COLEGIO DE STA.ANA DE VICTORIAS, INC.

Osmeñ a Avenue, Victorias City Negros Occidental

Registration. No 39Q16728

CEGE 411 - Geotechnical Engineering 1 (Soil Mechanics)

Laboratory Exercise No. 1

Determination of Water Content

Submitted by:

MA. FERNANDA E. BRAÑA

Group Members:
John Benedict Canabal
David Filbert Somogat
Andrelyn Moreno

October 4, 2023
Date Submitted

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 COLEGIO DE STA.ANA DE VICTORIAS, INC.
Osmeñ a Avenue, Victorias City Negros Occidental
Registration. No 39Q16728

Table of Contents

Cover Page 1
Table of Contents 2
Introduction 3
Essential Materials and Apparatus 4
Testing Procedure 4
Data and Result 5
Discussion 6
Appendix A – Typical Values of
Water Content in a Saturated State 7
Documentation (Pictures) 8

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 COLEGIO DE STA.ANA DE VICTORIAS, INC.
Osmeñ a Avenue, Victorias City Negros Occidental
Registration. No 39Q16728

Introduction:

Moisture content or water content is the amount of water present in the soil. Determining the
water content in soil is a fundamental test in soil mechanics and geotechnical engineering. It provides critical
information about the water content of a soil sample, which is essential for understanding its behavior and
properties. Water content of any soil sample is defined as the ratio of weight of water to the weight of solids
present in that sample:

In this experiment, it is aimed to find out the water or moisture content for a given wet soil sample using the
oven drying method. Oven drying method is the process by which a sample is dried for a defined period
of time at a constant temperature, usually for 24 hours. The water content results are reported as a
percentage. It is calculated using the following formula:

W1 = mass (g) of the empty moisture

W2= combined mass (g) of the can and moist soil
W3= combined mass (g) of the dry soil sample plus the can

The results and information that will be obtained in this experiment is crucial for soil classification, engineering
design, and assessing the suitability of soil for construction purposes.

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 COLEGIO DE STA.ANA DE VICTORIAS, INC.
Osmeñ a Avenue, Victorias City Negros Occidental
Registration. No 39Q16728

Essential Materials and Apparatus:

1. Moisture Can (3 Aluminum Cans)

2. Digital Weighing Scale/Balance, sensitive up to 0.1 g
3. Drying oven
4. Spatula
5. Brush
6. Wet Soil Sample

Testing Procedure:

1. Collect a representative soil sample whose water content will be determined.

2. Using the digital weighing scale, determine the mass of three (3) moisture cans labeled with numbers 1-3, and
record the obtain results as W1.
3. Fill the representative moisture cans with wet soil sample.
4. Weigh the moisture can containing the wet soil sample and record the obtained results as W2.
5. Load all the moisture cans with wet soil sample simultaneously in an oven set at a specified temperature.
The choice of temperature depends on the characteristics of the material and the potential for sample
degradation. Common temperatures for moisture determination range from 105 to 110 degrees Celsius.
6. Allow the sample to dry until a constant weight is achieved. This indicates that all the water has
been removed.
7. After drying, remove the sample from the oven and allow it to cool down to avoid moisture
absorption from the surroundings.
8. Weigh the dried soil sample record the obtained results as W3.

Calculations:

1. Calculate the mass of moisture = W2 - W3

2. Calculate the mass of dry soil = W3 - WI
3. Calculate the water content

W 2− W 3
W% = x 100
W 3− W 1

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Osmeñ a Avenue, Victorias City Negros Occidental
Registration. No 39Q16728

Data and Results

The test results obtained from a sample of soil are given below. Mass of oven dry soil taken for
analysis W = 505 g.

Test No.
Can No. 1 2 3
Mass of can, w1 (g) 16.0 16.0 18.0
Mass of can+ wet soil,w2 (g) 169.4 199.5 239.9
Mass of can + dry soil,w3 (g) 153.6 183.6 220.6
Mass of moisture, w2-w3 (g) 15.8 15.9 19.3
Mass of dry soil, w3-w1 (g) 137.6 167.6 202.6
Moisture Content, w% = (w2-w3)/(w3-w1) x 100 11.48 9.49 9.53

The moisture for soil sample 1is 11.48%.

