MAPUA UNIVERSITY

SCHOOL OF CIVIL, ENVIRONMENTAL AND

GEOLOGICAL ENGINEERING
SOIL MECHANICS AND MATERIALS TESTING
LABORATORY

NAME: PANGIBITAN, GEOJANNI R.

COURSE & SECTION: CE161P-2 / A5 STUDENT NO.: 2018109231 _

EXPERIMENT NO. 3b

HYDROMETER ANALYSIS OF SOIL

TITLE

DATE PERFORMED: SEPTEMBER 9, 2020

DATE SUBMITTED: SEPTEMBER 11, 2020 GRADE

ENGR. TIMOTHY DANIEL DJ. FELICIA

INSTRUCTOR
 Experiment No. 3b
HYDROMETER ANALYSIS OF SOIL

OBJECTIVE
This method describes a procedure for the quantitative determination of
particle sizes in fine-grained soil by means of a hydrometer.

PROCEDURE
Hydrometer Analysis of Fractions
1. Dispersion of sample: Weigh 50 grams of the air-dried sample (100 grams for
sandy soil), place in a beaker, and fill with distilled water to about half the depth
and allow to soak for at least 18 hours. After soaking, add 20 ml. of sodium
silicate as a deflocculating agent, and wash the contents into the dispersion cup.
Add distilled water until it is about 2 inches from the brim and disperse the
contents for 1 minute in the mechanical stirring apparatus.
2. Transfer the mixture to the graduated cylinder and add distilled water to bring
the water level to the 1000 mL mark. Place the cylinder in the constant
temperature bath. Stir the suspension frequently to avoid settlement of particles.
3. Remove the cylinder from the water bath as soon as the temperature of the
suspension and the water bath are the same. Shake thoroughly the mixture for I
minute by turning the cylinder upside down and back, using the palm of the
hand as stopper. The soil should not stick to the bottom of the cylinder when
upside down.
4. Insert carefully the hydrometer in the suspension and start the timer.
5. Take hydrometer readings at total elapsed time of ½ and 1 minute without
removing the hydrometer from the suspension. Read the hydrometer at the top
of the meniscus formed around its stem. Repeat the shaking and reading
procedure until a consistent set of readings are obtained.
6. Restart the test but this time; take readings after 2,5, 15, 30, and 60 minutes.
Insert carefully the hydrometer about 15 to 20 seconds before each of these
readings. Dry the stem before insertion. It should be removed carefully and
placed in a cylinder of distilled water after each reading. Take the temperature of
the suspension immediately following each hydrometer reading and record.
Between hydrometer readings, the top of the cylinder should be covered to
retard evaporation and to prevent the collection of dust or dirt from the air.
7. After the final reading, wash the suspension on a No.200 sieve. Dry the fraction
retained, and performs the sieve analysis procedure using the No. 40, 60, and
200 sieves.
LABORATORY EQUIPMENT

Balance, sensitive to 0.1 grams

• Balance, sensitive to 0.1 grams – device used for measuring weight of the
containers and soil samples.

1L Graduated Cylinder
• 1L Graduated Cylinder – instruments used when the mixture is to be
transferred after soaking the soil sample.
 Oven with temperature control 1 °C
• Laboratory oven – this generally provides uniform temperature throughout the
process. Some of these processes can be annealing, die-bond curing, drying,
Polyimide baking, sterilizing, and other industrial laboratory functions.

Set of Sieves, US standard

• Set of sieves – instruments used for the measurement of particle size. Its most
common form consists of a woven wire screen, with square apertures, rigidly
mounted in a shallow cylindrical metal frame.
 Pans
• Pans – these are used for handling, processing, and storing samples.

Desiccator
• Desiccator – sealable enclosures containing desiccants used for preserving
moisture-sensitive items such as cobalt chloride paper for another use
 Hydrometer

• Hydrometer - an instrument used to determine specific gravity. It operates based

on the Archimedes principle that a solid body displaces its own weight within a
liquid in which it floats.

Water bath
• Water bath – used for asphalt (marshal or bitumen testing), cement (curing and
conditioning) applications.
 Evaporating Dishes
• Evaporating dishes – these are used for evaporation of solutions and
supernatant liquids to produce a concentrated solution or a solid precipitate of
the dissolved substance.

