Soil Mechanics

University of Technical Education Ho Chi Minh City

Faculty of Civil Engineering and Applied Mechanics
Department of Soil Mechanics and Foundation
Minh-Duc Nguyen, PhD
E-mail: ducnm@hcmute.edu.vn
 Chapter 2
Physical Soil State and Soil Classification

1. Physical Properties of Soil

2. Soil classification, United Soil Classification
System, USCS
3. Laboratory Testing for Physical Properties of Soil

2
 Technical Term
• Water content () is the ratio of the weight of water
to the weight of solids.
• Void ratio (e) is the ratio of the volume of void space
to the volume of solids.
• Porosity (n) is the ratio of the volume of void to the
total volume of soil.
• Degree of saturation (Sr) is the ratio of the volume
of water to the volume of void.
• Bulk unit weight () is the weight density, that is, the
weight of a soil per unit volume.
• (section 4.1 Page 49 in text book 3
• Saturated unit weight (sat) is the weight of
a saturated soil per unit volume.
• Dry unit weight (d) is the weight of a dry soil
per unit volume.
• Effective unit weight (’) is the weight of soil
solids in a submerged soil per unit volume.
• Liquid limit (LL) is the water content at which
a soil changes from a plastic state to a liquid
state.
• Plastic limit (PL) is the water content at
which a soil changes from a semisolid to a
plastic state. 4
 Phase Diagram of Soil

• Solid)
• Lidquid
• Air or gas 5
 Phase Diagram of Soil
Weight Volume

Wa = 0 Air Va

VvV =VVaa+V wVw

V
W  WW=wWw W
+W s
s Ww Water Vw V  V  Vs
V = V v +V s
V
W  Ww  Ws
Ws Solids Vs

 Weigtht of water: Ww Volume of air: Va

 Solid weight: Ws Volume of water: Vw

Volume of solids: Vs

Volume of void: Vv 6
 Fundamental Physical Parameters
Weight Volume

Wa = 0 Air Va

VvV =VVaa+V wVw

V
W  WW=wWw W
+W s
s Ww Water Vw V  V  Vs
V = V v +V s
V

Ws Solids Vs

W
 Bulk unit weight, ; Unit: kN/m3   (kN / m )
3

V
 Bulk density, 1 T/m3 = 1g/cm3 (equivalent  10kN/m3 ;)
 Moiture (water) content,  W
Unit: %   w 9.81 kN/m3 7
W s
 Other Parameters
Weight Volume

Wa = 0 Air Va

VvV =VVaa+V wVw

V
W  WW=wWw W
+W s
s Ww Water Vw V  V  Vs
V = V v +V s
V

Ws Solids Vs

 Unit weight of solid, s s 

Ws
(kN / m 3 )
 Specific gravity of solid, Gs Vs
Gs=2.60 – 2.67 for sand; 2.65-2.74 for s
clay particle Gs 
w
8
 Other Parameters
Weight Volume

Wa = 0 Air Va

VvV =VVaa+V wVw

V
W  WW=wWw W
+W s
s Ww Water Vw V  V  Vs
V = V v +V s
V

Ws Solids Vs

 Dry unit weight, d

 Saturated unit weight, sat
 Net (effective) unit weight , ’
Ws
 '   sat   w d   sat 
Ws   wVV
V V
9
 Other Parameters
Weight Volume

Wa = 0 Air Va

VvV =VVaa+V wVw

V
W  WW=wWw W
+W s
s Ww Water Vw V  V  Vs
V = V v +V s
V

Ws Solids Vs

 Porosity, n VV VV VS
n e m
 Void ratio, e V VS VV
 Degree of saturation, Sr
VW
Sr 
VV
10
 Equation Derivation
Weight Volume

Wa = 0 Air Va

VvV =VVaa+V wVw

V
W  WW=wWw W
+W s
s Ww Water Vw V  V  Vs
V = V v +V s
V

Ws Solids Vs

• Coi thể tích Vs = 1 khi đó:

Vv = 1 x e = e; V = Vs + Vv = 1+e
Ws = sVs = Gsw Gs  w
Ws = dV= d(1+e) d 
1 e Gs (1   ) w
W = V = (1+e) e 1
W = Ww + Ws = (1+)Ws = (1+ ) d(1+e)  11
 Correlation Equations

Ws Gs w
Dry unit weight d  
V 1 e

W Gs w (1   )
Bulk unit weight  
V 1 e

Saturated unit weight Ws   wVV Gs  e  w

 sat  
V 1 e
Note: moisture (water)
content is in decimal
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 Correlation Equations


• Porosity, n n  1
Gs w (1   )
• Void ratio, e
• Degree of saturation, Sr Gs w (1   )
e 1
Note: moisture content is in 
decimal 
m
Gs w (1   )

Gs
S r
e
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 Applications
• Fundamental physical parameters: (, w, )
describe the quality, and soil classification

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 Soil Classification
• Coarse and fine particles

Vietnam Standard 0.10 2.0 10

USCS 0.074 4.75 76

Particle Size (mm)

Clay and Silt Sand Gravel Stone

15
 Soil Separate Size Limits

USCS

Vietnam Clay or Silt Sand Gravel Stone

0.1mm 2mm 10mm

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USCS: Unified Soil Classification System.
 Particle Size
• Thành phần hạt rắn: hat thô và hạt mịn
Particle Name Size (mm - Engineering Properties
USCS)
coarses Gravel > 4.75 No swell, no
cohensive, no plastic Granular
(Sieve No. 4)
high permeability (cohesionless)
Sand 0.075-4.75 soil
Sieve No. 200
fines Silt, Less than 0.075 Swell, shrink when
clay soaking, cohensive, Cohensive soil
plastic, low permeable
or impermeable 17
 Grain Size Analysis
• ASTM- standard sieve:

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 Grain Size Analysis
• Determine mass of soil on each sieve, calculate as mass
percentage

Wsoil  Wsieve soil  Wsieve

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 Grain Size Analysis
• (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7)

(8)

(5) = (4) – (3); (6) = (5)/(8)*100%; (7) = 100% - (6) 20

 Grain Size Analysis
• Grain size distribution

Reverse value & log scale

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22
 Soil Gradation (for coarse soil only)

Good gradation if:

Cu>6 and 1 Cc  3
Good gradation (well grade) soil means:
(1) Particles of a wide range of sizes
from the No. 4 to No. 200 sieves
(2) A well graded soil is able to be
compacted more than a poorly
graded soil
(3) A poorly graded soil will have better
drainage than a well graded soil
because there are more void
Cu: Uniformity coefficient spaces in a poorly graded soil
Cu = D60/D10
Cc: Coefficient of gradation
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Cc= (D30)2/(D60xD10)
 Classification of Granular Soil

Classified using
(1) Particle size, grain size distribution
(2) Packing condition
(3) Cu: Uniformity coefficient
(4) and Cc: coefficient of gradation
Refer Unified Soil Classification System for more details

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 Classification for Granular Soil
(sand and gravel)
• TCVN

Tên đất Thành phần hạt

Đất hòn lớn:
Đá dăm, đá cuội Khối lượng hạt lớn hơn 10mm chiếm trên 50%
Đất sỏi (sỏi tròn, sỏi góc) Khối lượng hạt lớn hơn 2mm chiếm trên 50%
Đất cát:
Cát sỏi Khối lượng hạt lớn hơn 2mm chiếm trên 25%
Cát thô Khối lượng hạt lớn hơn 0.5mm chiếm trên 50%
Cát vừa Khối lượng hạt lớn hơn 0.25mm chiếm trên 50%
Cát nhỏ Khối lượng hạt lớn hơn 0.1mm chiếm trên 75%
Cát bột Khối lượng hạt lớn hơn 0.1mm chiếm dưới 75%

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 Packing condition of granular soil
• Very loose: collapses with slight disturbance;
open structure
• Loose: collapses upon disturbance; open
structure
• Medium dense: indents when pushed firmly
• Dense: barely deforms when pushed by feet or
by stomping
• Very dense: impossible to depress with stomping
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 Packing condition of granular soil
• Classified using void ratio, e, TCVN

Soil type Hệ số rỗng e, trạng thái

Chặt Chặt vừa Xốp
Cát to-vừa e < 0.55 e = 0.55-0.7 e > 0.7 More
(trung) e Void in
Cát nhỏ e < 0.6 e = 0.6-0.75 e > 0.75 Soil
Cát bụi e < 0.6 e = 0.6-0.8 e > 0.8

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 USCS for Coarse Grained Soils

• Coarse grained soil: percent passing No. 200 is less than 50%
First character: G = Gravel; S = Sand

• Second character: for gradation behavior

- W = well graded; P = poorly graded
- Or mixtures: M = Silt; C = Clay 28
 Soil Classification for Clay
Atterberg Limits for Clayey soil only
Name Parameters
Plastic limit (%) PL
Liquid limit (%) LL
Plasticity index (%) PI = LL – PL
Liquidity index LI or B = (w-PL)/PI

Clay soil 29
Volume
Generals of PL and LL
Clay condition

Plasticity index
PI = LL-PL PI

LI  0 LI  1
0  LI  1

PL LL
Liquidity index
Plastic Liquid
  PL
LI  limit limit
LL  PL 30
Experiment for PL, Plastic limit

d=3.2mm 31
Experiment for LL, liquid limit

l=13mm
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 Classification for Cohesive Soil
• Using Plascity Index, PI (TCVN)
Tên đất Chỉ số dẻo, PI (%) PI = LL - PL
Đất cát pha (á cat) 1% <PI  7% PI
Đất sét pha (á sét) 7% <PI  17% More plasticity,
Đất sét PI > 17% higher
percentage of
• Theo trạng thái ẩm (TCVN) clay
Độ sệt (LI) Trạng thái
LI  0 Rắn
0 < LI  1 Dẻo đối với cát pha
LI =(w-PL)/PI
0 < LI  0.25 Nửa rắn
0.25  LI < 0.5 Dẻo cứng
Softer,
LI low
0.5  LI < 0.75 Dẻo mềm
0.75  LI < 1 Dẻo nhão strength
LI  1 Nhão 33
 USCS for Cohensive Soil

• Fine- grained soil: percent passing No. 200 is higher than 50%
First character: C = inorganic Clay; M = inorganic Silt; O = organic silts
and clays; Pt = Peat, muck
• Second character: for Plasticity behavior
- L = Low plasticity, LL < 50
- H = High plasticity, LL  50
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 USCS

A-Line:
PI = 0.73 (LL-20)

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