JESSIE JADE S.

DUROJA
BSCE 4B
August 19, 2022

CE111 – GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERING (SOIL MECHANICS)

ASSIGNMENT 2
Define the following:
a) Weight
Weight is the gravitational force acting on a body mass. The generic expression
of Newton's Second Law (1) can be transformed to express weight as a force by replacing the
acceleration - a - with the acceleration of gravity - g – as Fg = m ag .

b) Mass
Mass is a measure of the amount of material in an object, being directly related to the
number and type of atoms present in the object. Mass does not change with a body's position,
movement or alteration of its shape, unless material is added or removed. Mass is a fundamental
property of an object, a numerical measure of its inertia and a fundamental measure of the
amount of matter in the object.

c) Volume
Volume is the three-dimensional measure of the space occupied by an object or
substance. Expressed in cubic units such as cubic inches, cubic feet, cubic meters, etc.

d) Void ratio
Void ratio (e) is defined as the ratio of the volume of voids to the volume of solids.
𝑉
Thus,𝑒 = 𝑉𝑣 .
𝑠

e) Porosity
𝑉
Porosity (n) is defined as the ratio of the volume of voids to the total volume, or 𝑛 = 𝑉𝑣 .

f) Degree of saturation
The degree of saturation (S) is defined as the ratio of the volume of water to the volume
𝑉
of voids, or 𝑆 = 𝑤 .
𝑉𝑣

g) Unit weight of soil

Unit weight of soil is defined as the ratio of the total weight of soil to the total volume of
soil. It is also referred to as Specific weight. Mathematically,
Unit weight of soil = Weight of soil (W) / Volume of soil (V)

h) Dry unit weight of soil

It is the unit weight of soil when soil is in completely dry state which means no water is
present in its pores. It is denoted by 𝛾𝑑 , and is defined as the weight of dry soil mass or we can
also say that weight of solids (because after drying there is nothing left in it but only solids)
divided by the total volume of the soil.

𝑊𝑠
Formula: 𝛾𝑑 = 𝑉

Where Ws is weight of dry soil or weight of solids.

i) Saturated unit weight of soil

It is the value of the unit weight of soil when the soil is completely saturated with water
that is all the soil pores are completely filled with water. It is denoted by Ysat and it is also defined
similarly as others.

𝑊
Formula: 𝛾𝑠𝑎𝑡 = 𝑉

j) Submerged unit weight of soil

When a soil mass is submerged below the ground water table, the water applies a force on
the soil particles. This force has a tendency to push the particles upwards and it is called buoyant
force. The magnitude of this force is equal to the weight of water displaced by these soil particles.
Hence the net weight of soil mass is reduced and this reduced weight is known as submerged or
the buoyant weight.

This submerged unit weight or buoyant unit weight is defined in the same way that weight
of submerged soil divided by the total volume it occupies. It is denoted by Y’ and Yb both.

𝑊
Formula: 𝛾 ′/𝛾𝑏 = 𝑉

Mathematically, submerged unit weight is equal in magnitude to the saturated unit weight
𝛾𝑠𝑎𝑡 of soil minus the unit weight of water Yw.

Yt = Ysat - Yw