Problems

5. 1000 m3 of earth fill is to be constructed. How many cubic meters of soil is

to be excavated from borrow pit in which void ratio is 0.95, if void ratio of
earth fill is to be 0.7?
 Problems

6. A borrow pit material with an insitu dry unit weight of 16 kN/m3 is to be

used in the construction of a highway embankment. Wet unit weight of

compacted soil in the embankment is 19.6 kN/m3 with a water content of 15

%. Volume of embankment = 50,000 m3. calculate the volume of borrow

material required.
 Determination of water content

Oven- drying method

• Mostly commonly adopted and simplest laboratory method.
• Consists of drying a weighed moist sample of a soil in an oven at a controlled
temperature (105oC – 110oC) for a period of 24 hours after which the dry weight of
sample is taken.
The observations are:
The calculations are as follows:
Weight of an empty container = W1 Weight of dry soil = W3 – W1
Weight of container + wet soil = W2 Weight of water in the soil = W2 – W3
Weight of container + dry soil = W3
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 Determination of Water content

Calcium carbide method – Calcium carbide reacts with water to form acetylene gas.
(Rapid moisture meter ) Measure the gas pressure

Pycnometer method - used when the specific gravity of solids is known

Sand bath method - Field method. Rapid, but not very accurate

Rapid moisture meter method - it is a portable equipment

Alcohol method – Soil is mixed with methylated spirit (alcohol)

 Determination of Specific Gravity
Pycnometer method
• A pycnometer is a glass jar of about 1 litre capacity and fitted with a brass conical
cap. The cap has a small hole of 6 mm diameter at its apex.
• First, the weight of the empty pycnometer is determined (W1) in the dry condition
• Then the sample of oven-dried soil, cooled in the desiccator, is placed in the
pycnometer and its weight with the soil is determined (W2).

• The remaining volume of the pycnometer is then gradually filled with distilled
water. The entrapped air should be removed either by gentle heating and vigorous
shaking or by applying vacuum.

• The weight of the pycnometer, soil and water is

obtained (W3) carefully.

• Lastly, the bottle is emptied, thoroughly cleaned

and filled with distilled water, and its weight taken (W4).
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 Determination of Specific Gravity
Pycnometer method

• From the readings, the Wt of solids Ws = W2 – W1,

Wt of water = W3 – W2,
Wt of distilled water = W4 – W1

∴ Weight of water having the same volume as that of soil solids = (W4 – W1) – (W3 –
W2). By definition, and by Archimedes’ principle,
 Determination of Specific Gravity
Density Bottle Method

• Similar to Pycnometer method.

• Used for fine grained soil

Measuring flask method

Glass jar method

The specific gravity of the soil particles lie with in the range of 2.65 to 2.85.
Soils containing organic matter and porous particles may have specific
gravity values below 2.0. Soils having heavy substances may have values
above 3.0.
 Measurement of Mass density
Water displacement method (Cohesive soil)

• Take weight of soil specimen = W1

• Weight of soil specimen coated with wax = W2
• Waxed specimen immersed in water and qty of water overflown is noted = Vt

