GEOLOGY AND SOIL MECHANICS PRACTICAL MANUAL

GSM1501

COMPILED BY MISS ZAKITHI DUBE

 GSM1501 1

METHOD SANS 3001-GR1 & GR2

The preparation of a soil sample involves the
quantitative separation of the soil fines portion, i.e. the
material passing the 0.425mm sieve, as well as the
sieve analysis of the coarser portion. The soil fines are
required for the mechanical analysis and for the
determination of the Atterberg limits, the linear
shrinkage and the group index.

Dry sieving of material retained on 0.425 mm and

material passing 0.075 mm.

Apparatus:
1. Riffler with 37.5 mm openings.
2. Shovel.
3. Sieves of the following sizes:
a) 63 mm
b) 50 mm
c) 28 mm
d) 20 mm
e) 14 mm
f) 5 mm
g) 2 mm
h) 0.425 mm
i) 0.075 mm
4. Electronic balanced scale.
5. Scoop.
6. Dish and pans.
7. A 150mm iron mortar and rubber-tipped pestle.
8. Hotplates.
9. Drying oven, thermostatically controlled (105°C to 110°C).
10. Brass or copper wire brush.
11. Supply tank of distilled water.
12. Steel Spatula.

Method:

Size of the test sample:

The size of the test sample will depend on the soil fines present in the material.
At least 300g of soil fines are required for the mechanical analysis and the
determination of the soil constants and the linear shrinkage. In the case of a soil
which consists mostly of soil fines, attest sample of about 400g should prove
adequate, whilst in the case of a gravel containing about only 10% soil fines, the
sample required would be approximately 3000g to 4000g. The sample received
from site therefore should be divided down to the required size.
 GSM1501 2

Quartering:
The sample is cut down to size using a method known as coning and quartering.
In this procedure, the material received from site is thoroughly mixed using a
shovel and then formed into a cone which is then pressed flat and divided into
four quadrants. The opposite quadrants are discarded and the remaining to is
then mixed and reformed into a cone. This process is repeated until the sample
is the required size.

The sample to be tested should be representative of the field sample, which

should consequently be dry enough to ensure that the clods and clay lumps are
friable. Therefore if necessary the sample should be dried in the oven at a
temperature of 105°C to 110°C.

Preliminary sieving:
The test sample should be dry in order to be screened through the 0.425mm
sieve without clogging. A dish is placed on the electronic scale and the scale is
then zeroed. The sample is then placed into the dish using a scoop and the
weight of the sample is measured. The material is then screened through the
0.425mm sieve; a 2.0mm sieve is placed above the 0.425mm sieve to act as a
guard for the finer sieve. The material retained on the 0.425mm sieve is
classified as coarse material and the material in the pan as fines.

Boiling and washing:

The material retained on the 0.425mm sieve is then transferred to a dish and
covered with distilled water. The dish is then placed on the hotplate, and the
water is brought to boiling. It is then boiled vigorously for about one minute and
then allowed to cool off if necessary. The material is then thoroughly worked by
hand in the water as to ensure that all soil aggregations are fragmented and that
all the soil adhering to the aggregate has been loosened. The sample is then
screened and washed again through the 0.425mm sieve into the “boiling” dish.
The clean aggregate (coarse material) is then transferred to a pan, and the fines
are kept in the “boiling” dish for drying.

Drying and fragmentation of fines:

The pan with coarse material and the fines washed trough the 0.425mm sieve
retained in the “boiling” dish is then placed overnight in the drying oven and the
temperature is thermostatically controlled between 105°C and 110°C. The dried
soil (fines) in the bottom of the dish is loosened with a stiff wire brush or a
spatula. The loosened material is then crushed using a 150mm iron mortar and
rubber-tipped pestle, where after it is then sieved through the 0.425mm sieve
once again. The material retained on the 0.425mm sieve is then added to the
coarse material.
 GSM1501 3

Sieve analysis:
After drying the retained material on the 0.425mm sieve (coarse material) it is
then sieved through a nest of sieves consisting of: 63 mm, 50 mm, 28 mm, 20
mm, 14 mm, 5 mm, 2mm and 0.425 mm.

The coarse material is transferred to sieves using a scoop. The sieving should be
thorough and can be done by hand or a mechanical sieve shaker. The sieves
should not be overloaded as is my keep some of the fines back when loaded to
deep. Instead the material should be loaded in fractions to ensure all material is
sieved thoroughly.

Using an electronic balanced scale and a dish the retained material on all the
sieves are weighed and noted respectively.

Example: Results and calculations:

Sieve Analysis

Total mass of sample: 8332.0 (g)

Sieve size
Individual
Individual % Cumulative
Mass Retained
Retained % Passing
(mm) (g)
75 0 0 100
63 572.3 6.9 93
50 462.4 5.6 88
28 294.9 3.5 84
20 624.7 7.5 77
14 1015.7 12.2 64
5 1121.9 13.5 51
2 484.7 5.8 45
0.425 499.9 6.0 39.0
<0.425 3255.5 39.0

𝐼𝐼𝐼𝐼𝐼𝐼𝐼𝐼𝐼𝐼𝐼𝐼𝐼𝐼𝐼𝐼𝐼𝐼𝐼𝐼 𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚 𝑟𝑟𝑟𝑟𝑟𝑟𝑟𝑟𝑟𝑟𝑟𝑟𝑟𝑟𝑟𝑟

𝐼𝐼𝐼𝐼𝐼𝐼𝐼𝐼𝐼𝐼𝐼𝐼𝐼𝐼𝐼𝐼𝐼𝐼𝐼𝐼 % 𝑟𝑟𝑟𝑟𝑟𝑟𝑟𝑟𝑟𝑟𝑟𝑟𝑟𝑟𝑟𝑟 = × 100
𝑇𝑇𝑇𝑇𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡 𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚 𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑜 𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠
 GSM1501 4

Material passing 0.075mm sieve

In this method the quantity of material passing the 0.075mm sieve is determined
and expressed as a percentage of the total prepared soil sample, by washing the
sample on a 0.075mm sieve.

Apparatus:
1. Electronic balance scale (sensitive to 0.01g).
2. Glass beaker (500ml capacity).
3. 0.075mm Sieve
4. Spatula.
5. Small Basin
6. Drying oven thermostatically controlled between 105°C and 110°C.

Method:
Weigh out 100g of the soil fines (material passing the 0.0425mm sieve) as
described in method A1. The weighed sample is then transferred to the glass
beaker, and 300ml of water is added. The soil-water mixture is then stirred well
with the spatula and left to stand for at least two hours for the soil to settle.
The suspension is then poured onto the 0.075mm sieve, the beaker is rinsed with
water until all the soil is transferred from the beaker to the sieve.
The soil on the sieve is washed thoroughly with water and rubbed with the fingers
against the side of the sieve until the water running through the sieve runs clear.
The material retained on the sieve is washed into a dish and placed overnight in
the thermostatically temperature-controlled oven (temp 105°C to 110°C) to dry.
After drying the sample is left to cool down, where after it is then weighed again
and recorded as retained mass. Weighing is done to the nearest 0,1g.
Results and Calculations:

(𝐴𝐴 − 𝐵𝐵)
𝑃𝑃 = 𝑆𝑆𝑆𝑆
𝐴𝐴

Where:

P = percentage of the total material passing the 0.075 mm sieve

Sf = cumulative percentage passing 0.425 mm

A = mass of soil fines used for the test, before washing (g)

B = mass of dry material retained on sieve after washing (g)

 GSM1501 5

Material passing 0.075mm sieve

Sample size: 100(g)

Sieve size
Mass
% Retained % Passing Correction(P)
Retained (g)
(mm)
0.075 45 45 55 21.5%

(𝐴𝐴 − 𝐵𝐵)
𝑃𝑃 = 𝑆𝑆𝑆𝑆
𝐴𝐴
100 − 45.0
= 39.0
100

= 𝟐𝟐𝟐𝟐. 𝟓𝟓 %
 GSM1501 6

METHOD SANS 3001-GR10

1. The liquid limit of a soil is the moisture content, expressed as a
percentage of the mass of the dry soil, at the boundary between liquid and
plastic states. The moisture content at this boundary is defined as the
liquid limit. The procedure to determine the moisture content at this
boundary is set out below.

Apparatus:
1. A liquid limit device (fig.1).

2. Grooving tool (fig.2).

3. Calibrating plate with a thickness of 10mm ± 0.1mm

4. Spatula with slightly flexible blade.
5. Porcelain evaporating dish with a diameter of 100mm.
6. Burette with a capacity of 50ml or 100ml.
7. Three marked suitable containers, which will prevent loss of moisture
during weighing.
8. Electronic balance scale (sensitive to 0.01g).
9. Drying oven thermostatically controlled between 105°C and 110°C.
 GSM1501 7

Method:

Calibration of liquid limit device:

The height to which the bowl is raised when rotating the handle is adjusted by
means of the 10mm calibrating plate. The plate is placed on the hard rubber
base and the bowl is allowed to rest on the plate. The hinged support of the bowl
is then moved backwards or forward by means of the thumbscrew until the cam,
on rotation, just raises the bowl free of the plate. The lock-screw is then
tightened, and the fall checked again. The device should be checked daily.

