Lab Report-4

Course Code: CE-232

Course Title: Geotechnical Engineering Lab I

Submitted To:-
Ahad Ullah
Lecturer, Department of Civil Engineering
Daffodil International University

Submitted By:-
Name: Tanvir Rajib
ID: 191-47-234
Batch: Spring’19
EXPERIMENT: 04

EXPERIMENT NAME: Particle Size Analysis by Hydrometer.

Purpose:

The specific objective of this test is to determine particle size distribution of soils containing
smaller the 0.075 mm diameter grains using hydrometer.

Standard Reference:

ASTM D 422 - Standard Test Method for Particle-Size Analysis of Soils.

Significance:

Many natural soils are composed of both coarse-grained and fine-grained particles. Particle
size distribution of soil which contain significant number of finer particles (silt and clay)
cannot be done by sieve analysis. Hydrometer analysis is essential to get a complete particle
size distribution of such soils. Particle size distribution obtained from sieve analysis may be
combined with the data from a hydrometer analysis to produce a complete gradation curve.
From hydrometer analysis it is possible to approximate percentage of silt and clay particles
present in the finer portion

Equipment:

Balance, set of sieves, Cleaning brush, Sieve shaker, Mixer (blender), 152H Hydrometer,
Sedimentation cylinder, Control cylinder, Thermometer, Beaker, Timing device.

Procedure:

Measure exactly 50 gm of oven-dry, well-pulverized soil.

Place the soil in the mixing pot. Add 125 ml of 4% NaPO3 (sodium hexametaphosphate)
solution.

Transfer the mixture to a mixing pot and add tap water until the cup is two-thirds full. Mix
for 3 to 5 minutes in the mixing device.
Transfer all the contents of the mixer pot to the hydrometer jar, being very careful not to lose
any material. Add tap water to fill the cylinder to the 1000 ml mark. Also fill the graduated
cylinder (later referred to as water jar) to about 1000 ml mark with tap water.

Put the palm of your left hand on the open end of the hydrometer jar and mix the soil water
suspension by quickly overturning the jar up and down several times. Then place the
hydrometer jar on the table. Take care so that the jar is not disturbed by any vibration.

Immediately after placing the hydrometer jar on the table, insert the hydrometer in the soil
water suspension, start the timer and take readings at elapsed times of 0.25, 0.5, 1, and 2
minute. Make sure to always read the top of the meniscus.
After 2 minutes, remove the hydrometer and place it in the water jar.

Continue taking hydrometer readings at elapsed times of 4, 8, 15, 30, 60 min., and 2, 4, 8, 16,
and 24 hours. Between hydrometer readings, store the hydrometer in the water jar.
(Sometimes the readings are continued at elapsed times of 32, 64, 96 h until the hydrometer
reading becomes relatively constant or the grain size D still in suspension is of the order of
0.001 mm.)

When it is desired to take a hydrometer reading, carefully insert the hydrometer about 20 to
25 s before the reading is due to approximately the depth it will have when the reading is
taken. As soon as the reading is taken, carefully remove the hydrometer and place it with a
spinning motion in a graduate of water jar.

Record the temperature of water from the thermometer kept in another water jar in the
laboratory to the nearest 1C at the beginning of the test and at the time of each hydrometer
reading from 15 minutes onward.

With the hydrometer placed in the water jar, take upper and lower meniscus readings to find
meniscus correction Cm. Usually, Cm=0.5. Take zero correction Cz to be 3.5
 Data Sheet: Determination of particle diameter using hydrometer is based on Stokes’s Law
which states that the terminal velocity (v) of a freely falling sphere through a medium is
proportional to the square of the diameter (D) of the particle, v  D2. From this we obtain,

γ𝑠 −γ𝑤
v= 𝐷2
18η

18η
D=√ .√v………………… (1)
γ𝑠 −γ𝑤

Student ID:191-47-234 Description of the soil: NaPO3 Date:

Hydrometer Type: ASTM 152H Specific gravity, Gs: 2.74 Wt. of soil, Ws: 50 gm

R1 = 0 L1 = 10.6 cm Meniscus correction, Cm: 0.5 Zero correction, Cz: 3.5

R2 = 50 L2 = 0 cm Length of bulb, Lb: 14.0 cm Volume of bulb, Vb: 67 cm3

Description of the soil: Percent passing No. 200 sieve, P = 13 Area of Jar, Aj: 27.5 cm3

Obser Te
Hyd.
ved mp Corre % Finer
Corr. Effect Viscosit %
Elaps Hydr Grain erat cted (% of
Only ive Unit y of Finer
Dat Clock ed Temp omete diamete ure Hyd. portion
for depth weight water (combi
e Time time C r rD corr Readi finer than
menis L γw η ned)
min readin mm ecti ng. #200 sieve
cus cm poise N’
g on RC only) N
RL
Ra CT
22-
06- 9:10
21 AM 0.2 28 22 21.5 12.76 0.9963 0.00836 0.0836 2.5 21.5 42.14 5.48
* 0.5 28 15 14.5 13.91 0.9963 0.00836 0.06406 2.5 14.5 28.42 3.69
* 1 28 10 9.5 14.73 0.9963 0.00836 0.04662 2.5 9.5 18.62 2.42
* 2 28 7 6.5 15.22 0.9963 0.00836 0.03351 2.5 6.5 12.74 1.66
* 4 28 6 5.5 15.39 0.9963 0.00836 0.02382 2.5 5.5 10.78 1.4
* 8 28 5 4.5 15.55 0.9963 0.00836 0.01693 2.5 4.5 8.82 1.15
* 15 28 5 4.5 15.55 0.9963 0.00836 0.01237 2.5 4.5 8.82 1.15
* 30 28 4.5 4 15.63 0.9963 0.00836 0.00877 2.5 4 7.84 1.02
10.10
* AM 60 28 4 3.5 15.72 0.9963 0.00836 0.00622 2.5 3.5 6.86 0.89
11.10
* AM 120 28 4 3.5 15.72 0.9963 0.00836 0.0044 2.5 3.5 6.86 0.89
1:10
* PM 240 28 3.25 2.75 15.84 0.9963 0.00836 0.00312 2.5 2.75 5.39 0.7
5:10
* PM 480 28 3 2.5 15.88 0.9963 0.00836 0.00221 2.5 2.5 4.9 0.64
23-
06- 9:10
21 AM 1440 28 2 1.5 16.04 0.9963 0.00836 0.00128 2.5 1.5 2.94 0.38
24-
06- 9:10
21 AM 2880 27 2 1.5 16.04 0.9965 0.00855 0.00092 2 1 1.96 0.25

100
Particle Size Distribution
Grain diametre D mm
90

80 % Finer (% of portion finer than

#200 sieve only) N
70 % Finer (combined) N’

60

50

40

30

20

10

0
10 1 0.1 0.01 0.001

Discussion:
The principal source of error in this procedure is the incomplete dispersion of soil clays. These
clays are cemented by various chemical agents and organic matter into aggregates of larger size.
Failure to effect complete dispersion results in low values for clay and high values for silt and
sand. The rate of sedimentation also is affected by temperature and the density of the dispersing
solution.