University of Gondar

Institutes of Technology
Department of Civil Engineering

Soil Mechanics-I (CEng 2131)

By Genanaw M. (Msc)
E-mail: mengiegenanaw02@gmail.com
 Particle Size Analysis
2

 Introduction
 Engineering properties: the main engineering properties of soils
are permeability, compressibility, and shear strength.
 Permeability indicates the facility with water can flow through
soils.
 Compressibility is related with the deformation produced in soil
when they are subjected to compressive loads. Compression
characteristics are required for computation of the settlements of
structures found on soils.
 Shear strength of a soil is its ability to resist shear stresses.
 …Cont.
3

 Index Properties: the tests required for determination of

engineering properties are generally elaborate and time-
consuming. Sometimes, the geotechnical engineer is
interested to have some rough assessment of the
engineering properties without conducting elaborate tests
by determining index properties.

 Simple tests which are required to determine the index

properties are called classification tests.
 Mechanical Analysis of Soil
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 Mechanical analysis is the determination of the size

range of particles present in a soil, expressed as a
percentage of the total dry weight. Two methods
generally are used to find the particle-size distribution
of soil:
1. sieve analysis—for particle sizes larger than 0.075
mm in diameter, and
2. Hydrometer analysis—for particle sizes smaller
than 0.075 mm in diameter.
 Sieve Analysis
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 The distribution of particle sizes or average grain

diameter of coarse-grained soils( gravels and sands) is
obtained by screening a known weight of the soil
through a stack of sieves of progressively finer mesh
size.
 To conduct a sieve analysis, one must first oven-dry the
soil and then break all lumps into small particles. The
soil then is shaken through a stack of sieves with
openings of decreasing size from top to bottom (a pan is
placed below the stack)
 ….Cont.
6
 U.S. Standard Sieve Sizes
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 …Cont.
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 The method of sieve analysis described here is

applicable for soils that are mostly granular with
some or no fines.

 Sieve analysis only classifies soils into sizes and does

not provide information as to shape or type of
particles.

 Small size of sample is 500g

 …Cont.
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 The smallest-sized sieve that should be used for this

type of test is the U.S. No. 200 sieve. After the soil is
shaken, the mass of soil retained on each sieve is
determined.
 When cohesive soils are analyzed, breaking the lumps
into individual particles may be difficult. In this case,
the soil may be mixed with water to make a slurry and
then washed through the sieves.
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 For measuring the distribution of particle sizes in a soil

sample, it is necessary to conduct different particle-size
tests.

 Wet sieving is carried out for separating fine grains

from coarse grains by washing the soil specimen on a 75
micron sieve mesh.

 Dry sieve analysis is carried out on particles coarser

than 75 micron.
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 Portions retained on each sieve are collected

separately and oven-dried before the mass retained
on each sieve is measured.

1. Determine the mass of soil retained on each sieve

(i.e., M1, M2,…, Mn) and in the pan (i.e., Mp).

2. Determine the total mass of the soil: M1+ M2 +…+

Mn+ Mp = M.
 …Cont.
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3. Determine the cumulative mass of soil retained

above each sieve.

4. Determine mass of soil passing on each sieve.

5. Determine the percent of soil passing on each

sieve.
 …Cont.
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 Once the percent finer for each sieve is calculated

(step 5), the calculations are plotted on semi
logarithmic graph paper with percent finer as the
ordinate (arithmetic scale) and sieve opening size
as the abscissa (logarithmic scale).

 This plot is referred to as the particle-size

distribution curve (PSD).
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 Limitations of Sieve Analysis
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 For materials finer than 150 μm, dry sieving can be

significantly less accurate.

 This is because the mechanical energy required to

make particles pass through an opening and the
surface attraction effects between the particles
themselves and between particles and the screen
increase as the particle sizes decreases.
 …Cont.
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 Wet sieving analysis can be utilized where the

material analyzed is not affected by the liquid
except to disperse it.

 Suspending the particles in a suitable liquid

transports fine material through the sieve much
more efficiently than shaking the dry material.
 …Cont.
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 Sieve analysis assumes that all particles will be

round – and will pass through the square openings

 Particle size reported assumes that the particles are

spherical,

 Elongated particle might pass through the screen

end-on, but would be prevented from doing so if it
presented itself side-on.
 Sedimentation Analysis (Hydrometer)
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 Hydrometer analysis is based on the principle of

sedimentation of soil grains in water.

 Hydrometer analysis is a widely used method of

obtaining an estimate of the distribution of soil
particle sizes from the No. 200 (0.075 mm) sieve to
around 0.01 mm.
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 The data are presented on a semi log plot of

percent finer vs. particle diameters and may be
combined with the data from a sieve analysis of
the material retained (+) on the No.200 sieve.
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 In this method, the soil is placed as a suspension in a

jar filled with distilled water to which a deflocculating
agent is added. Sodium hexametaphosphate generally
is used as the dispersing agent.

 Soil particles are allowed to settle from a suspension.

The decreasing density of the suspension is measured
at various time intervals.
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 The procedure is based on the principle that in a

suspension, the terminal velocity of a spherical
particle is governed by the diameter of the particle
and the properties of the suspension.

 The concentration of particles remaining in the

suspension at a particular level can be determined
by using a hydrometer.
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 Hydrometer analysis is based on the principle of

sedimentation of soil grains in water.

 When a soil specimen is dispersed in water, the

particles settle at different velocity, depending on their
shape, size and weight and the viscosity of the water.

 The lower limit of the particle size determined by this

procedure is about 0.001mm
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 This method is based on Stoke’s law:

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 In the laboratory, the hydrometer test is conducted

in a sedimentation cylinder usually with 50 g of
oven-dried sample.

 The soil is mixed with water and a dispersing agent,

stirred vigorously, and allowed to settle to the
bottom of a measuring cylinder.
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 The length of the hydrometer projecting above the

suspension is a function of the density , so it is
possible to calibrate the hydrometer to read the
density of the suspension at different time.

 The calibration of the hydrometer is affected by

temperature and the specific gravity of the
suspended solids.
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 By knowing the amount of soil in suspension, L,

and t, we can calculate the percentage of soil by
weight finer than a given diameter.

 The hydrometer should float freely and not touch

the wall of the sedimentation cylinder.
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 For soils with both fine and coarse grained

materials a combined analysis is made using both
the sieve and hydrometer procedures.
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 Data obtained from Sieve Analysis
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 Curve II represents a soil in which the particle size

distributed over a wide range termed well graded.

 Curve III represents a soil might have a combination

of two or more uniformly graded fraction. This type
of soil is termed gap graded.
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 Effective size D10

 This parameter is the diameter in the particle size

distribution curve corresponding to 10 % finer. The
effective size is a good measure to estimate the
hydraulic conductivity and drainage through soil.

 The higher the D10 value, the coarser the soil and the
better the drainage characteristic.
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 Uses of Particle Size Distribution Curve
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 Is used in the classification of coarse-grained soil

 The coefficient of permeability of a coarse grained
soil depends to large extent on the size of the
particle
 Is required for design of drainage filters
 Provides an index to the shear strength of the soil
 The compressibility of a soil can be judged from its
particle size distribution curve.
 Relative Density
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 Relative density (Dr) is sometimes used to describe

the state condition in cohesionless soil.

 Relative density (Dr) is an index that quantifies the

degree of packing between the loosest and densest
possible state of coarse-grained soils as determined
by experiments:
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 Examples
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 A sample of a dry coarse-grained material of mass

500 grams was shaken through a nest of sieves and
the following results were obtained:
 Solution
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Thank You!!!!!!