Test procedure:
The marked suitable containers are each weighed using an electronic balanced
scale and the weight recorded respectively as mass of container in grams.

100g of the thoroughly mixed soil fines (the material passing the 0.425mm sieve)
is measured out and transferred to a porcelain dish. Distilled water is added
using a burette and the moist material is then thoroughly mixed for 10 minutes
with a spatula. Water should be added in small quantities. After the required
water is mixed with soil to form a stiff consistency, approximately three quarters
of the mixed material is transferred to the brass bowl of the liquid limit device
using the spatula, mixed slightly and flattened out in the front part of the brass
bowl. The grooving tool is then used to divide the material into two equal portions
with one cut. The groove should fall along the centerline drawn through the cam-
follower attached to the bowl. The device is then operated at a speed of two taps
per second, until the lower parts of the soil portions have flowed together and
made contact across a distance of about 10mm. The number of taps required to
close the groove across the distance is recorded, and a sample of approximately
20 g representative of the total thickness of the layer, is transferred to a suitable
container to determine the moisture content.
This process is repeated for to additional times, and distilled water is added each
time to obtain three samples of varying consistencies, so that at least one
determination will be made in preferably each of the following ranges of taps, 28
to35; 22 to 28; 15 to 22. The test should preferably proceed from drier to the
wetter condition.
The left over moist material is kept for the determination of the plastic limit.
Each of the containers with moist material is then measured and recorded
respectively, where after it is placed overnight in the thermostatically temperature
controlled oven (temp 105°C to 110°C) to dry.
The following day the samples are removed from the oven and left to cool down.
They are then weighed using an electronic balanced scale and the weight of
each sample is recorded respectively as dry weight plus container. The loss in
mass is the mass of water which is expressed as a percentage of the dry weight
(moisture content) at which the material is at its liquid limit.
 GSM1501 8

Example: Results and Calculations:

Liquid limit
Test 1 Test 2 Test 3
Container Number A B C
Mass of container & wet soil (g) 20.05 18.23 18.69
Mass of container & dry soil (g) 18.94 17.47 17.81
Mass of container only (g) 14.03 14.15 14.15
Mass of moisture (g) 1.11 0.76 0.88
Mass of dry soil (g) 4.91 3.32 3.66
% moisture content 22.61 22.89 24.04
Number of taps 28 27 21

Liquid Limit(1) mass of moisture

100 x
= mass of dried soil

Liquid limit is moisture content at 25 taps from the graph after plotting Test 1, 2,
and 3 (% moisture content vs the number of taps).

As shown from the graph, the liquid limit for the material is at 23.24% moisture
content.
 GSM1501 9

Plastic Limit and Plasticity index

The plastic limit of a soil is the moisture content, expressed as a percentage of

the mass of the dry soil, at the boundary between plastic and semi-solid states.
The moisture content at this boundary is defined as the lowest moisture content
at which the soil can be rolled into threads of about 3mm in diameter without the
threads crumbling.
The plasticity index is the numerical difference between the liquid limit and the
plastic limit and indicates the magnitude of the range of the moisture contents
over which the soil is in a plastic condition.

Apparatus:
1. Glass plate (150mm x 200mm).
2. Two marked suitable containers, which will prevent loss of moisture during
weighing.
3. Electronic balance scale (sensitive to 0.01g).
4. Drying oven thermostatically controlled between 105°C and 110°C.

Method:
The marked suitable containers are each weighed using an electronic balanced
scale and the weight recorded respectively as mass of container in grams.

Approximately 20 g of the remaining material used for the liquid limit test is
kneaded with the fingers to an ellipsoidal shape, it is then rolled into a thread
uniform in diameter throughout its length. The rolling is done on the glass plate
using the fingers or the palm of the hand. When the diameter of the thread has
been reduced to about 3mm in diameter the thread is then rolled up into a ball
and again kneaded into an ellipsoidal shape and rolled out. This process is
continued until the crumbling caused by drying out of the soil prevents the
formation of a thread 3mm in diameter. This means that the crumbling occurs
when the thread has a diameter slightly greater than 3mm, but this is regarded as
a satisfactory end point, provided that just prior to that, the soil had been rolled
out into a thread 3mm in diameter. When performing this procedure, care should
be taken as to ensure that the threat is not broken up or crumbles by applying
 GSM1501 10

slightly excessive pressure but crumbles due to lack of plasticity. The crumble
sample is then placed in the suitable container and weighed using an electronic
balanced scale and recorded as: “mass of container + wet soil”. The same
procedure is repeated for a second time. The containers with moist samples are
then placed overnight in the thermostatically temperature-controlled oven (temp
105°C to 110°C) to dry.
The following day the samples are removed from the oven and left to cool down.
They are then weighed using an electronic balanced scale and the weight of
each sample is recorded respectively as dry weight plus container. The loss in
mass is the mass of water which is expressed as a percentage of the dry weight
(moisture content) at which the material is at its Plastic limit.

