SOIL MECHNICS

BY ADITYA CHAMOLI
 Important Properties

•Void ratio
•Porosity
•Permeability
•Structure
•Compaction
•consolidation
Phase diagram
 VOID RATIO
It is the ratio between volume of voids in soil to
the volume of solid particle in the soil. Denoted
by ‘e’
e = Vv/ Vs

Vv= volume of voids

Vs= volume of solids
 POROSITY
It is the ratio between volume of voids in the
soil to the total volume of soil . denoted by “n”
n = Vv/V

Vv=volume of voids
V=volume of soil
 DEGREE OF SATURATION
It is the ratio between volume of water in the
soilto the volume of voids in the soil.
Sr = Vw /Vv

Vw= volume of water

Vv= volume of voids
Structure
• There are eight structural
types commonly
recognized in soil profiles:
Granular, single grain,
blocky, prismatic,
columnar, platy, wedge,
and massive.
 Permeability
• Permeability refers to the
movement of air and water
within the soil.
• Permeability rate is the rate
at which a saturated soil
transmits water, usually
expressed in inches per
hour. Texture, structure,
bulk density, and the type
and connectivity of
macropores influence
permeability.
• Hydraulic conductivity is a
measurement of the
amount of water that can
move downward through a
unit area of unsaturated soil
in a unit of time.
•  Saturated hydraulic
conductivity (ksat) is a
measurement of the
amount of water that can
move downward through a
unit area of saturated soil in
a unit of time.
 Soil compaction
It the process in which a stress applied to a soil
causes densification as air is displaced from the
pores between the soil grains.
Necessity of compaction
1.Increase bearing capacity
2.Increase shear strength
3.Increase stability of soil
 CONSOLIDATION
Consolidation is a process by which soils
decrease in volume. “consolidation is any
process which involves a decrease in water
content of saturated soil without replacement
of water by air”.