Chapter 04 Physical Relationships

SOIL MECHANICS
CHAPTER 04
PHYSICAL RELATIONSHIPS
UNIVERSITY OF ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY

Division of Construction and Transport Technology
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SOIL MECHANICS: CHAPTER 04
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. SOME BASIC DEFINITIONS
2. SOME PHYSICAL RELATIONSHIPS
3. SOME PROBLEMS
4. TYPICAL REFERENCES

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SIMPLIFIED SOIL ELEMENT
Wa Air-filled voids Va
Vv
Natural soil V W Ww Water-filled voids
W Vw
element V
Ws Solid soil Vs
(a) (b)
Natural soil element (a) and its simplified element having three phases separated (b)
Note:
W = weight of the entire soil element, Wa, Ww, and Ws = weight of air portion, weight of
water portion, and weight of (dry) solid soil portion, respectively;
V = Volume of the entire soil element; Va, Vw, and Vs = volume of air potion, volume of
water portion, and volume of (dry) solid soil portion, respectively.

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BASIC DEFINITIONS
Ww
Water content (w): w 100%
Ws
Unit weight and densities:

W
Bulk unit weight (): 
V
Ws 
Dry unit weight (d): d  
V 1 w

Bulk density ():
 (where g = 9.81 m/s2)
g
ms
Particle density (s): s 
Vs
Vw
Degree of saturation (S): S
Vv

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BASIC DEFINITIONS
Vv
Void ratio (e): e
Vs
Vv e
Porosity (n):
n 
V 1 e
V
Specific volume (V):
V '  1 e
Vs
s
Gs 
Specific gravity (Gs): w
emax  e
Dr   100%
Relative density (Dr): emax  emin Only for coarse-
grained soils (sandy
   d min   d max 
Dr  d   100% soils and gravelly soils)
 d max   d min  d 
where emax, emin = maximum void ratio and minimum void ratio
of the soil; gd,max and gdmin = maximum dry unit weight (at emin)
and minimum dry unit weight (at emax).

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BASIC DEFINITIONS
Liquid limit (wL or LL) and plastic limit (wP or PL) (See chapter 2)

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BASIC DEFINITIONS
No. Key parameter Standard/Code
1 Water content (w) D 2216-10; BS 1377-2:1990
D 584-10; D5550-06; BS 1377-

2 Particle density (s); Specific gravity (Gs) 2:1990
3 Plastic limit (WP) and liquid limit (WL) D 4318-10; BS 1377-2:1990
D 4253-00
4 Maximum unit weight (max) of cohesionless soil
D 4254-00
5 Minimum unit weight (min) of cohesionless soil
D 6913-10; BS 1377-2:1990
6 Grain size distribution for coarse-grained soils
7 Unified soil classification system (USCS) D 2487-11
D 2488-09
8 Soil classification by visual-manual procedures

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2. PHYSICAL RELATIONSHIPS
RELATIONSHIPS AMONG , e, w, and Gs
Ww Ww Ws 
Vw    w s Vs
 w Ws  w w
s
w  wGs
w
s
Ws  Vs s   s  w
w
s
  w  Gs  w
w
Ww  Vw w  wGs w
Three separate phases of a soil element with volume of soil solids equal 1

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RELATIONSHIPS AMONG , e, w, and Gs
W Ws  Ww Gs w  wGs w 1  wGs w

Unit weight ():    
V 1 e 1 e 1 e
Ws Gs w
Dry unit weight (d): d  
V 1 e
Gs  w
Void ratio (e): e -1
d
Vw wGs
Degree of saturation (S): S 
Vv e
Gs w  e w Gs  e  w
Saturated unit weight (sat):  sat   (because S = 1, and wGs = e)
1 e 1 e

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RELATIONSHIPS AMONG , n, w, and Gs
Vv
n  Vv
V
Vs  V  Vv  1  n
Ws  Vs s  1  n Gs w
Ww  wWs  1  n wGs w
Three separate phases of a soil element with total volume of element equal 1

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RELATIONSHIPS AMONG , n, w, and Gs
W Ws  Ww
Unit weight ():    Gs w 1-n   wGs w 1  n   Gs w 1  n 1  w
V V
Ws
Dry unit weight (d): d   Gs w 1-n 
V
Ws  Ww
Saturated unit weight (sat):  sat   1  n Gs w  Vw w  1  n Gs w  n w
V
Ww n w n
wsat   
Saturated water content (ws): Ws 1  n  wGs 1  n Gs

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VARIOUS UNIT WEIGHT RELATIONSHIPS
(After Das and Sobhan 2014)

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3. SOME PROBLEMS
Students are required to solve problems 4.1 to 4.4 given in the “Review questions”
4. SOME KEY REFERENCES
Das, B.M. and Sobhan, K. (2014). Principles of geotechnical engineering, 8th edition, CENGAGE
Learning.

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Chapter 04 Physical Relationships

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SOIL MECHANICS

UNIVERSITY OF ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY

1. SOME BASIC DEFINITIONS

2. SOME PHYSICAL RELATIONSHIPS

UNIVERSITY OF ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY

1. SOME BASIC DEFINITIONS

UNIVERSITY OF ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY

1. SOME BASIC DEFINITIONS

Unit weight and densities:

UNIVERSITY OF ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY

1. SOME BASIC DEFINITIONS

and minimum dry unit weight (at emax).

1. SOME BASIC DEFINITIONS

UNIVERSITY OF ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY

1. SOME BASIC DEFINITIONS

No. Key parameter Standard/Code

1 Water content (w) D 2216-10; BS 1377-2:1990

D 584-10; D5550-06; BS 1377-

3 Plastic limit (WP) and liquid limit (WL) D 4318-10; BS 1377-2:1990

7 Unified soil classification system (USCS) D 2487-11

UNIVERSITY OF ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY

UNIVERSITY OF ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY

W Ws  Ww Gs w  wGs w 1  wGs w

UNIVERSITY OF ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY

UNIVERSITY OF ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY

UNIVERSITY OF ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY

UNIVERSITY OF ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY

4. SOME KEY REFERENCES

UNIVERSITY OF ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY

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