Essais sur les sols Laboratory Testing

Water content Test ( Moisture Content )

This test consists of determining the mass of the wet soil specimen and the dry soil
specimen in an oven overnight ( 12 to 16 h ) at a temperature of 110 C 5 C

The mass of the soil specimen to use depends on the maximum particle size

Specific gravity test

Gs

Dimensionless parameter that relates the density of the soil particles to the density
of water

G s=

s
w

Knowing the Ms we can determine Vs by using a pycnometer and add water and use
a vaccum pump to pump air from the voids

Sieve Analysis ( Tamisage )

Key element in the classification system of a soil. The distribution of particles larger
than 0.075 mm Sieve No 200 is determined by sieving while a sedimentation
process (Hydrometer test) is used for the distribution of particles smaller than 0.075
mm.
A sieve analysis is performed on dry soil particles that are larger than the No. 200
U.S. standard sieve (i.e., sand size, gravel size, and cobble size particles).
The laboratory test procedures for performing a sieve analysis are
presented in ASTM D 422-02
(2004), Standard Test Method for Particle-Size Analysis of Soils.

No 200 Sieve is the separator between sand and silt

The basic steps are as follows:

1. Determining the initial dry mass of the soil (Ms).
2. The soil is washed on the No. 200 sieve in order
To remove all the fines (i.e., silt and clay size particles).
3. Oven dry the soil retained on the No. 200 sieve
4. Dry soil is poured into the sieves
5. Shaking can be whether manual or mechanical
6. After shaking, a balance is used to determine the mass of soil retained on
each sieve
7. also known as the percent passing, is then calculated
8. Plot the graph representing the percentage passing against the sieve size Semi-logarithmic
scale

Hydrometer test ( Fine grained soils )

A sedimentation process is used to determine the particle distribution for fines
(i.e., silt and clay size
Particles finer than the No. 200 sieve.
The hydrometer test is based on Stokes law, which relates the diameter of a single
sphere to the time required for the sphere to fall a certain distance in a liquid of
known viscosity

The basic steps are as follows:

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

60 g of fine grained soil

Add 125 ml of sodium break down the cohesion between particles
Calibrate the hydrometer 0 correction factor
Mix the solution
Add it to a jar
Add the hydrometer and take reading at : 1,2,5,15,30,60,250 and 1440 min
Take the temperature reading

If the amount of fines is less than 5 percent (i.e., percent passing No. 200
sieve is less than 5 percent),
Typically a hydrometer test is not performed, usually if the percent
passing the No. 200 sieve is
Greater than 15 percent, a hydrometer test could be performed

Atterberg limit tests