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Lab Report - Moisture Content of Soils & Particle Density Test
Lab Report - Moisture Content of Soils & Particle Density Test
ECG263
OPEN-ENDED LAB
MARCH 2021 – JULY 2021
MARKS COMMENTS
INTRODUCTION CO4 PO6
OBJECTIVE(S) CO4 PO6
METHODOLOGY CO4 PO6
RESULTS CO4 PO6
DISCUSSION CO4 PO6 2 4 6 8 10
CONCLUSION CO4 PO6 2 4 6 8 10
TOTAL MARKS
RESULTS
ParticleDensity
PreparationMethod:D
ensitybottlemethod
Densitybottleno.:
# 1 2 3
Averageparticledensity(g/cm³) 2.64
ρₛ
Specificgravity
2.65 2.65 2.65
Gₛ
Correctedspecificgravity(at27°C) 2.65 2.65 2.65
ₛ
G ’
ₛ [M ₄−M[M₁] ₂−− [M
Particledensityofsoilsolid,ρ =
M ₁]
₃−M ₂]
Specificgravityofsoil,Gₛ= ρρₛ
w
Correctedspecificgravity,Gₛ’=kGₛ
MoistureContent
ContainerNo.
No.
1 2 3 4
Averagemoisturecontent
ωave 32.57
[M ₂−M ₃]
Moisturecontent,ω%= [M ₃ M ₁] x 100%
−
DISCUSSION
The
particle
density
of
a soil
can
be
defined
as
the
mass
of
soil
specimen
in
a given
volume of particles (the mass of soil divided by volume of particles). Particle density
considers only the soil
particles
and
not
the
total
volume
occupied
by
the
soil
particles
and
mineral particles. The unit is usually in grams per cubic centimetre (g/cm³). Most mineral
soils
have
a particle
density
of
2.5
to
2.7
g/cm³.
Since
common
soil
minerals
vary
in
density
so
little,
the
range
is
relatively
small.
The
method
that
we
used
for
the
particle
density
test
is
the density bottle method. There are three samples of density bottles that we used. The
particle density of soil that we get from the experiment is 2.64g/cm³ for all samples. The
result
for
specific
gravity
of
soil
and
the
corrected
specific
gravity
is
the
same
, which
is
2.65.
Hence, from the result obtained, the particle density that we get can be considered as
successfulastherangeisbetween2.5to2.7g/cm³.
Soil
moisture
content,
often
known
as
water
content,
is
an
indicator
of
the
quantity
of
water
present
in
soil.
Moisture
content
is
defined
as
the
percentage
of
the
mass
of
water
in
a
specimen
to
the
mass
of
solids
in
the
sample.
The
method
to
determine
the
moisture
content
of
soil
is
called
the
oven
dry
method.
This
test
is
easier
than
the
particle
density
test
as
the
procedure
to
do
it
is
simple.
The
method
is
thermogravimetric
(loss
on
drying)
method
where
all
the
sample
is
dried
at
a constant
temperature
for
a specified
period
of
time.
The
moisture
content
is
calculated
by
weighing
the
sample
both
before
and
after
drying
and
comparing
the
weights.
From
the
experiment
that
had
been
conducted,
there
are
four
containers
1,2,3,
and
4
with masses of 14.4g, 12.63g, 21.85g, and 22.00g respectively. The mass
of
wet
soil
with
container
(M2)
for
the
four
containers
is
28.45,
21.87,
37.28,
and
37.10
while
the
mass
of
dry
soil
with
containers
is
25.30,
19.70,
33.30,
and
33.11
for
each
container.
Next,
we
will
get
the
mass
of
moisture
when
the
mass
of
wet
soil
with
containers
minus
with
the
mass
of
dry
soil
with containers. The result that we get is 3.15 for sample 1, 2.17 for sample 2, 3.98 for
sample
3,
and
3.99
for
the
last
sample.
Then,
the
mass
of
dry
soil
is
the
mass
of
dry
soil
and
container minus the mass of containers only. We will get 10.9 for container 1, 7.07 for
container
2,
11.45
for
container
3,
and
11.11
for
container
4.
Moreover,
the
moisture
content
can
be
determined
by
the
formula
given
and
the
outcome
for
the
four
containers
are
28.90,
30.69, 34.76, and 35.91 respectively. Lastly, the average moisture content that we get is
32.57.
CONCLUSION
Finally, we accomplished the laboratory test objectives of determining the particle
density and specific gravity of soil using a density bottle and determining the moisture
content
of
soils.
The
average
value
of
particle
density
and
moisture
content
is
2.64g/cm³
and
32.57% respectively. In this test, we got the same value for specific gravity
and
corrected
specificgravitywhichis2.65fortest1,2.65fortest2and2.65test3.
There are some errors while performing moisture content tests which are the time
required to dry the soil and weighing errors. Precautions to take while
conducting
the
test
include cleaning the containers and weighing again if the container
becomes
dusty. If
the
oven door is left open for an extended period of time, the oven's drying temperature will
drop. When handling heated samples, put on gloves.Weighing errors and the
presence
of
entrapped air are two of the most common causes of errors in specific gravity laboratory
tests.
Any
trapped
air
must
be
completely
removed
before
testing
the
sample.
Check
that
the
weighingbalanceisingoodworkingcondition.
REFERENCES
1. GeoEngineer,WaterContent(w).
https://www.geoengineer.org/education/laboratory-testing/water-content-w
2. NathalieCools,BrunoDeVos.ScienceDirect.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/engineering/soil-moisture-content
APPENDICES
Figure1:Containerthatisfilledwithsoilsampletocheckforits moisturecontent
Figure2:Massofcontainer+drysoilforsoilsamples(container1&container4)