The moisture for soil sample 2is 9.49%.
The moisture for soil sample 3is 9.53%.
The average moisture content of the samples is 10.17%

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 COLEGIO DE STA.ANA DE VICTORIAS, INC.
Osmeñ a Avenue, Victorias City Negros Occidental
Registration. No 39Q16728

Discussion:

The laboratory experiment demonstrate the process of measuring the moisture content in a
given soil sample. The results obtain are presented on the tables using the indicated principles and
formula. The mass of each aluminum moisture cans were obtained by weighing them individually. Can
no. 1 and 2 both weighs 16.0 g while can no.3 weighs 18.0 g since it is of different size. As for the
mass of the containers with wet soil, the individual masses were obtained by weighing the container
containing the representative wet soil sample. It weighs 169.4 g, 199.5g, and 239.9g respectively.
Since this experiment utilized oven drying method, the samples were oven dried until it achieved
constant weight. The drying time for took 2 hrs. The soil samples are weighed from time to time to
determine if it is dried and achieved constant weight. The mass of the can with dry soil samples are
153.6g, 183.6g, and 220.6g respectively.The mass of moisture was obtained by subtracting the mass of
the containers containing wet soil by mass of the containers containing the dry soil. The mass of the
dry soil is obtained by subtracting the mass of the container to the mass of the container with dry soil.
Substituting the values to the formula, the group obtained the moisture content of the soil samples. For
can no. 1 the moisture content is 11.48%, 9.49% and 9.53% for can no. 2 and 3 respectively. The
average moisture content of the three tests is 10.17%.

Based on the results of the experiment , the soil sample does not have the same moisture
content maybe because of some reasons such some parts are partially dry while the other parts have
more moisture present. The soil particles of the other parts may be loose that’s why air can pass
through the spaces and can cause of partially drying that certain part of the soil while the other part is
more compact that results to preservation of its moisture. In our case, the oven dry took only 2 hours
making the sample may still contain moisture or not yet fully dried. It would be best to run the oven for
24hrs to make sure that the sample is fully dried. Another notable error is the sensitivity of the digital
balance which can be minimized by being careful on setting the balance into 0 every time you weigh.

Additionally, to ensure the safety while conducting the test in the laboratory, make sure to use
protective equipment when handling the sample, especially when using the oven. Avoid playing with
the tools and other equipment to avoid accidents or injuries. Use them only according to their intended
use.

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Osmeñ a Avenue, Victorias City Negros Occidental
Registration. No 39Q16728

Appendix A – Typical Values of Water Content in a Saturated State

Calculations:

Can No: 1
Mass of can (w1) = 16.0g
Mass of can + wet soil (w2) = 169.4g
Mass of can + dry soil (w3) = 153.6g
Mass of water in the soil sample, Mw, (w2-w3)= (169.4 – 153.6) = 15.8g
Mass of the dry soil, Ms, (w3-w1)= (153.6 – 16.0) =137.6g
Moisture content of the given soil sample = Mw/Ms×100%
= 15.8/137.6×100%
= 11.48%

Can No: 2
Mass of can (w1) = 16.0g
Mass of can + wet soil (w2) = 199.5g
Mass of can + dry soil (w3) = 183.6g
Mass of water in the soil sample, Mw, (w2-w3)= (199.5 – 183.6) = 15.9g
Mass of the dry soil, Ms, (w3-w1)= (183.6 – 16.0) =167.6g
Moisture content of the given soil sample = Mw/Ms×100%
= 15.9/167.6×100%
= 9.49%

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Osmeñ a Avenue, Victorias City Negros Occidental
Registration. No 39Q16728

Can No: 3
Mass of can (w1) = 18.0g
Mass of can + wet soil (w2) = 239.9g
Mass of can + dry soil (w3) = 220.6g
Mass of water in the soil sample, Mw, (w2-w3)= (239.9 – 220.6 ) = 19.3g
Mass of the dry soil, Ms, (w3-w1)= (220.6– 18.0) = 202.6g
Moisture content of the given soil sample = Mw/Ms×100%
= 19.3/202.6×100%
= 9.53%

Average Moisture Content = (M1 + M2 + M3)/3 = (11.48 + 9.49 +9.53)/3 = 10.17%

Documentation

Figure 1: Soil samples in moisture can. Figure 2: Oven-dried soil samples.

Figure 3: Weighing oven-dried soil sample.