GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERING LAB # 3

To Determine Specific Gravity of Soil Solids in Soil Sample.

OBSERVATIONS AND CALCULATIONS:

Test No. 1 2
Temperature (◦C) 18 18
Correction Factor (α) 0.9988 0.9988

Weight of Pycnometer W1 (gm) 14.08 14.88

Weight of Pycnometer + Soil W2

(gm) 40.38 41.28

Weight of Pycnometer + Soil+

Water W3 (gm) 81.65 84.61

Weight of Pycnometer + Water W4

(gm) 65.15 68.01
Specific Gravity (Gs) 2.6805 2.6906
Average Specific Gravity (Gs) 2.6855

RESULTS:
The average Specific Gravity of given Soil Sample is 2.68, falling in the category of Silty Sand.

COMMENTS:
Specific Gravity is an important property of soil to be considered for building purposes. Since soil
bare the foundations of every structure, it is necessary to completely evaluate the properties of
soil. Specific Gravity is a necessary parameter for determining weight–volume relationships i.e.
void ratio, degree of saturation, etc. It is also used to calculate the density of soil solids. Thus the
value of Specific Gravity for a specific type of soil must fall within a specific range, otherwise the
soil may not be favorable for building purposes i.e. for Sand (2.65-2.67), for Silty Sand (2.67-2.70),
for Inorganic Clay (2.70-2.80), etc.