•II t

2 In - situ de11sity t
· . ests
BS ·1:l77 : P .i n ~ : 1 SJ90

• ~.Q
ln t rod u ctto n
·
r oa•;oriahly cons,s 10 n .
t ·n,o 1;irading of \ho ,;,1n<:I sh,, 11 ho sucn
. ,. . . ... , .. . d .
600 r:1 lost 5t0VO ;1nd )00 y,, I ~ r,,. l t\\lH:l .

'i
--
Thi - ' 'I th ·•t 100 % pa ,;so!I a µ . . . t k
~..:. ilUse:s~,, -- v - .. lnadditioni\shallbofrcofrom la !lV
ciensitv of; >::' Cl!103 five rne thocls, . . on tho 63 ,,m tost s1 11 • o. - . l II
n . sotl . fa l1r of \vi . I - ,or d(Jt orrn ir,rnq tho in -situ paniclos . silt, clay and or9onic ma_nnr . Oolorn usll'>(), •JI s '"
11.l!is a n ct vo • i ,c ) u s o tho d ' . dr·1od •nd s to red ,n ii lo os oly cove re<
, , umo, t ho h •roe\ i1•1aasu ro nrnrHs of havo I.Jeon oven " . .b .
o , mace, · . ' c OICQ Of whi ch d . . . II ·1 rnoistur" contonl to roach r.qu1 1t num
,a, . and Ono rnetho - . .. eponosurJo nth o tyr,~ container to a ow1 s
n1Hne,1 also includ d .Js es garnmn .-a ys _ The l;is t with atmospheric humidity.
·' \vith nu c \oar gau o s the ma:osuromont of n1o is~u;·o conto nt . - 11 a storego poriod . ,1ltof ovt'H' ctrv1nc: . (1f noo,u _t 7 n>'v :t.
gas that COmbino borl, r~_ c·,1•1•·1·'s". NOTE - Genore y oisw,o cont onl or thn ,a nd \ () (f'OCh MILJihbnum
•.1 ' u is sutflc1ent fo r the~ h 'd'n.r Tho sand should lH1 ciHxod t horau ~1hly
.,.. "' - h •t,a atmo~rhenc um, i .. T . . ., t
,:__ , Sond t e pli,C8n,e w11 • . nd is snlvagecl from holes io ec,mp~ctnd ,(,,,s a _tor
~. '. rn~ ..s1,1n• I nt tnothod :.ultablo for Ono- nnd bero,n use. If sa . h I J bo siev ed. driud and stor~d ~90,n
'"'-' • ·9n1 O<:td s-011 ( carrying out thi s test. ,1 s ou < -

IJ\\
h -:
s ~rn;,ll pou ring cyllndor mot hod) b~'.oro it is usod in furthe r sand roplacom ent I Mts.
;;:_1 - 1 Generctl To·~
o· th d • · 1'' moth od covers tho dotormino11ion ,n--sltu \ , 2' l'.1.4'r- Calib rations
0
· '.
g ra,n(>d<:oilsens,ty of na t ural <1r compactod fine- a nd med ium - ( . . • f s;,,n d in 1!10 co no of rtw
ior_.,1 · ~ • . . 2.1 . 4.1 Oerormtn,1 C1tJn o trrn 1 17rn sso -·
cyt · d . i,c. a , 15 mm d1:imotor sartd-pourrng · . · . d J
"
1
or 15 use(J in conjunction wnh ruplacomont sancj (~eo ( pouri ng cy1;n ar
no te 1). Tho h d - _ - __ . . - h h 1 •v e l o( thn sa nd
- . , ~~'_t O -. 1s ai::pl ,c.,ib lo to I.ayer,; nor'-exceod ing ,. 1 z.1 .4 . 1;1 Fillthopourinqcylrnde r s ot a tt 0 e.
1
50 mm in ,h1 ck no ss (seo nore 2). \. 1-..-_ , >\ _
in : he cvlinder is with in a bout 15 mm of tho lop . f'.1nd ,t ~_ io t a l
_r _

':'), in iti a l mass , m 1, to tli o nc<1 r,:::. t 1 q .ird a '. ways us e tho sc1 m n
~O~ 1 · With granul~ r .'11 ..,ceriat s hdvir,q litt l e or no cohesion tnit i nl rnass far eve ry ca 1i t)ration . l\t1aintJ i n th : s ~: o n S{<ln r
Particularly ,-..,hen thcv. ~re wet. th~re ,s·., c'ange r c,r errors ,n tho throcghout th e tests for which th e ca libr a tio n 1s u se d . Allo, v ;;
rriea s ure mant of density by this method . ThesP ~rrors Me ca used b·r · r d . t t th ,t o f th e cx c;:ivat ed hole in th -:l
th0 s!urrping oi !he sides of the excava ted dens ity holi, and alwavs volurn:i O san equwa 1en ° '" •_
re sul t in an ovu-e s1im.;ition of the c'ensity. soil (or equal to that of tho calibra tin ,:1 c.o ntam e r) to run o u t .
· NOT::: 2. For layers between 150 mm d:id 250 mm in thickness tile iesi~ --, . Clo se the shutter on the pour1n,1 cyl in de r a r,c; p l.ice the
described in 2.2 shoutci be used. :rJ:
.'.1 cylinder on O plane 5 urface , o.g . the g las:, r:, l;i te .
Th e r e qu irerne.its of Pare 1 of this standard . where '!) 0
eppropriace, s~1all apply ro the : est met:10ds described in tt-jis '(,. J- .1.4. 1.2 Ooen the sbutter on (he oouring c y lind er ;ind allow
clause . - ) sana to run out. Oo not tap or otherwise vibrate during tl 11 s
period _w:-ien no -furt!ler movement of sand takes place in the
2_1_z A,::pararus cylinder, close the shutter and remove tho cylinder carei:Jlly .

