PARTICLE SIZE OF COURSE-GRAINED SOILS

The distribution of particle sizes or

average grain diameter of coarsegrained soilsgravels and sandsis
obtained by screening a known weight of
the soil through a stack of sieves of
progressively finer mesh size.

It is virtually always useful to quantify the size of the grains in a type of soil. Since
a given soil will often be made up of grains of many different sizes, sizes are
measured in terms of grain size distributions. Grain size distribution (GSD)
information can be of value in providing initial rough estimates of a soils
engineering properties such as permeability, strength, expansivity, etc. A subject
of active research interest today is the accurate prediction of soil properties
based largely on GSDs, void ratios, and soil particle characteristics. At this point in
time, though, such research has not yet produced results that are usable in
standard engineering practice. In this period, we will look at methods of
measuring GSDs of soils, and also different measures of soil grain shapes.

When measuring GSDs for soils, two methods are generally used:

> For grains larger than 0.075mm sieving is used;

> For grains in the range of .075mm > D > 0.5m, the hydrometer
test is used.

PARTICLE SIZE OF FINE-GRAINED SOILS

FINE GRAINED SOIL

The fine-grained soils are not classified on the basis of grain size distribution, but

according to plasticity and compressibility.

In the course analysis (Sieve Test) anything finer than 63 m was recorded as clay

and silt.
The Plasticity of a soil has a marked effect on the engineering properties of a soil-

shear strength, compressibility etc.

As the particles which make up the clays and silts tend to be flaky in nature, this

together with changes in the water content gives rise to an inherently variable
material.

 Laboratory classification criteria are based on the relationship between the

liquid limit and plasticity index as designated in the plasticity chart. This chart
was established by the determination of limits for many soils, together with an
analysis of the effect of limits upon physical characteristics. Examination of
the chart shows that there are two major groupings of fine-grained soils. These
are the L groups, which have liquid limits less than 50, and the H groups, which
have liquid limits equal to and greater than 50. The symbols L and H have
general meanings of low and high compressibility, respectively. Fine-grained
soils are further divided with relation to their position above or below the A-line
of the plasticity chart.

CHARACTERISTICS OF FINE-GRAINED SOIL

Fine grained soils are identified on the basis of its plasticity. Individual particles

are not visible by naked eye.

Fine grained soils are also divided in two groups:

-Silt -Clay.
Particles having diameter:

-between 75 micron to 2 micron are called Silt -smaller than 2 micron is

called Clay.
Verbal description of fine grained soil is done on the basis of its:

-dry strength

-Dilatancy -dispersion and plasticity.

 Fine grained soil exhibit a poor load bearing capacity.

Fine grained soil is practically impermeable in nature because of its small

particles size.
Volume change occurs with change in moisture content.
Strength changes with change in moisture condition.
Fine grained soil is susceptible to frost action.
Engineering properties are controlled by mineralogical factors.
When touched by hand it feels smooth, greasy and sticky.

The screening process cannot be used for

fine-grained soilssilts and claysbecause of
their extremely small size. The common
laboratory method used to determine the size
distribution of fi ne-grained soils is a
hydrometer test The hydrometer test involves
mixing a small amount of soil into a
suspension and observing how the
suspension settles in time. Larger particles
will settle quickly, followed by smaller
particles. When the hydrometer is lowered
into the suspension, it will sink into the
suspension until the buoyancy force is
sufficient to balance the weight of the
hydrometer.

HYDROMETER TEST

ATTERBERG LIMITS
The Atterberg limits are a basic measure of the critical water contents of a

fine-grained soil, such as its shrinkage limit, plastic limit, and liquid limit.
can be used to distinguish between silt and clay, and it can distinguish
between different types of silts and clays.
limits were created by Albert Atterberg, a Swedish chemist.
These distinctions in soil are used in assessing the soils that are to have
structures built on. Soils when wet retain water and some expand in volume.
These tests are mainly used on clayey or silty soils since these are the soils
that expand and shrink due to moisture content.
Clays and silts react with the water and thus change sizes and have varying
shear strengths. Thus these tests are used widely in the preliminary stages of
designing any structure to ensure that the soil will have the correct amount of
shear strength and not too much change in volume as it expands and shrinks
with different moisture contents.

CHARACTERIZATION OF SOILS BASED

ON PARTICLE SIZE

Soils will be separated into two categories. One category is coarse-grained soils
that are delineated if more than 50% of the soil is greater than 0.075 mm (No. 200
sieve). The other category is fine-grained soils that are delineated if more than 50%
of the soil is finer than 0.075 mm. Coarse-grained soils are subdivided into gravels
and sands, while fine-grained soils are divided into silts and clays. Each soil type
gravel, sand, silt, and clayis identified by grain size, as shown in Table 2.1. Clays
have particle sizes less than 0.002 mm. Real soils consist of a mixture of particle
sizes.

Sand

Silt

Clay

Soil gradation is a classification of a coarse-grained soil that ranks the soil

based on the different particle sizes contained in the soil. Soil gradation is an
important aspect of soil mechanics and geotechnical engineering because it is
an indicator of other engineering properties such as compressibility, shear
strength, and hydraulic conductivity. In a design, the gradation of the in situ or
on site soil often controls the design and ground water drainage of the site. A
poorly graded soil will have better drainage than a well graded soil.

Coefficient of Uniformity
The selection of a soil for a particular use may depend on the assortment of particles
it contains. Two coefficients have been defined to provide guidance on distinguishing
soils based on the distribution of the particles. One of these is a numerical measure
of uniformity, called the uniformity coefficient, Cu, defined as

where D60 is the diameter of the soil particles for which 60% of the particles are
finer, and D10 is the diameter of the soil particles for which 10% of the particles are
finer. Both of these diameters are obtained from the grading curve.

Coefficient of Curvature

The other coefficient is the coefficient of curvature, Cc (other terms used are the
coefficient of gradation and the coefficient of concavity), defined as

where D30 is the diameter of the soil particles for which 30% of the particles are
finer. The average particle diameter is D50

Poorly graded soils have uniformity coefficients <4 and steep gradation curves.
Well-graded soils have uniformity coefficients >4, coefficients of curvature between 1
and 3, and flat gradation curves. Gap-graded soils have coefficients of
curvature <1 or >3, and one or more humps on the gradation curves.

References:

http://engineeringtraining.tpub.com/14070/css/14070_389.htm

http://www.slideshare.net/feride/soil-classification

http://slideplayer.com/slide/220544/

https://www.google.com.ph/search?q=Clay+and+Silt&biw=1093&bih=564&so
urce=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjeg7bo9jJAhXFMGMKHYEVBD0Q_AUIBigB#imgrc=FdWjP0c0RW-1sM%3A