Specific Gravity Test

According to ASTM D 854

1. Objective:

This test was carried out to determine the specific gravity, Gs of a soil sample.
Specific gravity is defined as the ratio of mass of particles to the mass of water that
displace at some standard temperature and therefore, dimensionless.

2. Sample Description

Sample was taken by rotary boring machine with stainless steel thin wall tube
(according to ASTM D-1587) about two weeks before the laboratory test. Sample was
coated in a special wax just a few hours before the test was conducted. Since it had just
been coated before the test, the sample had never experienced store room preservation.
Location of the sample is on AIT campus at depth of 4.5 - 5 m from the in situ
ground surface. As it is the 5th sample, with approximately 12 cm deep each, better depth
estimation is 4.6 m. from local ground surface.
The physical appearance of sample is varied from dark grey clay with slightly mix
of fine grained sand.

3. Apparatus

1. Volumetric Flask
2. Thermometer
3. Balance sensitive up to 0.1 g.
4. Vacuum pump and hot plate
5. Spatula
6. Plastic squeeze bottle
7. Oven
8. Stove

4. Procedure
Calibration of volumetric flask procedure
1. Weight clean dry volumetric flask
2. Fill distill water up to ¾ of the height of the flask
3. Remove air in distilled water by vacuum pump for at least 30 mins and
then heat the water for at least 5 mins.
4. Bring the temperature of the water in flask down until 40°C (approx).
 5. Slowly and carefully fill de-aired water up to the mark of flask to avoid the
entrapment of air bubbles in the water.
6. Make the temperature to uniform by agitating or rolling the flask.
7. Weight the flask with water, record the temperature (record 4-5 values by
varied temperature)

Specific Gravity Test Procedure

1. Fill approximately 50 grams of dry soil into an evaporating dish
2. Add water (de-aired and distilled) to the soil and mix it to the form of smooth.
3.Put the soil sample into volumetric flask.
4.Add distilled water to the volumetric flask containing the soil to make it about
two-third full. ( do not fill the water reached to the neck of the flask).
5. Remove the air from the soil-water mixture. This can be done by:
a) Gently boiling the flask containing the soil-water mixture for about 15-
20 minutes. Accompany the boiling with continuous agitation of the flask. If too much
heat is applied, the soil may blow over the flask.
b) Apply vacuum by vacuum pump or aspirator until all the entrapped air
is out.
6. Bring the temperature of the soil-water mixture in volumetric flask down to
room temperature.
7. Add de-aired, distilled water to the volumetric flask until the bottle of the
meniscus reached the 500 ml. mark. Also dry outside of the flask as well as inside of the
neck above meniscus.
8.Determine the combined weight of the bottle plus soil water.
9. Just as a precaution, check the temperature of the soil and water in the flask to
see if it is ± 1 °C or not.
10. Pour the soil and water into a container. Using a plastic squeezing bottle, wash
the inside of the flask and make sure that no soil is left inside.
11. Put the container in an oven to dry a constant weight.
12. Determine the weight of the dry soil in the container.
6. Conclusion and Discussion

From the result of testing we can summarize:

Specific gravity of Soil Sample, Gs = 2.68.

The average value of specific gravity, Gs is 2.68. Refer to the soils sample is clay.

From our experiment we calculated Gs = 2.68 may not perfectly correct because Gs varies

from 2.68 to 2.80. The ambiguity of these might results from the errors that occurred

during performing the experiment.

We can calculate the specific gravity for the certain soil sample. The formula

 WS 
GS  GT   is correct and applicable. The specific gravity is important for
W1  W2  WS  

determination of the different kind of soil parameters. For example the degree of

saturation, void ratio and unit weight.

7. Appendix

Example of Calculation

 WS 
 Specific Gravity GS  GT  
W1  W2  WS  

Where G S = Specific gravity of soil

GT = Specific gravity of water at any temperature
WS = Weight of dry soil
W1 = Weight of Flask + water
W2 = Weight of Flask + water + soils

Base on the graph of flask calibration,

When water temperature = 24 ºC, W1 = 655.04g

W2 = 683.6 g and WS = 45.2 g

From the theoretical value, specific gravity of water, GT at 24 ºC = 0.9973

 45.2 
Hence G S  0.9973  = 2.71
 655.04   683.6  50 

Specific Gravity = 2.71

There might be some errors occur in the process of carried out the experiment. We

should be careful in some procedures such as:

- The time of leaving the volumetric flask in the vacuum is not long enough to take

out the air trapped in the soil.

- Air bubbles might trap in the volumetric flask when the bottle is filled with distilled

water.

- Make sure the inner surface of the volumetric flask is dried and cleaned properly
before the experiment start.

- Wind from natural, fan or air – condition can disturb balance to show

unsteady weight, so we have to place balance at unwind location.

- To check the temperature in the flask, we should measure at top, middle,

and bottom of flask for making sure the temperature is uniform

- Flask and thermometer are broken able, so be highly careful when carry

and wash them.

- Leave the volumetric flask filled with soil and distilled water long enough
to make sure the air trapped in the soil is taken out.
8. References

- Bergado, Dennes T.(2007), Soil Mechanics with Application, School of civil

Engineering- AIT

- Laboratory Hand Out (2007), “Atterberg Limits”, School of civil Engineering-

AIT

- Bowles, J.E. (1975): Engineering Properties of Soils and their Measurements,

Mc Graw – Hill Co.

- Lambe. T.W. and Whitman, R.V, Soil Mechanics(1979), John Wily,

New York