SPECIFIC GRAVITY PURPOSE To determine the apparent specific gravity of the solid grains which make up a soil. EQUIPMENT AND SUPPLIES 1. Balance, capacity 100 g, sensitive to + 0.01 g 2. Thermometer, 0 to 40 °C range 4. Three 50 ml or 100 ml density bottles 5. Wash bottle 5. Plastic fiunnel to use with density bottle 6. ‘Vacuum source 7. De-aired, distilled water SOIL 1 Medium sand DISCUSSION ‘The specific gravity of the solid grains of a soil is defined as the ratio of the density of the soil solid grains to the density of water. If the volume occupied by the soil solid grains is the same as that occupied by water, then the specific gravity of the soil solid grains is simply the ratio of the mass of the soil solid grains to the mass of an equal volume of water (Figure 1). PROCEDURE 1. 2. Record the test data as indicated in Form 1. Weigh a density bottle with stopper on the balance to the nearest 0.01 g, making sure that the bottle and stopper are completely clean and dry. Place about 10 g of sand in a 50 ml density bottle (20 g if 100 ml bottle is used). Re-weigh the whole to the nearest 0.01 g and record. Add sufficient de-aired distilled water to each density bottle to completely cover the sand. Remove the stopper and connect the bottle to a vacuum source. Subject the sample to a partial vacuum and gentle shaking for about 10 minutes to remove any entrapped air in the soil. Page I10. Add enough de-aired distilled water to almost fill the density bottle and leave it for several minutes to adjust to room temperature. Monitor the temperature of water inside the density bottle until it remains stable, Record the temperature. Add de-aired distilled water to completely fill the bottle, while making sure that the capillary space of the stopper is also filled up. Dry the exterior of the bottle and weigh the bottle with sand and water to the nearest 0.01 g and record the data. Empty the content of the density bottle into a waste pan and wash each bottle thoroughly with de-aired distilled water. Add enough de-aired distilled water to almost fill the bottle and leave the bottle for several minutes to adjust to room temperature. Monitor the temperature of the water until it is within 1 °C of that measured in Step 6. Add de-aired distilled water to completely fill the bottle, while making sure that the capillary space of the stopper is also filled up. Dry the exterior of the bottles and weigh the bottle full of water to the nearest 0.01 g and record the data. Repeat Steps 2 to 8 for two more times. Complete the calculations shown in Table 1, Form 1. Page 2©-O- va cane oo owas get “oF Ma My M3 Ma (te =) - (4s + Ma) Mass of water to fill bottle - Mass of vater on top of soil = Mass of a volume of water equal to the volume of the soil Hass of soil Specific Gravity (Gs) = Hazy "oF equal voluse OF vate> Figure t. Determination of Specific Gravity of Soil Solids in a Soil. Page 3Specific Gravity Form 1 Sample No.: Specimen No... Borehole No.:____Depth:__Date Sampled: Soil Description: Date Tested: Tested By. Table 1. —_, Specific Gravity Test Results Results Test No. I 2 3 Mass of bottle, Mi (a) Massof botile + Soil, Mz (e) Mass of bottle + soil + water, Ms (@) ‘Mass of bottle + water, My (@) Temperature of water, T (°C) Specific Gravity, G,, at T°C o Specific Gravity, G,, at 20°C Goo (My - M,)/[(My -M 1) - (Ms -Mo)] a = PrP aoe Gyaore) = a Garey ‘Temperature Density Temperature Density CQ) (glem*) CQ. w/e’) i 0.999633 21 0.998023 12 0.999525 22 0.997802 13 0.999404 23 0.997570 14 0.999271 24 0.997329 15 0.999127 25 0.997077 16 0.998971 26 0.996816 7 0.998803 27 0.996545 18 0.998624 28 0.996265 19 0.998435 29 0.995976 20 0.998234 30 0.995678 Page___of___Pages