RESULTS………………………………………………………………………7

7. CONCLUSIONS AND RECCOMENDATIONS…………………………………………………9

8. REFERENCES…………………………………………………………………………………….9

9. APPENDICES……………………………………………………………………………………..9

A. INDIVIDUAL DISCUSSIONS AND CONCLUSIONS…………………………………..10

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 B. PICTURES…………………………………………………………………………….....14

LIST OF TABLES

TABLE 1 Details of Soil Sampling…………………………………………………………………..6

TABLE 2 Details of Sand Sampling………………………………………………………………….6

OBJECTIVES

To determine the Specific Gravity of the Soil and the Sand.

THEORETICAL BACKGROUND

The specific gravity of a substance, designated as Gs, is defined as the ratio of the
density of that substance to the density of distilled water at a specified temperature.
Since it is a ratio, the value of Gs does not depend on the system of units used and is a
numerical value having no units. In soil mechanics, the specific gravity of soil solids is
an important parameter and is a factor in many equations involving weight-volume
relationships. Remember that the specific gravity of soil solids refers only to the solid
phase of the three-phase soil system, it does not include the water and air phases
present in the void space. For soil solids, Gs may be written as:
W2 – W1
Gs = _______________________________

(W4-W1) – (W3-W2)

MATERIALS AND EQUIPMENTS

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  Sand

 Soil

 Volumetric Flask

 Weighing Scale

 Sieve

 Thermometer

 Pan

 Distilled Water

EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURES

1. Weigh about 100-120g of representative sample of well-pulverized air-dried soil and sand.

Place this sample into the flask.

2. Add distilled water until flask is about two-thirds full.

3. Attach the flask to a vacuum for 15-20 minutes.

4. After the de-aerating process is complete, carefully add distilled water up to the 500ml mark.

Be careful not to reintroduce air into the flask. This is done by adding water very slowly. Dry

the neck of the flask above the mark with paper towels.

5. Record the weight of the flask (W1) to the nearest 0.01g as well as its temperature.

6. Empty the flask into an evaporating dish. Use the plastic squeeze bottle to rinse the inside of

the flask, making sure no soil is left inside.

7. Place the dish in the oven to dry it to a constant weight.

8. Clean the flask. Repeat steps 3 and 4.

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9. Record the weight of the flask (W2) to the nearest 0.01g.

10. Determine the weight of dry soil in the evaporating dish (W3).

ANALYSIS OF DATA OF SOIL

Visual Classification of Soil: CLAY

Weight of Dry Sample: 10 grams

Table 1. Summary of Calculations Pertaining the Specific Gravity of Soil

Item Test 1 Test 2 Test 3
Weight of the flask, W1 218.57 218.50 218.62
Weight of the flask + Soil, W2 228.57 228.50 228.62
Weight of the flask + soil + distilled 290.88 290.20 291.02
water, W3
Weight of the flask + distilled water 284.74 284 284.83

CALCULATION:
Specific gravity at 20C,
W2 – W1
Gs = _______________________________ 2.59 2.63 2.62

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 (W4-W1) – (W3-W2)
Average Specific Gravity 2.61

Average Gs = 2.61

ANALYSIS OF DATA OF SAND

Visual Classification of Sand: SILT

Weight of Dry Sample: 10 grams

Table 2. Summary of Calculations Pertaining the Specific Gravity of Sand

Item Test 1 Test 2 Test 3
Weight of the flask, W1 218.58 218.55 218.58
Weight of the flask + sand, W2 228.58 228.55 228.58
Weight of the flask + sand + distilled 290.90 290.30 291.20
water, W3
Weight of the flask + distilled water 284.80 284.20 284.90

CALCULATION:
Specific gravity at 20C,
W2 – W1
Gs = _______________________________ 2.49 2.52 2.53

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 (W4-W1) – (W3-W2)
Average Specific Gravity 2.51

Average Gs = 2.51

DISCUSSION OF RESULT

The tests conducted throughout this lab report was containing the Specific Gravity of the

sand and soil. The specific gravity is defined as the ratio of the density of the soil to the density

of the water. The specific gravity of soil, based on our laboratory testing, can tell us if an object

will float or will sink in a distilled water. We had these results that can say what are the

characteristics and classification of sand. The result of the specific gravity of soil is 2.61 which

leads to the result that our soil was a clay type soil. The result of the specific gravity of the sand

is 2.51 which leads to the result of our sand the type of silty sand.

CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

***See attached files for the individual summaries, conclusions of the methods of this group.

REFERENCES

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Das, Braja M. And Nagaratnam Sivakugan. 2017, Fundamentals of Geotechnical Engineering.

5th ed. Phil. Edition: Cengage Learning

http://www.in.gov/indot/div/mt/aashto/testmethods/aashto_t85.pdf

APPENDICES
A. INDIVIDUAL DISCUSSIONS AND CONLUSIONS

B. PICTURES

A. INDIVIDUAL DISCUSSIONS AND CONLUSIONS

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B. PICTURES

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