Sieve analysis is one of the common methods used to find soil particle size

distribution, where the soil sample is shaken through a set of sieves with
progressively smaller opening. It is expressed as a percentage of the total dry
weight. Based on the experiment that we have done, we used a total of 8 sieves in a
set with the opening of 0.075mm, 0.150mm, 0.212mm, 0.300mm, 0.425mm,
0.600mm, 1.180mm, 2.360mm respectively.

The generated particle size distribution graph which can be obtained from
performing sieve analysis can be used in various ways including finding out the soil
grading as well as percentage content of coarse and fine material in the soil sample.
We manage to determine whether the soil is uniformly graded or not by calculating
the coefficient of uniformity and curvature as shown in the calculation section above
and comparing the coefficient with the Unified Soil Grading Criteria.

As a civil engineer, we should know what type of soil that works the
best as construction material. Soils can be classified into 3 different grades which
are the well graded soil, poorly graded soil and gap graded soil. Well graded soil has
the least voids in terms of value and sizes compared to the other grades of soil,
which proves that it is stronger and more durable against normal external forces
to be used as foundation supports. This is why uniformly graded soils
proves to have lesser and smaller voids due to the arrangement of the soil particles,
thus highly increase its compatibility.

Besides taking in account of the soil grading, we can also look at the
percentage of fines which is just 8.26% out of the whole soil sample. This
can be concluded that the Atterberg Limits did not affect the soil sample used as
most of the content is made out of sandy particles. During the experiment, there are
a few precaution steps that should be looked into at to get the best results. First, the
sieve should not be overloaded so that all particles inside the sieve are able to reach
the sieve opening during the sieving process. Next, the lids should always be put on
top while sieving process is done to avoid any loss of particle during the process
which might affect the results later. For safety purposes, we should wear hand
gloves and face mask while conducting the experiment since we are
dealing with soil particles.
CONCLUSION

a) What were possible sources of error ?

In this experiment, several precautions must be taken into consideration in

order to avoid and prevent errors to occur. The screen on the sieve should be
carefully cleaned in order to remove all grain sands. The stack of sieve on the Sieve
Shaker must be locked tidily to avoid them from moving away during shaking
process. Ensure that all the left over sand in each sieve is transferred to the
container use in weighting process. The area around digital scale balance must be
cleaned first to get accurate readings and avoid the environmental effects. Student
also can use soft bristle brush to gently wipe the screen.

b) Give your comments about the type of soil sample you get.

To conclude, most of the soil sample retained on the sieve with 2.360mm
opening, which is 123g out of total mass, which means most of the soil particles has
more than 2.36mm diameter. The percentage of finer particles where it passes
through 0.15mm of sieve opening is 8.26%. We also calculated the value of the
coefficient of uniformity, Cu and the coefficient of curvature, Cc, of the soil sample,
which are 6.15 and 0.81 respectively. We concluded that the soil sample used in this
experiment is uniformly graded since it passed all the criteria needed to be classified
as well graded soil. The calculation that has been made also proves that the soil
sample used is suitable for construction materials