Three Phases in Soils

S : Solid Soil particle

W: Liquid Water (electrolytes)
A: Air Air

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Three Volumetric Ratios
(1) Void ratio e (given in decimal, 0.65)

Volume of voids (Vv )

e
Volume of solids (Vs )

(2) Porosity n (given in percent 100%, 65%)

Vse e Volume of voids (Vv )
n  n
Vs (1  e) 1  e Total volume of soil sample (Vt )

(3) Degree of Saturation S (given in percent 100%, 65%)

Total volume of voids contains water (Vw )
S 100%
Total volume of voids (Vv )

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Engineering Applications (e)
Typical values Engineering applications:
Simple cubic (SC), e = 0.91, Contract

Cubic-tetrahedral (CT), e = 0.65, Dilate

Volume change tendency

Strength
Link: the strength of
i
rock joint
(Lambe and Whitman, 1979)
Shear strength  n tan(  i)

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Engineering Implications (e)(Cont.)

 Hydraulic conductivity
– Which packing (SC or SC
CT) has higher hydraulic e = 0.91
conductivity?

CT
e = 0.65

The fluid (water) can flow more easily through the

soil with higher hydraulic conductivity
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 Engineering Applications (e)(Cont.)
Filter
SC
e = 0.91

The finer particle cannot pass

•Clogging through the void
CT
e = 0.65

Critical state soil mechanics

5
Density and Unit Weight
• Mass is a measure of a body's M ass
inertia, or its "quantity of Density,  
Volume
matter". Mass is not changed at
Weight M ass g
different places. Unit weight ,   
Volume Volume
• Weight is force, the force of
gravity acting on a body. The g : accelerati on due to gravity
value is different at various     g    9.8 m 2
places (Newton's second law F sec
= ma) (Giancoli, 1998) Water ,   9.8 kN 3
m

• The unit weight is frequently

s   g s
used than the density is (e.g. in Gs   s 
calculating the overburden w w  g  w
pressure).

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 Weight Relationships
(1)Water Content w (100%)
Mass of water ( M w )
w 100%
Mass of soil solids ( M s )
For some organic soils w>100%, up to
500 %
For quick clays, w>100%
(2)Density of water (slightly varied
with temperatures)
w  1g / cm3  1000 kg / m3  1Mg / m3
(3) Density of soil
a. Dry density
Mass of soil solids (M s )
d 
Total volume of soil sample (Vt )
b. Total, Wet, or Moist density (0%<S<100%,
Unsaturated)
Mass of soil sample(M s  M w )

Total volume of soil sample (Vt )
c. Saturated density (S=100%, Va =0)
Mass of soil solids  water(M s  M w )
sat 
Total volume of soil sample (Vt )
d. Submerged density (Buoyant density)
'  sat  w
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Weight Relationships (Cont.)

Submerged unit weight: '   sat   w

Consider the buoyant force Ws  Vs   w Ws  (Vt  Vw )   w

 (S  100%)
acting on the soil solids: Vt Vt
Ws  Vt   w  Ww

Vt
Ws  Ww  Vt   w

Vt
Archimede’s principle:   sat   w
The buoyant force on a body immersed
in a fluid is equal to the weight of the
fluid displaced by that object.

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Other Relationships

(1) Specific gravity Proof:

s  s S  e  w  Gs
Gs  
w  w S e 
Vw Vv Vw
 
Vv Vs Vs
Ms
(2) M w s M w Vs Vw
w  S  e  w  s w  Gs     
M s w M s M w Vs
S  e  w  Gs Vw