Laboratory Work No.

TITLE: MECHANICAL ANALYSIS OF SOIL

OBJECTIVE:

LIST OF EQUIPMENTS AND APPARATUS:

1. Stack of sieves 5. sieve shaker

2. Drying oven 6. soil pan
3. Mortar 7. spatula
4. Balance 8. hand shovel

PROCEDURE:

1. Obtain a representative of a given dry soil approximately 400-500 grams. The

sample must be well pulverized using the mortar impresser or mechanical soil
pulverizer. Place the sample in the stack if sieves with the arrangement
shown. Place the stack of sieves in a mechanical sieve shaker. Shake for 5 to
10 minutes, depending on the probable difficulty involved as observed by
visual inspection.
2. Remove the stack of sieves from the shaker and obtain the weight of the
material.
3. Sum up the cuts and compare the weight obtained (400 – 500). Get
percentage of loss.
4. Compute the percentage retained in each sieve by the original sample
weight. Compute the percentage of passing or percent finer by starting with
100%and subtracting the percentage retained from each sieve by a
cumulative procedure.
5. Put the plot of the graph of percentage passing as natural scale versus sieve
size as a logarithmic scale.

GENERAL DATA:

Original weight of Soil Sample:_____________________

Weight of Sample:_________________________________
Weight of Pan with Soil:____________________________

GENERAL DISCUSSIONS
A soil material maybe divided into fractions according to the size of its consistent
particles. Such division is a mechanical analysis of soil. A good mechanical analysis is
not equally valuable in different branches of engineering. The size of soil grain is of
importance only in such cases as embankments where earth is used as a material that
should satisfy definite specifications in foundations of structures. Data from mechanical
analysis generally are only illustrative; other soil properties such as compression or
shearing resistance are of importance.
The physical and chemical processes which result in graduation of sizes of
granular sizes from immense builders down to tiny particles composed of clay minerals
also suggest that this should be a convenient method in classifying the material, and
most system of classification which have been devised are, in fact, based upon the
grain size. In practice important mechanical property distinctions and differences
develop as soil grain sizes approximate those at which the chemical and physical
properties are also separated. Certain material behaviors maybe associated with the
coarser grain sizes and qualitatively different behaviors with soils composed of finer
grain sizes.
Consequently, it is of interest to determine in any given soil sample the
proportions of relatively finer materials present. This is achieved by considering that soul
larger in size than the openings of the #200 sieve shall be determined as coarse, and
the smaller grain size soil will be termed as fine. The classifications of soil size distribution
are accomplished by setting up a stack of sieves in which sieve is a set above a second
one whose opening is commonly half the size of opening of the first. Frequently, seven
or eight sieves are used. The range of size varies perhaps by ¾ size openings. However,
the selection of sieve usually depends on how the observer sizes up this range in the soil
most accurately. With a known weight of sieves, the nest is shaken vigorously for 10 to
15 minutes. And then, the weight of the soil retained din each sieve is measured. The soil
in any sieve is the size resisting upon it. A pan catches the grain passing through the
sieve.
In the case of the finer particles, they are separated by the method of wet
analysis, which is principally based on the speed of sedimentation. The method of wet
analysis generally used is the “hydrometer method”. Other methods are the pipette
and elutriation method, which will not be discussed here.

REMARKS AND CONCLUSION:

GENERAL DATA:

Sieve Size Weight Weight Weight % Retained % Passing

# Opening w/o soil W/ soil Retained

4 4.75mm 472.15g 473.70g 1.55g 0.18% 99.82%

8 2.36mm 474.85g 501.28g 26.43g 3.11% 96.71%

16 1.18mm 441.22g 571.70g 130.48g 15.34% 81.37%

40 0.425mm 383.62g 651.96g 268.34g 31.55% 49.82%

80 0.18mm 349.54g 514.41g 164.87g 19.39% 30.43%

100 0.15mm 348.79g 379.71g 30.92g 3.64% 26.79%

200 0.075mm 334.73g 439.61g 104.88g 12.33% 14.46%

Pan 374.94g 497.94g 123g 14.46% 0.00%

COMPUTATIONS AND CHART:

CHART ANALYSIS : Well Graded

D10 = 0.044
D30 = 0.18
D60 = 0.60
CU = (D60/D10) = (0.60/0.044) = 13.64
CC = (D30)2/(CU) = (0.18)2/(13.64) = 2.38x10-3

Weight Retained :
Sieve 4 = Wt w/ soil – Wt w/o soil = 473.70 - 472.15 = 1.55g
Sieve 8 = Wt w/ soil – Wt w/o soil = 501.28 - 474.85 = 26.43g
Sieve 16 = Wt w/ soil – Wt w/o soil = 571.70 - 441.22 = 130.48g
Sieve 40 = Wt w/ soil – Wt w/o soil = 651.96 - 383.62 = 268.34g
Sieve 80 = Wt w/ soil – Wt w/o soil = 514.41 - 349.54 = 164.87g
Sieve 100 = Wt w/ soil – Wt w/o soil = 379.71 - 348.79 = 30.92g
Sieve 200 = Wt w/ soil – Wt w/o soil = 439.61 - 334.73 = 104.88g
Pan = Wt w/ soil – Wt w/o soil = 497.94 - 374.94 = 123g

% Retained :
Sieve 4 = (1.55/850.47)(100%) = 0.18%
Sieve 8 = (26.43/850.47)(100%) = 3.11%
Sieve 16 = (130.48/850.47)(100%) = 15.34%
Sieve 40 = (268.34/850.47)(100%) = 31.55%
Sieve 80 = (164.87/850.47)(100%) = 19.39%
Sieve 100 = (30.92/850.47)(100%) = 3.64%
Sieve 200 = (104.88/850.47)(100%) = 12.33%
Pan = (123/850.47)(100%) = 14.46%

% Passing :
Sieve 4 = [(26.43+130.48+268.34g+164.87+30.92+104.88+123)/(850.47)](100%) = 99.82%
Sieve 8 = [(130.48+268.34g+164.87+30.92+104.88+123)/(850.47)](100%) = 96.71%
Sieve 16 = [(268.34g+164.87+30.92+104.88+123)/(850.47)](100%) = 81.37%
Sieve 40 = [(164.87+30.92+104.88+123)/(850.47)](100%) = 49.82%
Sieve 80 = [(30.92+104.88+123)/(850.47)](100%) = 30.43%
Sieve 100 = [(104.88+123)/(850.47)](100%) = 26.79%
Sieve 200 = [(123)/(850.47)](100%) = 14.46%
Pan = 0%

DRAWING OF APPARATUS: