Experiment No.

5
MEASUREMENT OF FIELD DENSITY
BY SAND CONE METHOD

Introduction:
The sand cone method employs the use of a uniformly graded sand to fill a test hole.
The hole is hand excavated in the soil and all the material from the hole is saved in a
container. The hole is filled with free-flowing sand of a known density, and the
volume is determined. The wet density of the soil is calculated and by determining the
water content of the material from the hole, the in-place dry density can be obtained.

Purpose and significance:

• To determine the in-place density/unit weight of soils of natural soil.
• To determine the density and water content of compacted soils. It often is used as a
basis of acceptance for compacted soils.

Standard Reference:
ASTM D1556: Standard Test Method for Density and Unit Weight of Soil in Place by
the Sand Cone Method.

Apparatus:
• Sand-cone density apparatus, consisting of sand container, sand cone (funnel), and
base plate.

• Small digging tools (e.g., shovels, trowels).

• Balance.
• Large sealable plastic bag or airtight container.

CE 141L- GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERING 1(Soil Mechanics)

LABORATORY EXPERIMENT
 Fig.1—Sand cone device. Parts include A) base plate, B) funnel, and C) sand container

Specimen Preparation:
The sand must be clean, dry, uniformly graded sand with a coefficient of uniformity
) < 2, a maximum particle size < 2.0 mm and < 3 % by weight passing the 250μm
[No. 60] sieve size. The sand should consist of rounded particles rather than angular.

Testing Procedure:
Select a location/elevation that is representative of the area to be tested, and determine
the density of the soil in-place as follows:
1. Fill the jar with a standard sand – a sand with known density – and determine the
mass of the sand cone apparatus with the jar filled with sand (M𝟏). The American
Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) recommends Ottawa sand as the
standard.

2. Determine the mass of sand to fill the cone (M2).

3. Excavate a small hole in the soil and determine the mass of the excavated soil
(M3).
4. Determine the water content of the excavated soil (ѡ).
5. Fill the hole with the standard sand by inverting the sand cone apparatus over the
hole and opening the valve.
6. Determine the mass of the sand cone apparatus with the remaining sand in the jar
(M4).
7. Calculate the mass of the soil as follows:
Mass of sand to fill the hole (Ms) = M1 – (M2 + M4)

Volume of hole (V) =

Mass of dry soil

CE 141L- GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERING 1(Soil Mechanics)

LABORATORY EXPERIMENT
 Dry density
FIELD DENSITY MEASUREMENT BY SAND CONE METHOD
DATA SHEET

Date Tested: November 23 – 24, 2022

Tested by: Section B – Group 3
Project Name: CE 141 Lab b

Calibration to find Dry unit weight of the standard sand

Mass of Proctor mold, M1 (kg) 5.030

Mass of Proctor mold and sand, M2 (kg) 6.492
Volume of mold, V1 (m3) 0.001
1462
Dry density of sand (kg/m3)
Calibration of sand cone

Mass of sand cone apparatus and jar filled with sand, Ma (kg) 7.008
Mass of sand cone apparatus with remaining sand in jar, Mb (kg) 5.548
Mass of sand to fill the cone, M2 = Ma - Mb (kg) 1.46
Sand cone test results
Mass of sand cone apparatus and jar filled with sand, M1 (kg) 7.008
Mass of excavated soil, M3 (kg) 3.532
Mass of sand cone apparatus with remaining sand in jar, M4 (kg) 2.598
Water content of excavated soil, ѡ (%)
Mass of sand to fill hole, Ms = M1 – (M2 + M4) (kg) 2.95
Volume of hole: (m3) 0.00202

Mass of dry soil, Md (kg)

Dry density, (kg/m3)

CE 141L- GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERING 1(Soil Mechanics)

LABORATORY EXPERIMENT
Calculations:

CE 141L- GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERING 1(Soil Mechanics)

LABORATORY EXPERIMENT
CE 141L- GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERING 1(Soil Mechanics)
LABORATORY EXPERIMENT