INTRODUCTION TO Soils lesson

CONSTRUCTION 1
MATERIALS Z Ngubane
NATURE OF SOILS:
 Soil is a result of weathering, erosion and transportation of the Earth’s crust
over time.
 Uppermost layer of soil is called TOPSOIL
 Usually 500mm thick, containing organic material necessary to support
growth.
 For engineering purposes, soil is to be considered as any loose deposit such
as gravel, sand, silt, clay or a combination of these materials.
 Topsoil is kept in stockpiles, so that it can be re-used.
TYPE:
 Soils in broad terms consist of solid particles, moisture and air

Voids

Air Voids

Solids Water

Solids

Volume Mass

–What soil type do you think is best for engineering purposes?

IDENTIFICATION OF
SOILS:
o Field Identification
-Compressibility
-Plastic Characteristics (Cohesion)
-Dry Strength
-Colour (Dark = Organic, Light = In-organic)
-Smell
-Feel

o Soil Samples
-Study of soils in a controlled environment
-Representative soil sample
-Disturbed or undisturbed sample
IDENTIFICATION OF
SOILS:
Moisture Content
- Procedure to find out how much water is within a soil sample. (Page 9)
- Calculate Moisture Content

M a s s o f c o n ta in e r  W e t S o il    M a s s o f c o n ta in e r  D r y S o il 
M o is tu r e C o n te n t %  x 100
M a s s o f C o n ta in e r  D r y S o il    M a s s o f c o n ta in e r o n ly 
M a s s o f M o is tu r e
M o is tu r e C o n te n t %   x 100
M a s s o f d r y s o il

Example: Mass of container = 175g

Mass of wet soil + container = 3 125g
Mass of dry soil + container = 2 987g
Answer = 4.9%
IDENTIFICATION OF
SOILS:
Consistency (Page 11)
 is that property of the soil that displays resistance to flow. Reflects the
cohesive abilities of the soil (i.e. ability of the soil particles to stick
together)
 The property of soils is affected by the moisture content. (i.e. Solid to a
liquid)
 Consistency of the soil can be expressed using three defined limits.
 Liquid limit (LL)
 Plastic limit (PL)
 Plasticity Index (PI)
 Consistency test used to:
 Classify soils
 Indicate soils with poor plastic qualities
 Estimate the strength of the soil (PI)
IDENTIFICATION OF
SOILS:
Definitions:
 The LL is the moisture content, expressed as a % by weight of the oven
dry soil, at the boundary between the plastic and liquid state.

 The PL is the moisture content of the soil at the boundary between the
plastic and semi-solid state.

 The PI is the value used in conjunction with the liquid and plastic
limits. PI = LL – PL
IDENTIFICATION OF
SOILS:
o Specific Gravity Test:
 SG is the ratio of the weight of the solid material per unit volume to the
weight of an equal volume of water, under standard conditions. Used o
calculate the density and porosity of materials.
 Hydrometer is used to carry out this test, SG of water is 1.0.

o Particle Size Distribution:

 Soil structure is not Homogeneous, different particle sizes.
 Identification is achieved through a particle size distribution test.
(Separates soil particles.)

Bag of marbles and sand, - which will be able to be compacted to a higher density.
PARTICLE SIZE DISTRIBUTION TEST OR SIEVE
ANALYSIS. (PAGE 16 – 22)
Sieve size (mm) Mass of soil retained (g) % Soil retained % Soil Passing
37.5 0 0 100
26.5 10 32 31.9 68.1
19.0 793
13.2 558
4.75 323
2.00 215
0.475 144
0.075 119
<0.075 56
Total

% soil retained = Mass of soil retained on sieve x 100

Total mass of sample

The final step in the sieve analysis is to plot a graph using a semi-log graph.
SOIL VOLUME
CHARACTERISTICS:
There are three different stages or principle conditions
that the volume of material can be describe as;
 Bank Condition (Bm3): refers to the soil in its natural state.

 Loose Condition (Lm3): is loose material after excavation (Digging).

Swelling of the soil takes place in this stage.

 Compacted Condition (Cm3): is the reduced volume after transporting,

placing and compacting has taken place. (Roller has been applied)
SOIL VOLUME
CHARACTERISTICS:
Swelling or Bulking is the increase in soil volume from bank to
loose.

m a ss / B m 3

S w e ll %    3
 1 x 100
m a ss / L m 

Shrinkage is the reduction in the volume of excavated soil when

compaction takes place.

 m a ss / B m 3 
S h r in k a g e %   1  3 
x 100
 m a s s / C m 
CONVERSION OF
MATERIAL VOLUME
It is often necessary to convert all material volume to a common unit of
measure.
 Load factor; converts Lm3 to Bm3 m a ss / L m 3
L o a d F a c to r 
m a ss / B m 3
or
1
L o a d F a c to r 
 S w e ll 
1  
 100 
 Shrinkage Factor; converts Bm3 to Cm3

3
m a ss / C m
S h rin k a g e F a c to r  3
m a ss / B m
or
 s h r in k a g e 
(Example found on page 23 of Prescribed Book) S h rin k a g e F a c to r  1  
 100 
SPOIL
Spoil is a term used to describe excavated material that can be
kept for later reuse.
A Spoil Bank
 This is where the pile of material is long in relation to its width.

volume  Section area x Length

BH
V  xL
2 B = Width of Pile
1 H = Height of Pile
L = Length of Pile
 4V  2
B R = Angle of Repose
 L tan R 
 V = Loose volume of soil
(Lm3)
B tan R
H 
2
SPOIL
A Spoil Pile (Stock Pile)
This is where the material is dumped from a fixed position to create a
conical shape.

1
Volume  x  area of base x Height 
3
1
V x R 2 x H
3
1
 7.64V  3
D
 tan R 
D tan R
H
2