Walchand College of Engineering, Sangli

Lecture Notes of UG course on,

Soil Mechanics

Three-phase system and phase relationships

prepared by,
Dr. Anant Kiran Kokane,
Assistant Professor,
Walchand College of Engineering, Sangli
WCE Syllabus

No. Modules Hrs

1 Introduction 04
a) Definitions
b) Three-phase system and phase relationships:
c) Determination of various soil parameters in laboratory
2 Soil Classification 04
a) Grain size and hydrometer analysis,
b) Plasticity Characteristics of Soil and their determination
c) Unified and IS soil classification system.
3 Permeability and Seepage 05
a) Permeability
b) Seepage
c) Effective stress
4 Compaction of Soils: 03
a) Theory of Compaction
b) Field compaction
5 Compressibility and Consolidation of soils 05

6 Shear Strength of Soils 05

2
 Essential features of Soil behavior

• Effective Stress controls soil behavior

• Soil is compressible due to rearrangement of particles
• Shearing is basically frictional
• Soil distortion is not fully recoverable on unloading

Frictional, Compressible, Largely inelastic

• Even low fines percentage affects behavior as it imparts

plasticity

3
 Three Phase soil Idealization

Total Volume,

Where, Volume of Voids,

Total Weight,

4
Key Index Properties and their definitions

• Water content = weight of water / weight of solids w  mw / ms

• Void ratio (e) = volume of voids / volume of solids e  Vv / Vs

• Degree of Saturation = volume of water / volume of voids

S  Vw / Vv
• Air Voids = volume of air / total volume
Av  Va / V

5
• Porosity, Void Ratio, Moisture Content, and Unit Weights for
Some Typical Soils in a Natural State

6
 Important Formulae

Bulk Unit Weight Saturated Unit Weight Ge

 sat    w
 G  Se   1 e 
 bulk   w
 1 e  Dry Unit Weight
d 
G w  bulk

1 e 1 w
Se  wG
n e
e ; n
1 n 1 e

Relative Density (Density Index)

emax  e   d   d ,min   d ,max

ID   
emax  emin   d ,max   d ,min  d
Problems

8
9
• Problem 2

10
  bulk
d 
1 w

G w
d 
1 e

11
Problem 3
The undisturbed soil at a borrow pit has a water content of 15 %, void
ratio of 0.60 and specific gravity of solids 2.70.
The soil from the borrow pit is to be used for the construction of an
embankment with a finished volume of 40,000 cu m. The
specifications for the embankment require a water content of 18 %
and a dry unit weight of 1.76 g/cc.
Calculate the quantity of soil required to be excavated from the
borrow pit for the construction of the embankment. What would be
its weight? What is the weight of the embankment soil?

Given: Embankment Question

Borrow pit soil
VE  40000 m3 V ?
w  15% wE  18%
W ?
e  0.6  dE  1.76 gm/cc
G  2.7
WE  ?
 1.76*103 
 dE  2 3  *10  17.6kN/m3
 (10 )  12
Solution

Question Embankment
V ?
W ?
WE  ?

Borrow pit soil VE  40000 m3

w  15% wE  18%
e  0.6  dE  17.6kN/m3
G  2.7 G  2.7

Se  wG
0.15* 2.7
S  0.675
0.6
13

Borrow pit side calculations
Total Weight of Soil from Pit
W  Ws * (1  w)  704000 *1.15
 809600kN...(ans)
Embankment side calculations
Starting from basic definition of Dry Unit Weight
W W
 dE  17.6kN/m3= sE  sE
VE 40000
WsE  704000kN
(Weight of Solids in Embankment
= Weight of Solids from Pit)
Ws  WsE  704000kN
Total Weight of Soil in Embankment
WE  WsE * (1  w)  704000 *1.18  830720kN....(ans)

G w 2.7 *10
d    16.875kN/m3
1  e 1  0.6
 bulk
d 
1 w
 bulk  16.875* (1  0.15)  19.406kN/m3
Volume of Soil from borrow pit
W 809600
V   41719m3 ....( ans )
 bulk 19.406
14
Problem 4
A soil sample in its natural state has, when fully saturated,
a water content of 32.5%. Determine the void ratio, dry and
total unit weights. Calculate the total weight of water
required to saturate a soil mass of volume 10 m3.

Assume G = 2.69.

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16
 State whether the following are true or false?

(a) Dry density is greater than submerged density

(b) In unsaturated soils, water content is always less
than 100%.
(c) Larger the void ratio, larger the porosity.

17
 Answers

(a) Dry density is greater than submerged density True

(b) In unsaturated soils, water content is always less False

than 100%.
(c) Larger the void ratio, larger the porosity. True

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