Laboratory Timer
• Laboratory Timer – used to measure the time when performing the experiment.
APPLICATION
In this experiment, the main objective was to determine the distribution of
particle sizes in soil by means of hydrometer test. To perform the calculations used
in this specific experiment were:
𝐻𝑦𝑔𝑟𝑜𝑠𝑐𝑜𝑝𝑖𝑐 𝑀𝑜𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑒 (%)
𝑤𝑡. 𝑜𝑓 𝑎𝑖𝑟 − 𝑑𝑟𝑖𝑒𝑑 𝑠𝑜𝑖𝑙 − 𝑤𝑡. 𝑜𝑓 𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑛 − 𝑑𝑟𝑖𝑒𝑑 𝑠𝑜𝑖𝑙
= × 100%
𝑤𝑡. 𝑜𝑓 𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑛 − 𝑑𝑟𝑖𝑒𝑑 𝑠𝑜𝑖𝑙
The air-dry weight of the fraction passing No. 10 sieve is calculated by
subtracting the oven-dried weight of the fraction on the No. 10 sieve from the total
weight of the airdried sample.
The corrected dry-weight of the fraction passing No. 10 sieve is obtained by
multiplying the air-dry weight by the expression:
100
100 + %𝐻𝑦𝑔𝑟𝑜𝑠𝑐𝑜𝑝𝑖𝑐 𝑀𝑜𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑒
Total dry weight of sample is the sum of the corrected dry weight of fraction passing
No. 10 sieve and the oven-dry weight of the fraction retained on No. 10 sieve. The
percentage passing in the different sieves are calculated on the basis of total dry weight of
sample.
With these, it is guaranteed that the distribution of particle sizes in soil will be
determined by means of hydrometer.
The hydrometer analysis, which is also called a sedimentation method,
calculates the grain distribution of a fraction of the soil smaller than the sieve No. 10
(2.00 mm). The sedimentation method using a hydrometer is used to measure the
kernel scale of these soils. The hydrometer approach is based on the Law of Stoke
that says that the bigger the grain, the bigger the fluid. The distribution of various
grain sizes has a major effect on soil engineering properties. A grain size analysis is
needed in classifying the soils as the distribution size is demonstrated.
TECHNICAL OBSERVATION
In this experiment, the method used in the determination of the distribution of
soil particles is the hydrometer analysis. Hydrometer test specimens come from
various sites, large mass samples from a field experiment, container or tube boring
or typical samples from other laboratory experiments such as hydraulic
conductance or humidity / density relation (Proctor). Hydrometer test specimens are
collected. The humidity content of bulk samples should be maintained as much as
possible during the preparation period, as the air-drying process can modify the
characteristics of clay particles. Specific steps in sample preparation are required in
air-dried soils. This approach is not feasible to test oven-dried soils.
In the video, it was explained that the hydrometer test measures the change in
specific gravity of a soil water mixture over time. As soil particles fall out of
suspension, the specific gravity of the soil water mixture decreases. The application
of Stoke’s law to falling spheres is used to determine the grain size distribution of
the particles falling out of suspension.
They started the procedure by weighing out a sample of 60 grams of soil left
over in the pan from the mechanical sieve in the previous experiment. Then, the
obtained weight of soil was recorded on the data sheet. The soil and a 125 mL of
4% sodium hexametaphosphate were mixed together in an evaporating dish. The
evaporating dish was then covered with a wet paper towel and allowed it to stand
for fifteen (15) minutes. While the soil was soaked for 15 minutes, he used that time
to calibrate the hydrometer. Place the hydrometer into the jar with sodium
hexametaphosphate and wait for it to stabilize. The meniscus correction factor and
the zero-correction factor were then recorded on the data sheet. After the 15-minute
soaking period, the sodium hexametaphosphate-soil solution was transferred into a
dispersion cup. A squirt bottle with water was used to ensure that all the material
transfers out to the evaporation dish into the dispersion cup. The dispersion cup
was filled with water until the water level is about halfway up the cup. The mixture
was then mixed with a shake mixer for two (2) minutes. Sodium
hexametaphosphate solution was poured from the dispersion cup into the clean
sedimentation jar. The solution was agitated for one (1) minute by turning the
cylinder upside-down and back for 30 times in one minute. After this, the
hydrometer was inserted and the first reading was taken after 2 minutes. The
reading from the hydrometer staff at the top of the meniscus of the dirty water. After
the reading, the hydrometer was removed and placed aside. After doing so, the
thermometer was inserted to take a temperature reading.
It was then mentioned in the video to continue recording the hydrometer and
temperature readings at approximate elapsed times of 4, 8, 16, and 30 minute, 1, 2,
4, 8, and 24 hours. This is quite impossible if this one should be followed by the
students. Luckily, the one mentioned in the laboratory manual is different with this
given the time constraints of the laboratory hours given to the students.
From the hydrometer time history, a gradation of the particles falling out of the
solution can be calculated.
REFERENCES
• Soil Hydrometer Testing. Retrieved September 11, 2020 from
https://www.globalgilson.com/blog/soil-hydrometer-analysis
• Hydrometer. Retrieved September 12, 2020 from
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydrometer
• Hydrometer Analysis, Particle Size Distribution of Soil. Retrieved September
12, 2020 from https://www.humboldtmfg.com/hydrometer-analysis.html
• Hydrometer Analysis for Soil (Sedimentation). Retrieved September 12, 2020
from https://www.slideshare.net/AbdulMajid333/hydrometer-analysis-for-soil-
sedimentation
• Particle Size Analysis (Sieves and Hydrometer). Retrieved September 11,
2020 from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QqxfwpUtEoQ