COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING AND ARCHITECTURE

CIVIL ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT

CE401 Soil Mechanics

1st Semester SY 2016-2017

EXPERIMENT 6
DETERMINATION OF WATER CONTENT, UNIT WEIGHT, SPECIFIC GRAVITY, VOID RATIO AND DEGREE OF
SATURATION OF SOIL

Name (SN, FN MI): _________________________________

Section: ______________
Group Number: _____
Experiment Performed: __________________
Report Submitted: __________________
Instructor: __________________________________

Objective(s)

To introduce to the student the procedure in determining the weight-volume characteristics of the soil.

Intended Learning Outcome(s)

The students shall be able to:

 Connect the relationship of water content, unit weight, void ratio and degree of saturation.
 Describe methods in determining water content, unit weight, void ratio and degree of saturation.

Background

The determination of water content, unit weight and void ratio is an important requirement in laboratory tests and is part of the
test included in more elaborate tests. Water content is an important measure in the compaction of soil. In order that correct
water content is obtained from a soil sample, several samples at different points must be taken. They are then mixed and the
water content is then obtained from this soil sample.

Various methodologies have been devised to determine the unit weight of the soil in the field such as calibrated bucket
method, nuclear method to name a few. For determination of the unit weight in a laboratory setting, paraffin wax can be used
in determining the unit weight. The paraffin coating applied on the soil will allow determination of its volume as it is submerged
in water.

The specific gravity of the solid grains of the soil is an engineering parameter which is dependent on the mineralogy of the
soil and the structure of its solid grains. Upon determination of the specific gravity, the void ratio and degree of saturation of
the soil can then be determined mathematically.

Resources

Tin cup
Triple-beam Balance
Oven
Pycnometer
Bunsen burner
Paraffin wax
Procedure

Note: For this experiment, use of coarse-grained soil is encouraged in order to expedite the oven-drying of the sample.

Water Content Determination

1. Weigh a tin cup including its cover; identify the cover and its lid. Determine the weight of the tin cup.
2. Place a representative sample of wet soil in the cup. Determine the weight of wet soul and tin cup.
3. Place the sample in the oven for at least 3 hours.
4. When the sample has dried to constant weight, obtain the weight of cup and dry soil
5. Compute the water content. The difference between weight of wet soil plus cup and weight of dry soil plus cup is
the weight of water (Ww). Also compute the weight of dry soil (Ws).
6. To determine the water content ().
 = Ww/Ws x 100
7. Repeat until three (3) trials are achieved. Determine the average moisture content.

Unit Weight Determination

1. Trim a sample of soil to about 1 ½ inches diameter and 2 to 3 inches long. Surface should be smooth and rounded.
Weigh to up to the nearest 0.1 gram.
2. Cover with a thin coating of paraffin and weigh again. Compute the volume of paraffin from weight of paraffin. The
specific gravity of paraffin is about 0.9
3. Immerse the coated sample in water in the graduated cylinder and determine its displacement. The volume of the
sample is the volume of the water displaced minus the volume of the paraffin.
4. Compute the unit weight in grams/cu. cm.

Calculation
:
The volume of the paraffin is equal to the weight of paraffin used to coat sample divided by the density of paraffin. Density of
paraffin is 0.90

Wt. of paraffin = Wt. Soil coated with paraffin – wt. of soil uncoated with paraffin

The volume of the paraffin—coated sample is equal to the weight in air minus the weight in water, (express the weight in
gm)
weight of soil
Wet density of soil = g/cc or kg/m
volume of soil

Specific Gravity Determination

Calibration of Pycnometer

1. Transfer carefully the 25 gm sample to the calibrated bottle and add distilled water until about ½ full. Care must be
exercised so as not to lose any of the soil in the transfer.
2. Expel the entrapped air by boiling gently for at least 10 minutes. Roll the bottle occasionally to facilitate the removal
of air.
3. Cool the sample to room temperature or to a temperature within the range of the calibration curve of the bottle
used.
Determination of Specific Gravity

1. Fill the bottle with distilled water to the calibration mark as discussed in step 2 from calibration of bottle.
2. Dry the outside of the bottle, as in step 3, pycnometer calibration.
3. Weigh the bottle with water and soil, and record as Wb. Read and record the temperature of the contents to 0.1 °C,
as in step 5, pycnometer calibration.
4. Repeat procedure for at least 3 trials.

Note: An alternative heating device that can be used is an electric plate stove with wire gauze.

Gt (Ws)
Gs=
Ws+Wa-Wb

Where:

Gs – Specific gravity
Gt – Specific gravity of distilled water at the temperature when
Wb was obtained (refer to Table A)
Ws – Weight of oven-dried sample
Wa – weight of bottle + water (from calibration curve)
Wb – weight of bottle + soil and water

Determination of Void Ratio and Degree of Saturation:

The void ratio can be determined from the formula shown below:

γwGs (1+w)
e= -1
γ

The degree of saturation can be determined from the formula shown below:
wGs
S=
e
Data and Results

Moisture Content Determination

Description Sample 1 Sample 2 Sample 3
Wt of tin cup (Wc)
Wt. of tin cup + Wet Soil (Wc+ws)
Wt. of tin cup and dry soil (Wc+dc)
Wt. of water (Ww)
Wt. of dry soil (Wds)
Water Content ()
Average

Unit Weight Determination

Description Description
Wt. of soil (Ws) Wt. of paraffin (Wp)
Wt. of soil and paraffin Volume of paraffin (Vp)
(Ws+p)
Volume of soil+paraffin Volume of soil (Vs)
(Vs+p)
Unit weight ()

Specific Gravity Determination

Description Description
SG of distilled water (Gt) Wt. of bottle + water (Wa)
Wt. of oven-dried sample Weight of bottle + soil +
(Ws) water (Wb)
Specific gravity of soil (Gs)

Determination of Void Ratio and Degree of Saturation

Void ratio
Degree of Saturation
Analysis

Conclusion

Recommendation
Assessment

Criteria 0 1 2 3 Score
I. Experiment Conduct
The entire Skips more than Skips one or two Performs all the
Experimental
experiment is not two steps in this step(s) in this steps in the
Set-up
done at all. experiment. experiment. experiment.
Does not
Demonstrates only
demonstrate the Demonstrates only Demonstrates all
some of the
Correct Practice correct way/s of one or two steps the required steps
required steps
doing the required correctly. correctly.
correctly.
steps.
Follows safety Follows safety Follows safety
Does not follow
Safety Precautions precautions most precautions most precautions at all
safety precautions.
of the time. of the time. times.
II. Work Habits
Finishes ahead of
Not able to finish Not able to finish Finishes on time
time with complete
Time Management on time with no on time with with incomplete
data and time to
data gathered. incomplete data. data.
revise data.
Does the tasks
Has a defined
Does not know and has a defined
responsibility most
his/her tasks or responsibility at all
of the time. Group
Cooperative and Has not performed has no defined times. Group
conflicts are
Teamwork the experiment responsibility. conflicts are
cooperatively
Group conflicts are cooperatively
managed most of
not managed well. managed at all
the time.
times.
Messy workplace Occasional mess
Clean and orderly
during the during the
Messy workplace workplace at all
Neatness and experiment yet experiment yet
during and after times during and
Orderliness clean and orderly clean and orderly
the experiment. after the
workplace after workplace after
experiment.
the experiment. the experiment.
III. Report
Data and results
are well-recorded
Data and results Data and results
Does not present and well-
are incomplete are well-recorded
Data and results any data and presented with
and presentation but presentation is
result. complete labels
is disorganized. disorganized.
and can be easily
understood.
Provides a good Provides a good
Provides unclear, but not well- and well-
Provides no not logical, integrated integrated
Analysis and analysis and unintegrated observation and observation and
Conclusion conclusion about observation and conclusion about conclusion about
the experiment. conclusion about the experiment the experiment
the experiment. based from the based from the
data. data.
 Provides a Provides a good Provides a good
Suggests no recommendation recommendation recommendation
Recommendation
recommendation. irrelevant to the relevant to the for the betterment
subject matter. subject matter. of the experiment.
Presents Presents a step-
Presents a good
incomplete record by-step, complete,
record of the
Documentation No documentation. of the experiment well-documented
experiment in
in photos and experiment in
photos and video.
video. photos and video.
Uses English
Uses the English
Uses English language in the Uses good English
language
Use of English language with explanations made language in the
proficiently in the
language many grammatical with few explanations
explanations
errors. grammatical made.
made.
errors.
Note: Other Comments/Observations: Total Score
Absent during
laboratory period
and laboratory
report/s not (Total Score)
submitted on time Rating= ×100
33
are both
considered as zero
(0).