Moisture content

Objective
To determine the amount of water present in a soil expressed as a percentage of the mass of
dry soil. This is termed the moisture content of the soil. This test is very important for
determining CBR and other important parameters of road design.

Main Principles
The moisture content of a soil is assumed to be the amount of water within the pore
space between the soil grains which is removable by oven drying at a temperature not
exceeding 110 °C. The moisture content has a profound effect on soil behavior. The
oven-drying method is regarded as standard laboratory practice.

Required Equipment

· a drying oven with temperature of 105 °C to 110 °C

· a balance readable to 0,1 g
· a metal container
· a desiccator

Test procedure

Step1.Clean and dry the container, then weigh it to the nearest 0.1 g (m1)
Step 2. A representative sample shall be crumbled and loosely placed in the container.
-For fine-grained soils the sample weight shall be min. 30 g.
-For medium-grained soils the sample weight shall be min. 300 g.
-For coarse-grained soils the sample weight shall be min. 3 kg.
Step3. The container with sample shall immediately be weighed (m2) and placed in the
oven to dry at 105 °C for minimum 12 hours
Step4. After drying, weigh the container and the contents (m3).
Calculation

Calculate the Moisture Content of the soil specimen, w, as a percentage ofthe dry soil
mass to the nearest 0.1%, from the equation:
W= (m2-m3 ) *100%/m3-m1

Where: m1 is the mass of the container (in g)

m2 is the mass of the container and wet soil (in g)
m3 is the mass of the container and dry soil (in g)
Report

The test report shall include the following:

a) Type of material and sample identification

b) Reference to this procedure
c) Test results, individual values and average value
d) The final moisture content (w) is reported to two significant figures

Practical consideration

One may control that the material is completely dry by holding a beaker with cold water
directly above the sample. If the sample is not dry, moisture will condense on the
outside of the glass.

Maintenance
The balance and the drying oven shall be checked and calibrated regularly (every month)
with respect to weight and temperature.