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Dry Sieve Report
Dry Sieve Report
0 OBJECTIVE
The sieve analysis determines the grain size distribution curve of soil sample by passing them
through a stack of sieves of decreasing mesh opening sizes and by measuring the weight
retained on each sieve. The sieve analysis is generally applied to the soil fraction larger than
75µm.
3.0 THEORY
(BS1377 : Part 2:1990:9.3), Sieving can be performed in either wet or dry conditions.
Dry sieving is used only for soil with a negligible amount of plastic fines such as
gravels and clean sands, where as wet sieving is applied to soils with plastic fines.
According to the British Standard, dry sieving may be carried out only on materials
for which this procedure gives the same results as the wet-sieving procedure. This
means that it is applicable only to clean granular materials, which usually implies
clean sandy or gravelly soils that is, soils containing negligible amounts of particles
of silt or clay size. Normally the wet-sieving procedure should be followed for all
soils. If particles of medium gravel size or larger are present in significant amounts,
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the initial size of the sample required may be such that riffling is necessary at some
stage to reduce the sample to a manageable size for fine sieving.
BS 1377: 1990, allows either wet or dry sieving to be used, but the wet method is
preferred. After oven drying, the test sample mass is determine before being separated
into two parts, the first comprises that retained on a 20 mm sieve and the second that
passing 20 mm. That greater than 20 mm is dry sieves, while that smaller is wet sieve
prior to being re-sieved dry. The sieves used are generally chosen from the range (in
mm) of 75, 63, 50, 37.5, 28, 20, 14, 10, 63.5, 3.35, 2, 1.18, 0.6, 0.425, 0.3, 0.212, 0.15
and 0.063. The mass retained on each sieve is recorded, from which the percentage of
the sample passing each sieve can be calculated. Material passing the 63 micron (0.063
mm) sieve is retained for a fine particle analysis, if the amount justifies the further test.
The combined results of the coarse and fine analyses are plotted on a semi-logarithmic
graph of the form show in Figure 1.0, to give the particle size distribution curve.
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4.0 TEST EQUIPMENTS
1. Series of standard sieves with opening ranging from 7.5cm to 75m including a cover
plate and bottom pan.
2. Test sieve having the following aperture size 10mm, 6mm, 1mm, 0.6mm, 0.3mm,
0.15mm, 0.063 mm.
3. Mechanical sieve shaker
4. Balances sensitive 0.5g
5. Soft wire brush
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5.0 TEST PROCEDURE
1. Write down the weight of each sieve as well as the bottom pan to be used in
the analysis.
3. Make sure that all the sieves are clean, and assemble them in the ascending
order of sieve numbers. Place the pan below #200 sieves. Carefully pour the soil
sample into the top sieve and place the cap over it.
4. Place the sieve stack in the mechanical shaker and shake for 10 minutes.
5. Remove the stack from the shaker and carefully weigh and record the
weight of each sieve with its retained soil. In addition, remember to
weight and record the weight of the bottom pan with its retained fine
soil.
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6.0 DATA SHEET:
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How to calculate cumulative percentage passing ( % )
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Sieve no size = 0.063mm
Cumulative percentage passing : 13.2 x 100
500
: 3%
d 60
Cu = ____________ .
d 10
2
d
Cc 30 =___________.
d 60d10
100
80
60
Perjumlahan Kumulatif (%)
40
20
0
0.63 0.15 0.3 0.6 1.18 6.3 10
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7.0 QUESTIONS
The purpose of sieve analysis is to determine the grain size distribution curve if
soil sample by passing them through a stack of sieves of decreasing mesh opening sizes
and by measuring the weight retained on each sieve. The sieve analysis is generally
applied to the soil fraction larger than 75m.
Meanwhile, student would be able to used methods that are thought in lecture
class determine the size of soil particles in the laboratory. Moreover, students will
understand a lot more on a method used to determine the consistency properties of fine
grained soils in the laboratory, and even this method will be helpful in the future when
they work.
Nevertheless, grain size analysis have its own type of graph, and those who had
settle the calculation and plotting graph process for this experiment, they absolutely will
master on consistency limit methods of classification. Lastly, student also should
appreciate this analysis experiment for showing the way in which particle size and
consistency properties are used to classify and predict the probable behavior of soils and
also to indicate the type of test needed to assess their engineering characteristics.
2. Under what conditions should you use wet sieving instead of dry sieving?
Sieving can be performed in either wet or dry conditions. Dry sieving is used only
for soil with a negligible amount of plastic fines such as gravels and clean sands, where
as wet sieving is applied to soils with plastic fines.
According to the British Standard, dry sieving maybe carried out only on
materials for which this procedure gives the same result as the wet-sieving procedure.
This means that it is applicable only to clean granular materials, which usually implies
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clean sandy or gravelly soils that is, soils containing negligible amounts of particles of
silt or clay size. Normally the wet-sieving procedure should be followed for all soils. If
particles of medium gravel size or larger are present in significant amount, the initial size
of the sample required may be such that riffling is necessary at some stage to reduce the
sample to a manageable size for fine sieving.
3. What is the smallest and largest mesh openings used in practice for determining
grain size distribution?
For this dry sieving experiment, the kind of opening that we used are the series of
standard sieves and opening ranging from 7.5cm- 75µm including a cover plate on the
top of those sieves and a bottom pan. Then, to shake those sieves, we used the
mechanical sieves shaker and vibrate those sieves by layers for 10 minutes.
Most sieves analysis is carried out dry. But there are some applications which can
only be carried out by wet sieving. This is the case when the sample which has to be
analyzed is e.g. a suspension which must not be dried or when the sample is very fine
powder which tends to agglomerate (mostly < 45µm) in a dry sieving process this
tendency would lead to a clogging of the sieve meshes and this would make a further
sieving process impossible.
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A wet sieving process is set up like a dry process: the sieves stack is clamped on
to the sieves shaker and the sample is placed on the top sieve. Above the top sieves a
water-spray nozzle is placed which supports the sieving process additionally to the
sieving motion. The rinsing is carried out until the liquid which is discharges through the
receiver is clear. Sample residues on the sieves have to be dried and weighted. When it
comes to wet sieving it is very important not to charge in its volume (no swelling,
dissolving or reaction with the liquid).
5. Classify the type of soil that you use in the laboratory according to BS 5930.
From the graph that been plotted with the data have, we can classify the type of
soil that have been in the lab experiment. Here, we can probably saw that the soils used
are contained of coarse sand and fine gravel. It is because that the dots that plotted in the
graph are mostly in the coarse sand and fine gravel area.
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