Chapter 4: Soil test and survey (activity)

Essay: In your own words explain the following for not less than 50 words:
1. Test of particle size
Test of particle size is to test the soil or sand's particle size if it is coarse or fine
aggregate, it's characteristics in moisture content and density by using sieves in
Hydrometer test wherein the soil/sand passess through the standard sieve/ screen sizes
down to pan. Sieves come from different diameters or openings in millimeters such as
50, 37.5, 25, 19, 9.50, 4.75, 2.0, .425, and .75 respectively.

2. Test to evaluate the effect of moisture

Test to evaluate the effect of moisture content of a soil varies from different test
while the water content is increased, the six steps are the following:
● Liquid limit test (LL test), this indicates the percentage of moisture at which the
sample changes by decreasing the water from liquid to plastic state.
● Plasticity limit test (PL test), percentage of moisture when the sample changes
with lowering wetness from plastic to semi-solid condition.
● Plastic index test (PI test), is the difference between liquid limit and plastic limit,
also referred to as percentage of dry weight.
● Shrinkage test, this test measures the changes in volume and weight that occur
as partly mixture of soil and water (sieve # 4 is excluded).
● Hand feel test, to predict the plasticity index in soil using a hand test.
● Hand equivalent test, this is to determine the presence of undesirable quantities
of clay-like materials in soil.

3. Density test of soil

This test identifies the specific gravity of the soil particles (ranges from 2 - 3.3 but
usually between 2.5 and 2.8), particle size distribution of the soil (composed entirely of
spheres of one size), and the grain shape of soil particles (sharp angular particles - resist
shifting from loose to compacted ones; flaky particles - decrease in density).

4. Laboratory test for soil density

Laboratory test for soil density divided into two tests:
● Laboratory test to set standard for density
○ Static test, determines the maximum density of soil sample in the
laboratory.
○ Dynamic/impact test, determines the percentage of water when
compacted in layers into molds of specified size.
○ Tamping foot/kneading compaction test, to reduce the void space
between soil particles and to increase the bearing capacity and
stiffness of a soil.
● Field test to measure the density of soil in-placed on the roadway

5. Field density test of soil in place

 Field density test of soil in place, this test compares the result between laboratory
results. This is performed on the basis of relative compaction, relative compaction is
equal to the proportion of dry weight of soil in the roadway structure and dry weight of
soil sample at optimum moisture content compacted in standard manner (laboratory
results). There are four factors that may affect the accurate measurement: change in the
soil itself, the sampling methods, the accuracy of laboratory testing for standard density,
and the accuracy of testing field density.

6. The strength test

Strength test determines the load capacity, rate, and amount of all soils that
support the foundation; and measure the supporting power of disturbed soils as
compacted under standard procedures.