Actual vol of uncoated specimen

V = Vol of waxed specimen - Vol of wax

= Vt – (W2-W1)/ ρw ρw = 0.91 g/cc

Field density = M/V

 Measurement of Mass density
Sand-replacement method

• Principle of the sand replacement method consists in obtaining the volume of the
soil excavated by filling in the hole in-situ from which it is excavated, with sand,
previously calibrated for its unit weight, and thereafter determining the weight of the
sand required to fill the hole
• The procedure consists of calibration of the cylinder and later, the measurement of
the unit weight of the soil
 Measurement of Mass density
Sand-replacement method
(a) Calibration of the Cylinder and Sand
• Obtaining the weight of sand required to fill the pouring cone of the cylinder and the bulk
unit weight of the sand. Uniformly graded, dry, clean sand is used
• The cylinder is filled with sand almost to be top and the weight of the cylinder with the
sand is taken (W1)
• The sand is run out of the cylinder into the conical portion by pulling out the shutter.
When no further sand runs out, the shutter is closed. The weight of the cylinder with the
remaining sand is found (W2)
• The cylinder is placed centrally above the calibrating container such that the bottom of
the conical portion coincides with the top of the container. There sand is allowed to run
into the container as well as the conical portion until both are filled, as indicated by the
fact that no further sand runs out; then the shutter is closed.
• The weight of the cylinder with the remaining sand is found (W3)
• The weight of the sand filling the calibrating container (Wcc) may be found by deducting
the weight of sand filling the conical portion (Wc) from the weight of sand filling this and
the container (W2 – W3)
• Since the volume of the cylindrical calibrating container (Vcc) is known precisely from
its dimensions, the unit weight of the sand may be obtained by dividing the weight Wcc,
by the volume Vcc.
 Measurement of Mass density
Sand-replacement method
(a) Calibration of the Cylinder and Sand
Observations & Calculations
• Initial weight of cylinder + sand = W1
• Weight of cylinder + said, after running sand into the conical portion = W2
• ∴ Weight of sand occupying conical portion, Wc = (W1 – W2)
• Weight of cylinder + sand, after running sand into the conical portion and calibrating
container = W3
• ∴ Weight of sand occupying conical portion and calibrating container = (W2 – W3)
• ∴ Weight of sand filling the calibrating container
Wcc = (W2 – W3) – Wc = (W2 – W3) – (W1 – W2)

Volume of the calibrating container = Vcc

Unit weight of the sand:
 Measurement of Mass density
Sand-replacement method
(b) Measurement of Unit Weight of the Soil
The site at which the in-situ unit weight is to be determined is cleaned and levelled.
• A test hole, about 10 cm diameter and for about the depth of the calibrating
container (15 cm), is made at the site, the excavated soil is collected and its weight is
found (W).
• The sand pouring cylinder is filled with sand to about 3/4 capacity and is placed over
the hole, after having determined its initial weight with sand (W4), and the sand is
allowed to run into it.
• The shutter is closed when not further movement of sand takes place
• The weight of the cylinder and remaining sand is found (W5)
• The weight of the sand occupying the test hole and the conical portion will be equal
to (W4 – W5).
• The weight of the sand occupying the test hole, Ws, will be obtained by deducting
the weight of the sand occupying the conical portion, Wc, from this value.
• The volume of the test hole, V, is then got by dividing the weight, Ws, by the unit
weight of the sand
• The in-situ unit weight of the soil, γ, is then obtained by dividing the weight of the
soil, W, by its volume, V.
• If the moisture content, w, is also determined, the dry unit weight of the soil, γd, is
obtained as γ/(1+w).
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 Measurement of Mass density
Core-cutter method
• Apparatus consists of a mild steel-cutting ring with a dolly to fit its top
and a metal rammer
• The core-cutter is 10 cm in diameter and 12.5 cm in length. The dolly is
2.5 cm long. The bottom 1 cm of the ring is sharpened into a cutting edge
• The empty weight (W1) of the corecutter is found
• The core-cutter with the dolly is rammed into the soil with the aid of a 14-
cm diameter metal rammer.
• The ramming is stopped when the top of the dolly reaches almost the
surface of the soil.
• The soil around the cutter is excavated to remove the cutter and dolly full
of soil, from the ground.
• The dolly is also removed later, and the soil is carefully trimmed level
with the top and bottom of the core-cutter.
• The weight of the core-cutter and the soil is found (W2).
• The weight of the soil in the core-cutter, W, is then got as (W2 – W1). The
volume of this soil is the same as that of the internal volume of the cutter,
V, which is known.
The in-situ unit weight of the soil, γ, is given by W/V. If the moisture content,
w, is also found, the dry unit weight, γd, may be found as γd = γ/(1 + w).
 Measurement of Mass density
Other methods

• Submerged mass density method

• Rubber balloon method

• Radiation method
 Problems

7. In a pycnometer test, W1 = 580g,

pycnometer + dry soil = 781.25g

Pycnometer + soil+water = 1588 g

Pycnometer + water = 1458 g.

Find G
 Problems

8. Field density test gave the following results:

Mass of excavated soil = 923 g

Mass of sand pouring cylinder + sand = 5330 g

Mass of sand pouring cylinder + sand after pouring in to the pit = 4152 g

Mass of sand filling the calibrating cylinder of 1000 ml capacity was found to

be 1540 g. Mass of sand filling the cone is 430 g. If w = 9%. Calculate ρd