NAME – SHUBHAM MISHRA

REGISTRATION NO. – 2018UGCE035

GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERING- 1 LAB

EXPERIMENT – 4
AIM

To determine the specific gravity of soil solids by pycnometer method.

APPARATUS REQUIRED

 Pycnometer
 Sieve(4.75 mm)
 Vacuum pump
 Oven
 Weighing balance
 Glass rod

THEORY:
The specific gravity of a substance, designated as Gs, is defined as the
ratio of the density of that substance to the density of distilled water
at a specified temperature. Since it is a ratio, the value of Gs does not
depend on the system of units used and is a numerical value having no
units. In soil mechanics, the specific gravity of soil solids is an
important parameter and is a factor in many equations involving
weight-volume relationships.
Specific gravity of soil solids refers only to the solid phase of the three
phase soil system, it does not include the water and air phases present
in the void space.
For soil solids, Gs may be written as:
PROCEDURE

1. Dry the pycnometer and weigh it with its cap(W1)

2. Take about 200 g to 300 g of oven dried soil passing through
4.75mm sieve into the pycnometer and weigh again(W2)
3. Add water to cover the soil and screw on the cap.
4. Shake the pycnometer well and connect it to the vacuum pump to
remove entrapped air for about 10 to 20 minutes.
5. After the air has been removed, fill the pycnometer with water and
weigh it (W3).
6. Clean the pycnometer by washing thoroughly.
7. Fill the cleaned pycnometer completely with water up to its top
with cap screw on.
8. Weigh the pycnometer after drying it on the outside thoroughly
(W4).
SOME IMAGES RELATED TO EXPERIMENT
OBSERVATION TABLE AND CALCULATIONS

The specific gravity (G)of the soil is given as

G = (W2 – W1) / [(W4–1)-(W3-W2)]

Where,
W1=Empty weight of pycnometer
W2=Weight of pycnometer + oven dry soil
W3=Weight of pycnometer + oven dry soil + water
W4=Weight of pycnometer + water full
RESULT

The specific gravity of given soil sample = 2.61

CRITICAL COMMENTS

• The specific gravity of the soil particles lie within the range of 2.65
to 2.85.
• Soils containing organic matter and porous particles may
have specific gravity values below 2.0.
• Soils having heavy substances may have values above 3.0.

PRECAUTIONS
1. Weigh the Pycnometer carefully.
2. Shake the Pycnometer well to extract air by fully saturating
the soil.
3. Do not shake vigorously.

REFERENCES

1. https://civilengineeringbible.com/subtopics.php?i=128
2. https://www.engineeringcivil.com/determine-the-specific-
gravity-of-soil.html
3. IS : 2720 (Part II) – 1973, Method of Test for soil: Part II