2.1 _2.1 A pouring cylinder, s im ilar in detail to that shown in , \ 2.1.4.1.3 Collect tho sand on the glass plate that had filled the
figure 1. ·{ l -~ cone of tho pouring cylinder and determine its mass , rn1, to
2. 1 _2.2 Suitabla cools for excavaring holes in so il. e .g . a 'tienr the neareS t 1 g . · - -
spoon dibber and a scraper tool . s imilar to that shown in - 7,. - f;, '2.1 .4.1 .4 Repeat these mea s urements at least three -times

I figure 2. to make a level surface.

.z. 1 .2.3
internal diameter of 100 =
)

Cylindrical, rr.eral. calibrating concainer, wi th an

2 mm and an internal depth of
and calculate the mean value of m 1 '. - )

a· \ _ , _ _
J!
-~ "2._ ~.4.2 LJerarnination of r.'io bulk/dsn~iry of the ssnd (p.~
.t .
I

::: 3 mm of the type illustrated in figure 3, fined with a lip ~ 2A~,,::! Determ'.ne the internal volume . V (in ml), of tho
150
I 50 mm wide and about 5 mm thick surrounding the open end.

2_ 1 _2.4 Bslsnce, readable to 1 g_

calibrating container_)
NQTE. Tho following method for det!lrmining the v.olume of \tin..
calibrating container has been found both convenient and a'<:curate

z_ 1.2-5 Glass piste, a convenient size being one at least ;$ ·f'.~ \. . -· Pt ace the empty container on tho flat pan of the balance ,

I 10 mm thick and about 500 mm square ..

z. 1 _2.6 Me(al rray or container to take oxcavauid soil. a
ensuring that the upper rim of the container is horizontal , it
necessary by embedding tho base in modell i ng clay or simila,
material. Note the mass of tho contair,ier, tog other with any
enient size being one about JOO mm in diameter and
conv I{. . mo~o_lling cl~y, 1
·"9) tc,
he n~ar'.l:!t 1 g (rn~}1hen fill tho calibrating
about 40 mm deep . '.".. container almost compltitely w,th wotor, taking caro not to
/
z. 1.2. 7 A cylindrical, steel core cucrer (/or fine-grained spill water upon the pnn ot the balance or tho outside of tho
c ohesionless soils), J JO mm long and 100 :: 2 mm internal container. Layo straight-edge across tho top of the i:.:ontainor
diameter, with a wc:1ll1hicknass of J mm bevellod at ono ond . and ad~ water slowly and carefully by moan~ of ii dropping
One.:suirabfe type j:, ,Hustraied in figure 6. This cu nor shall bo rod ~ntil tho water just touches tho s-trn ightodgo. Remove tho
stra1ghtodge nnd note tho f 1..
kepl lightly greased. , - " \_ ma~ o t11e co rn<1inc1r ph1'$ water to
'-..• '.Ji, N_
1
tho•--
noorest
-- -
1 g
• •
(m ).R . h
o_,.,, ope,it t o ITHlO$urornont ,1 number oJ
. 2 . 1. 2.8 Apparecvslor moisture conta nf da1armino1ioh\,~
t1mos to obtain an· accur;ito moan v ,luo o l m
5p1Kifiad.in ffS .1 371;P11rt2: 1990. ' . . •·. ,. c)r
n .th o re ooat
~
tost:i 1t 1s only nocossary to
- . - t · · romovo o srn" ll arnou nt ot ,.,,·tto '
l.l,Z.9 ',4. mimH frqy,;bou('390 lnrri sqtlMo and ,lbout <1() rnrn )Ymflt1n!lofthedropping d d .. . . . . '. ·'
, . . ro an lo rot di tho contairiEir to tho
,J.i~'r>\',li tll .r l 0$'.t-tl~tr1<li~.,11:4 _~~d iol a in r~a c:ri() tr o , .
1ov o 1 of rho str,HghtedcJ
. _ · .
0
. -
n ·
• 0 vo lum e o l tho colibrniin cJ
·
.,.: ontil1no, V(in ml) 15 , · . · .
}.; '! <k M,ut1H,:,f fi:\_;; ,,~lic,,~i'af\f i.an~lJMMl l:/o i(: l f} i] n c !r')Slily, ' ·· · , g,vun by the nq1iation : -\
,y ,,iJ\rJ_,; ~4;''."fo:_1,~I;d\;,1,;,;i\rf"·.\'.''·itJ• ':q
1
iq'Jli r) f, 11 :;i ry th,, r,s . . l. V
 ~

•
.,B S 13 7 7 1-' an 8 l 8::JU

¼; ·,\ \.
2 1 -« .,
· ·"' ·"--2
Pl
0 f 1·h e ca 1·b ·
. .
. .. . ..
.;:

i,. -.
.
1 · '!_.,
~l
ace the pouring cylinder co nca ntr,cally on tho 1op / 2. 1.5.4 Place o ropresonto 1
I rating containe r after it has b f en filled to the
_..J "
I
•

· a n llirtight container ar,

t"vo i;ornP 1o o
.
d deturmone rt s
.
f
111 6 6
x co v1n e d s oi l in
,
. . rnoisturn co nrnnt. w ,
• w t1 0 t c
Alui rnetiv e lv , t,10
"•
•II
1 9 90
constant moss. m,, as specified in 1!':<l.4.1..J. Keep the shut1er os specified in BS 1377 : p -, n 2 · . d ~nd iis rn ,s~, . ma,
on the pouring cylinder closed during thi:; ooerati0n . Op e ,, of tho excavawd soil shall bo drte
the shu11er snc allow tt>e i.and to run ouq Do not tap the , d eiorinined. ) r ,

· :.> \ J; . cylinder. filled to th 8 con .,ta n ,

r
pouring cylinder or otherwiso vibrate it during this period . -/, _,-
h t . '·
P- n no unher r!"lovement of sand takes place m the-~ ; _ /
>, 2. 1.5.5 Pisco the pouring
·r· d . h bor e o f I.he
4 1 . 1 so tt-,a'. t e "
r d I j:fl mas s m, os spect re in 2 · 1 • · E th e ~hl, tt e r on
CV in er. c ose the ·s hut1er. Remove the pouring cyl inder with . · • h h conccntricolly. n s ure ·"
h . . . . . . . . cyl ,ndercoverst o o Ie . ati on Open t he
t e s a ne ren1ammg 1n and d e ,erm,ne their r omb1ned m as s . . . . 1 d during 1h1s o p ur ·
fl'l:J , to the nearesi 1 g.
1 the pounng cyl ,ndor ts c oso . during th is p e rio d d o not

·
. .
NOTE. The calobratmg container should stand on II large tr ay 0u ri ng
th,s pertofthe test procedure to collect the ,end over11owin g tram th e
cone when the cylinder is removed .
s hut1er a nd aHow sand to run out ,
.
vibra te th0 cyli
.
nd0 r or
the surround ing llf68 .
•novernent of the sand tB_kes_p oce .
I

the cyl inder and determine its mass . m£,

Wh
en
n o fu rtt,c r
.
close th e s hu-ner . Rern c.wc,,
to the n eare s-;: 1 gJ II !
-r ' '..../':-~- 1 .42..3 Re:;)eat these measurement s at least three tim es
t"} · ··,rnd ..;alculate the mea n value of m 3 • )
~OTE. Since vari3tions in atmosphe ric hum idity HHe ct th e mo,st ur e
CC- 'lteni of tt-ie send. and hence its bulk density, :he ctilibra1,on should
be made . o r st lea st checl;ed, dur ing e;, cn day·s wo rk. l" o c,ver com c
lhe effect s of slight v2'rint ions in gradi ng and p.; nicle sha pe be twee n
., Y1
i··· z:-i . 6 Cn lculBtions~. ond
)
ex pression° r

conrn iner from the equ at ion :

m , = m, - r.,3 - n1 2
· d
mass of s a nd, .m. (in g , require 10
. f e s ults Calcul ate the
: .
fill the c a llt-:ra tin g
II
b.;;ches o1 s.;r, d , each batch should be ·sampled and .:.a lib rnte d.

::.:::.""J.::5 Procedt..•re
('
w'1er e
m, is the mass of cylind e r a nd s a nd b e fo re p ou rin g int o
II
\ _. \ l, 2.1.5 .1 Expos e a r.at area , approx imatel "y 45 0 mm s ou ar e, of cel ibrating container (in g) ;
)
-·• : \ he soil 10 be tested anc1 tr im it down to a l~ve! s urf a c e. m 2 is the mean mas s of sand in cone {in g) ;
preferably with the a id of the scr;:iper tool. Brush away any m 3 is the mean mass of cyl inder and s a nd a h e: r pouring
lcose ext~11neo_us _-1na1enal. ) into calibrating ~01 1ta :n e r (i :, gl .
Calcl!latethe bulk densiry of th e san d , p . (in Mgt rn'.l ), fre,rn t h e
2. 1 .5.'.L. -Lay the n:1etal tray on th~ prepared surface w ith the
equation :
h0le overt he pon:ion of the soil to be tesied. Us ing this hole as
a pen_ern, excava_te a r_ound hole, approximately 1_OO _mm in m.
diameter and th~.depth of the layer to be teSled up to a p.=v
maximum of 150.fnm .deep. Do not leave loose material in the
hole and. do not distort the immediate surround to th~ ~olr) where
::;:. -,__.,..-~arefully collect all the excavated soil from the hole find . Vis the volume of the calibrating cont<! ; ner (i n ml) .
determine its mass, m.,,. to the nearest 1 g. Remove the metal
Calculate the !Tlass of sand r_equired to fill the excavated hole . •
i. r~y before placing the pouring cylinder in position over the
m 0 (in g). from equation:
__ _excavated .hole.
- ·NOTE. Jake care in excavating the hole 1.9_ see 1ha1 the hole i~. no1 ,
enl~rg'ed _ by levering the excaveting _1001 agajnst'the _i;ide of the hole ,
B~ this will.result in lower densities being recorded.

2 . 1 .5.3 Alternative method for fine -grsineJ cahesionl!!ss

where

m, is the mass of cylinder and sand before pouring into

I
soils (see note). hole (in g) ;
Without us ing the metal tray, press the steel core cuner m2is the mean mass of sand in cone (in g) ; '
(figu re 6) evenly and carefully into the soil until its top edge is
m. i~the mass of cylinder and sand aher pour ing into hol e : ,:_
flush with the levelled surlace . Excavate the soil to a depth of (mg). .
abo u t 120 mm within the core cuner by means of suitable
. .tools. c~reh.!IIY cqllect the excavated soil and determ ine its Calcu~ate the bulk density of the soil, p (in Mg/ml) from the ■
equation : ' . ~
rnass , m..,. t o th~ ne e rest ~ ~- Keep the core cuner in position
cvnng t·h e remainder qf the 1es1ing procedure .
p = (::} p. ,_.
. . f ,OU: i ti e_p roc~µ r e , pecif.ed 1n 2.1.S.3 should only be ti rnployed

.• ..
wnanU\e fine -gntinod co ti c5ionle~ s ~o il i£ m ,uch e_cond,t,on that .
,;,,•l)et:i il:s tn\) t ht:. proc~dv.-~ s p e-ci11eo in 2.1.5.2, e cy bndr, ca l hole
c.~n {\<1, liiJo-.-rnti(l ~~•"'cS~ of the ir1Stot>ility of the s,dtis of the hole .
:-? . .. '}'.1,¢i.,;e Bt xii.e ¢0,~ l=tiU!!r will (l 1od uce rn rne d it 1urbe nce ,n the soil
whore I
, ,"t/"'· .. i;,Q; ~:i1t1.((' tl1lt p.ip~'d>.,;i't -j( necern1 ry. ou e aJlowa nc ~ s h o uld b e m.. is the mass o f soil excavnted (in g) ;
:,r ,: ·;/t11 i1C.i.(p •io;,.•~/.f:t?l'!(.fil t(/ of *Ct.1!r,H'.")' lht;nw o11ld n o rma lly be
j/\\ :; .;r:,,~(:f~ d·.,;iit, 11i,e, ~~11,a ~ ~.1, 1t.1c f)ra,,11 1 rni1 11uo
mo
p.
is the mass of sund roquirnd \0 ft ll 1ho h o le ("
is the bulk density of send (i n
. }'
111\girnlJ. · · · . · m G ,
I
_.·.
~}t.::•:/.·:\ -t 4
Calculate the d d · · _· · . :i . · ·.
<-;:,-\~~-: . .:: ... .)·: ry en suy, Ai (m Mglm L from lh e eQunti o r-i :
µ_. = ~ l 00
100 + w
p . . .1..
 I
I where
I.
th
or w is e moisture content of the so il (in % ).
' to soe thot tho :s.nme constant ini1_1al mas:s a:s 1:s used in cah_brnung th"
p""
I \-Vhe re
I m d is the mass of dry soil from tho hole (in g) ;
IT\. is the :nass of sand required to fill the hol"l (in g).
2 -1 . 7 Test report. Toe test repon: shall affirm that the te;;·was
. car ried out in accordance with this Pan: of this sta~dard and
s h a ll c ontain the foll.:1wing informatior. :
I
. (a) the method 0ftest used ;
(bi the in-<;itu bulk and dry aensit ies of the soil (in Mg/;nJ)
to the nearest 0 .01 Mg/r.,J ;
I (c) the moisture content, as a percentage to two s ign ifi,:ant
figures ;
(d) the information requ ired by claus& 9 of BS 1377 :
I Part 1 : 1990.
I :2-2 Sand replacement method s~itable for fine- , medium-
ar.d coarse-grained soils (larse pouring cylindflr method)
2 .2. 1 General. This method covers the determination in situ
of the densiry of natura i'or compacted !'O il containing coarse--
grained particles which make the test described in 2.1 difficu :t
I to perform. It is an alternative to that test for fine- and
medium-grained soils ;md should be used instead oft:iat test
for layers ~xceeding 150 mm, but not exceeding 250 mm in
1- thickness (see note).
With granular materials having linle or no cohesion,
particularly when they are wet, there is a danger of errors in
measurement of density by this method. These errors are
I caused by the slumping of the sides of the excavated density
hole and always result in an over-estimation of density. In
such cases the test described in 2.3 should be selected.
The test described in 2.3 should also be used when very
I coarse-grained material is present.
NOTE. If for any rea:son it i:s necessary 10 oxcava1e holo:s olher than
250 mm the calibrating container should be replaced by one with the
same depth as the hole excavated. or its effective depth reduced to
I that of the hole excava1ed.
The requirements of Part i of rhis srandatd, where
I appropriate, shall apply to rhe test methods described in this
clause.
2 .Z.2 Appararus
2 .2 ;2 . 1 A pouring cylinder s imilar in detail to that shown in
f. figurn 4 .
2.2.22 Suirab/11 roofs for oxcov8ting holru in cornpoctod ,oil,
9 _g , a bent s p o on rl ibbor, larf}e sc rewdriver encUor pointed
ilHtel rod ab out 250 rnm l,o~g a rld 7 ~n m IO 10 mm in diomotor
w 1.t h a hail d! o ..
z.7.. 2.;J Cylindric.a l r/iqf~f col;JJt',Jtifi fJ Ci'il114in(l(' Wir r,
I' .,r,, e rr1ai dia m ~ter.o f W il.,-~ 5 ,r,rri ., nd (i l:d n(~rr;a, t:it'!(Hhq f 250
,. j fl <I"( (~tte ncHd to 2 .7. . l i~:• ~! rh P. t'Jun~ h r;\.vn in' 11{/t:r •J !J ) i.tfod
.,..✓.-rh ~ flµ abo•1 ! / '.5 ('I' ' ' ' •1:d« J_(,!'J ;j !,()i H ,r>.ip,·:, d 11c li: ..· ..
I ·- . rJ_p~lw-
9,,1,1uLri.(j ,,19 fH~ tj (1it_ . .
1
2 _2 _2.4 Bo/once, roadab '3 to 10 g .
NOTE . The toial mas• al (he pou ring cy 1in<ler and sanrl i_s large so that
:~o meihod al filling and weighing ,s to -:-,e,gh !he sand _ ,n ~o or thc~o
containe~ and 1ip ;t into 1he po~':ng cylondc ~ bolo,~ using, . e~e cerc
·• usod for each density me asurement. Suffic,.,nt sand
apparo (U!> ,~ d. ' f . h .
should bo used so that aboul 4 kg to 5 kg of san •~ .o t 1n t o pouring
cylinder attar the lest is complet!!d.
2.i.2.s A gloss plate or other plone surface, a convenient size
being one at feast 10 mm th ick and abcut 500 mm square .
)
2 . 2 .2.6 1\/,e~el rrays or co r1 rainors to take the ~xcava'.od soil
and to take the supply of sand to fill the pounng cylinder.
2.2.2.7 Apporsrus for m..:J isruro conwnt dewrm inorion as
specified in BS 1377 : Part 2 : 19 90.
2.2.2.8 A metal rray a bout 500 mm sq uare and abo11t SC mm
deep with a 200 mm d iamet e r hol e ir, t h e c e ntre.
2.2.3 M atflrial. The re plac e m e n t s a n d s h a ll b e a cl e an
dosely g ra ded s ilica s and ,,..,h ic h p rovides a b u !!< density th a t
is rea s on a bly consiste n t. The grad ing o f t~ e s a n d !;hall be
s uch th dt 100 % p ass es a 600 µ.rn test s ie v e and 100 % is
reta ined on a 63 µm test s iev e . in add itio n it sha ll b e fre e from
f:akey particles , si 't . cla y and org;,ni c ,- natte r. Ele fore u s e it
shall have been '.lve n d ried a nd s to red in a loo s ely cover<:d
conta i:ie r to allow its moisture cont ent ro re ach equ ilibrium
with atmospheric hum id ity. ·
NOTE . After oven drying, a storage period generally of about 7 days
i,; sufficient for the mo isture cc,nte:i t o ~:he s:ind to reac!i equilit.Jriur,,
with the ;;tmospheric humidity. The sand s:-iould not be stored in
airtight containers and should be mixed 1hor0Jghly before use. If
sa:id i,; salvaged from holes in compacted soils after-:arrying out this
test. it is arJvisable to sieve, dry and store th is sand again before it is
used in further sand replacement tests.
2.2.4 Calibrations
2.2.4.1 Determination of the mass of sand in the cone of the
pouring cylinder
2.2.4.1.1 Fill the pouring cylinder with a given initial mass of
sand, m ,, weigh_ed to the nearest 10 g and aiways use th~
same initial mass for every calibration. Maintain this mass
constant throughout the tests for which the calibration is
used (see note to 2-2.2.4) . Allow a volume of sand equivalent
to that of tho excavated hole in the soil, or equal to that of tho
calibrating container, to run out. Close the shutter on the
pouring cyl inder and place the cyl inder on a plane surface ,
e.g. the glass plate .
2.2.4.1.2 Open the shutter on tho pouring cylinder and allow
sa~d to run out. Do not tap or oth3rw ise vibrattt the pouring
cylinder during this period • When no furthe r movement o I
sand takes place in the cylinder , close th o s h utter and
carefully remove the cylinder.
2.2.4 . 1.J Collect tho sand on tho plane surface that had filled
the cone of tho pouring cylinder and rt . .
otermmo ,ts m a ss m
to the noarost 1 o g . · • 2,
2 .2.4 . 1.4 Repeat tho s e m
easurement s s a t least throe tirn
an and calc11lato tile mean valuo 1
o m 1. {) s
\
i
. \
'
.l
 - ~ -- .

.
.
. . -· ·. l "" o f thtl ox1; 11vt1t1H'l i: oll i1
,_
.::r~. - .
'i

· .. · · 1 1V II lilH l! P " · .
2.:.: .ii ,;i Dclt1tr11ir1t)l;(>f1 o l 1h11 IJuik df11,::,; iry () f tl, 11 11 1111d (p. ) 2~2..fi.:~ f' lo().(;'l u r_owoiwnin . : 11 -,,<• lt t m<:ili1'1.ut(I c <H1lant, w. ,; ·.
· d dcH urr 1 · 1
:z .;: .4.2..1 Dutorrnira, tho 1n\ort1t1l vo lurr1 (l, V (in ml). o f th ti " " hi rt lo_ht GrJFI IJIIIIOf IHI .. ,, • ''"0
1 1 ·
u; H >Oclfit,d in 0 5, l ,, "'7'l •• Pu
· ·rl· ~ • "' "' · ,. . ,, .· _..
tl.i libnHl nn <;o nt1Ji11 or by 1tw rnll:ir, o f w111t, 1 roqtiirud 10 f1 II ii. . <Ju r f i lf· ""' rJ wltl1 Jhi! r.on..,1. ~nt
(Soo noto 10 2.2.2..-t.) , 0 cyltn
z,:zrl l>.( Phi co tho po 1' " " • • i ,, , 1 fl O 11101 th<i .l'.JM, o c.
f,IO 'l't , Tho fo llowinQ rholhod fof cJ01orrnlni110 tho voluino vf 1ho
. ·
11·11.11; ~ o f $;1Jnd (m,l uu t i
,
. , . )oel frod 11, 2 · ·4
·. -ncontricu lly. Koop th o i; huno ,
. . ., . , .: . ,- .
0<11lbr 01ino c.o nt ainnr h ..i~ bo1111 found bo1h CCJ l'IV1111lot11 and e ccvr1110 . 1
t h o cylind1.1r covor a th o _1,0 l0 c;~ durir10 thi i. oporotl o n . () pan . .. . .
Plo.e .; tho ompty C11 fi bro1inq co mai11t11 oo II flot surface . onc vrfou th/II on tht pourino c;ylind fJI c lo:.<l ·. out· duri ng th l ri p(iril1d d() •
ii, uppQr rirn ii: horii ont-11 1. if ru;u,_s,. ,y by flmb11od,no tho buu 111 cii nd t0 run , ,
n. c1d .:, lli110 cloy or simllar ma 1,r1 .. 1. Fill " ,uiu,hlll co r1 L11iru11 (or tii n i; hunor t11,d uII t1 w . ., . . , ,. surmundinfJ t.Hc A. · 1· ·
•. llnu er or 11 "'
co ntllinon: ) wh h w111or 11nd wo iot1 (m.) tot ho 11 011ro~110 u 11r1d than fil l
thn c.b libra\ino com.ainar 11 lr'i'11)1 1 coniplo1<1ly with w a 1,1r fforn tho 'Nh cn no flirif-,er movor~u r urid detormin o ils rno:; :; (m,. ) tc
w<>ioh,;d oo n14i ni;r. L.ay o irt raightod go 11cro" tho top o f tho
&hu!lut. Rornovo ttw c,;1i nd o .
. c btibnnino co11tainor Gtll1 lldd mort, watu r slowly nnll cor,i,lully from
~ho weiot111t1 eonuaine, by monm ot II droppino rod until \ho woter ju ,-i th e n oorosr 10 o. · l ·
touche, the ~ralgh1odQ tl. Tako core thal no wat or f,. 1,plll od durino ~. Calcul n~e th e .
. . oss,•o·n of result
· • ,., an d oxpr · . . .
, ·_.
thelle open11ions. Thor) reweigh tho wou,r co ntn lnor (or cont.aint,rs) 2.2._6 Co/culot,on ... _ d fill th e calibrlltin g c on t1.11ner . m.
(m,l . mass o f sund roqutro to 1
Repeat the ;n,:a~u :-e 1T1ent a nurnber of time~ 10 ubrnin 1.1n tJ C;Curnt e (i n ol. from the equation : i
meal\ va lu e fo r m,.. For th11 repea t 10 ,1s it is only nc ces:,; nry to romov.:
j . .
a s mall amount of water from th -: fi ll ed calibrn tin g containe r by ,n. .. ,n, ·- m , - rn1 . '
means of th e d ropping rol1, rt, turn it to the, w e ighed co n: ti in ( r. 11nd lO
1efill the calibrating conu,iner 10 the le·,e l of th e s1;11 ightudo11. The wh ere . .,.
volurnc of th e ca libr1ning container. vin ,nl, ir, give•, by the fo llC>wing I. . .
·--,q mnii:m : m , .rs th e mas s. o 1 cyo1•·nder an d sa nd b e fore p cwrin : 1 ,n lh e
v ... mi.- ,n. ca li brn tin g con t ainer (in g ): . I
IT'2is tht, nH11rn rnn ss o f sand in con e (in g ); - .
2.2.4.2.2 Pla ce th e pourir,g cyl inder concentric ally on tt. e top
mlis th e mea n ma ss of cylin_d er a_nd sa nd aher p o u rini;i ~
of the calibr9ting cc-n~a i ner and fill with th e constonl ma!:s o~
i111 0 th e calibratin g contain er (,n g) .
sand (m 1 ) as !:' p_eci'fie d in 2.2.4.1 .1 . Ke ep th e shuncr on the
~. p o uring cylinder closed dun119 th is operation. Open th e • Calcu~;ite th e·bulk density of the sand. p. (in Mg/m) ). from the ~
· shuner and a How th e ~a nd 10 ru n out. Do not tap or otherwi se eq uation : ~

v i brate : he pouring cylinder duri ng thi s perioJ. Wh P. n no I

m.
further r;1ovement of ,·he r.,md takes place in ·the cylinder,
close the shu~er. l,emcve the pouring cylinder with the $c>nd
p. =-v '
remaining in it and dexermine their combined mass (ffiJ) to where
the nearest 1 O g . Vi!' th e volume of the calibrating container (in ml) .
NOTE. The calibrating container shou,d stand on a large tray during '
t_his pan of the test procedure, to collect the sand overllowrng from Calc:.1late the mass of s,rnd required to fill the excavated hole. -
the cone when the cylinder is removed. m 0 (in g). from the equation : • ....,..
• !
2.2.4.2.3 Repeat these measurements at least three times. m., .. M 1• - m. - m 2 . t !

and calculate the mean value of m3.

NOTE..Since variations in atmospheric humidity-eHe~ the moisture
content ol the sand, and hence its bulk densit\·. the cahbrat,on should
be made, pr at least checked. during each ciuy's work.. To overcome
the effec:ts of sli!)ht variat ions in yrarlino and panicle shape ber,...eon
wh:~is<h• mass of cylinde, and sand befo,e poudng i n!o
hole (in g);
the"" : i•
t
batches of sand. each batch should be sampled and ca It brat ed. m,is the mean mass of sand in the cone (in g);
m, is the mass of cylinder and sand after pouring into the
hole (in g) . ·

Calcu~ate the bulk density of the soil, p (in Mg/m:s). from the
equation:

wher e

m_ is the mass of soil excavated (i n g) ;

rn~ 15 th e mass of sa nd re
· . .
. quired to fill the hole (in g l :
P. IS th e bulk density of the sand (inMg,rnl )
Ca lculate th o dry density (i .3 • ' . ..
• Pa n Mg/m l. from th e equation :
100 o
Pc ' " ' - - -
100-.w
where
wi ~ Hien, 0 · . · ·
. . . is1ure conter11 of h . . . .
. · t · c: so!I (1n %) . . .

6
 ..
•
_ .. ·

Ill Z.2..,7 ~
asr repon. The test report shall affirm that the test wos
.carrie-:1 out i,i a:::c'Jrd;,,1ce with th is Part of this standard and
2
.J.2.2 Rig id srraighce d ge sufficiently long co leve l the ares.o f,
the density ring to be used .

II shalt cont~in the following information.

(a; The .method of test used.
(b} The ih-situ bulk and dry de.nsitics o; the soil (in Mg/mJ)
suitable le ngth to uS-6 wi th t ho
L.3.2 .3 Spin't /l'JVOI of
straightedge in ord e r to level the density ring ,
2.J.2.4 Poinrer gaug e assembly consist.ing of a ~ ad just_ab!~

•
to the nearest 0.01 Mg/mJ_ v e,1 ical pointe~ t'.iat can be locked in a fixed pcs,uon. which is
(:l T~e moisture content. as a persentage, to two r.iounted on a datum bar that is remova ble d•Jring the test and
significant figuros. can be replaced precise ly so that the p oi nter is in tho s ame
(d) The information required by clause 9 of BS 1377 :
position . The tip of the pointer is used to ju dge the final w a ter
Part ·1 : 1990. level.
NOTE . For the smaller dens ity rin g s th e poin t~r ma". bo mo u n te d o n
2 -3 Water replacem;int method suitable for coa·rsn-grained d tum t,ar s:,ppcrtect on logs which r e main ,,. pos111o n th roug ho u t .
~h 8 ~e st a nd are driven into th e g ro u nd ?uts 'do 1he•:ing . Fonh o luge r

•I
~oils
z. 3 .1 General. This method covers the determination in-situ
o f the ders;ty of ~e,ural or corr.pacted coarse-grained soil
L! s ing a circular density rrng on the ground surface and a
fl e xible plastics sheet to retain W3terto determine the volume
o f an excav10ted hole. The method is used in coarse and very
coa rse soils when the other methods for determining the /ield
dens ity are unsuitable because the volume excavated would
• hich are generally more s ta bl e. it is us u a l fo r ;h.e da (u m bar to _
~:~~~';;'cly lon g er than the diam e ter o f th e ring and fo nt lO rest ~n th e
rim of th o ring . marking t he po si cio n so th a ~ I( ca_n be _rewmec. .
pre,:isely to the s,ime po:::ition . In th is _c as? t he p<,inm 1 15 " ' th e ca n t, El
of the d a tu~ bar wich a cl;,m p for ad1us ung t h e he ight.
2.3.2.5 Calibra ted·w ercr co .... rainers (s e9 a ls c 2 .3 .4.1 L of
suita ble c,3oac:ty for the wa te r !, upp ly, e ach wit h a vo lu :ne
mea s urir.g gauge and 2 s ui table de live ry hose which s h ell ~e
fitted w:th a valv E:f clos e to the exit in o rd e r to fac: licat e dos e

I b e unr9presentative.
Alternative density det1:?rminati0ns may bo mad'3 es follow-..; :
control of the water flow into the flexib le pla st ics s hee L
Gradu::itic,ns on tl-.s measuring g auge s shall bti cl,:3 ar:y
rnarked and shall permit measur e me n ts to be mad e w ith in
(a) for the total material within the hole excavated (see

I 2.3 .5 . 1) :
( 1) ,o an unspecified·dept;i ;
(2) to a sr.,ecified deptt, ;
0 .3 % of the volume of the hole excavated.

2.3.2.6 Balance or balance:; readable co TOO g.

2.3.2.7 S.Jmple containers. suita:ile for holding the

I (3) in successive tes:s as a hole is progressively

deepened in order to determine the varia:ion of density
with increasing depth, e.g. when ;:,lacing and
compacting material in specified stages.
E::xcavated soil and for the measurement of i,s mass.
NO-:-E. Soils and ai.Jso,bent ,.,cks.holc!ing significant ;,mounts of
water require containers ""ith close-tining lids. For material
consisting of predominantly hard. non-absorbent rock of negligible

I (b) for the proportion of the soil finerthan a specified size.

· norm·ally ·not less than coarse gravel (see 2.3.5.2).
moisture content open containers are satisfactory.

2.3.2.8 Digging tools for excavating and removing material

from the ·hole, e.g. pick, shovel. vibrating hammer and c:.i:;el
The requirements of
Part 1 of this standard, where
point. crowbar, broom, handbrush and scoop.

I appropriate, shall apply to the test methods described in this

c:ause.
2.3.2 Apparatus. The following list of apparatus applies to
NOTE. When very coane material may b~ encountered in the
ex~vetion it is ;,dvisalJle ,o prO'l,ide mechanicai e.xcavati,m and lifting
equipment. ·
both procedures (a) and (b). (See 2.3.5.1 and 2.3.5.2

I respectively.) The number and size of the items will vary with
che. type of material present and the size of the hole to be
2.3.2.9 . Self-priming pump with suction and delivery hose for
removing water from ·within the flexible plastics sheet.

2. 3 .2. 1 O Mixing equipmencfor the quick-setting plaster, such

I.
excavated.
as a bucket and a perforated disc on the end of a pole.
z.3.2. 1 Oensiry ring of rig_id construction providing an
•· · unobstructed inner surface that is of a rigl'lt cylinder 2.3.2: 11 ~pparerus for moisture content determination as
approximately 100 mm high for rings up to 500 mm nominal specified m BS 1377 : Part 2 : 1990 _
intetnt,JI diameter and 200 mm high for larger diameters. The

I .
_ ring shall be provided externally with a mean~ for securing its
position on the ground 5u~ace. e.g . metal 5p1ke,. The ring
diarneter ·s hall _b e several t1mos larger than the largost -s,zod
2 -3 -2.12 Test

·r. .
sieves, if required.
2.3 .2. 13 Apperstus for dry density d-"'term. c.
·
spec1 ied ,n clause 7 of BS 1377 . p
" . tntJ. ion
.
as
.
· arc 2 • 1990, ,f r equ tr ed .
. - pertii;le (.soe _natel~.
. NOTE.' A:1 ,, gol'ltJrt,I gu ide 1l1e ri~g d'. i, n-101e r ,hould b~ et le1t1t five
rim"• the ,ii,s o f th." !l"O_t1•t Pl((t<;l('l, ,n we ll~r11ded ~o tl but ri,o,e ;r .
u rii{orrnlycci llf'l<~" R~•;".'1~lll'."'l!~'./lllrp1.n~~!(Qm~;m(tl -10 2:5 m .
R,io ~i t o, le rgMttl.ll fJ. ,soo ~ .11:i •1:~n11~p_fd111met1tI ,,,., ~su11 tl y . .

I
.'· .. ·. .SJ, .
_. .•· }f~~:c;t e;iiri(
i;1 ti d 1r,·,,4v~r.t1l;!,t(J/71!1!1tJ whlt,hr:1111 tltt 0 11;4~,nl)Jqd ,u the ~ite

~x, ftfSj dJ f111f'l(lfL:"

·_l .
• '.. . --
\ ' hovlrt
fi7 j! t1.s9~~ r 1gidlty •,( XtJ., ,r/t\a 1
.
h~ f!it~r;lWith an .
. -

· .. ·
.
·.
.. .