To obtain the plasticity index the calculated value of the plastic limit is subtracted
from the calculated value of the liquid limit.
It is customary to report only the liquid limit and the plasticity index, omitting the
plastic limit.

Results and Calculations:

Plastic limit
Test 1 Test 2
Container Number D E
Mass of container & wet soil (g) 15.01 15.95
Mass of container & dry soil (g) 14.82 15.64
Mass of container only (g) 13.9 14.06
Mass of moisture (g) 0.19 0.31
Mass of dry soil (g) 0.92 1.58
% moisture content 20.65 19.62

mass of water mass of water

Plastic Plastic
100 x mass of dried 100 x mass of dried
Limit(1) = Limit(2) =
soil soil
0.19 0.31
= 100 x = 100 x
0.92 1.58

= 20.65% = 19.62%

Average PL = 20.13 ≈ 𝟐𝟐𝟐𝟐%

The plasticity limit of the tested soil is = 20%

 GSM1501 11

Plastic Index (P.I.) = Liquid Limit – Plastic Limit

= 23.3 – 20
= 3.3 %

Thus the Plastic Index (P.I.) on the tested material = 3.3%

 GSM1501 12

LINEAR SHRINKAGE OF SOILS

The linear shrinkage of a soil for the moisture content equivalent to the liquid
limit, is
the decrease in one dimension, expressed as a percentage of the original
dimension
of the soil mass, when the moisture content is reduced from the liquid limit to an
oven-dry state.

APPARATUS
1. A shrinkage trough with inside dimensions of 150 ± 0,25mm long x 10 ±
0,25 x 10 ±
0,25mm and made of 1,6 mm thick tinned copper or stainless steel.
2. A small thick-bristle paint brush, about 5 mm wide.
3. Paraffin wax.
4. A small enamel dish or other suitable container in which to melt the wax.
5. A spatula with a slightly flexible blade about 100 mm long and 20 mm
wide.
6. A drying oven, thermostatically controlled, and capable of maintaining a
temperature
at 105 to 110 ℃.
7. A pair of dividers and a millimetre scale.

METHOD

Waxing the trough

A clean, dry shrinkage trough is first warmed to prevent premature setting of the
wax.

The inside of the trough is then covered completely with a thin layer of molten
wax applied by means of a small paint brush. Any excess or molten wax is
shaken out by tapping the trough lightly in an inverted position. The layer of wax
is now chilled by rubbing the outside of the trough with a damp cloth. This
prevents the tendency to crack on cooling, leaving the surface of the trough
partly exposed. The tilm of wax in the trough should weigh from 0,1 to 0,2 9 to
obtain satisfactory results. Before using, the trough should be inspected carefully,
so as to ensure that there are no patches without any wax.
 GSM1501 13

Filling the trough

The test should be run immediately after the flow curve or one-point liquid limit
test has been completed so that the moist material left over can be used for filling
the trough without further mixing. The number of taps required for groove closure
for the final determination in the liquid limit test should be recorded, since this
value is required in the calculation of the linear shrinkage.

Fill one half of the waxed trough with the moist soil by taking small pieces of soil
on the spatula and pressing the soil down against the one end of the trough and
working along the trough until the whole side is filled and the soil forms a
diagonal surface from the top of one side to the bottom of the opposite side (see
Fig. (a)).
The trough is now turned round and the other portion is filled in the same manner
(see Fig. (b)). The hollow along the top of the soil in the trough is now filled so
that the soil is raised slightly above the sides of the trough (see Fig. (c). The
excess material is removed by drawing the blade of the spatula once only from
the one end of the trough to the other. The index finger is pressed down on the
blade so that the blade moves along the sides of the trough (see Fig. (d)). During
this process the wet soil may pull away from the end of the trough, in which case
it should be pushed back gently with the spatula.

N.B. The soil surface should on no account be smoothed or finished off with a
wet
spatula.
 GSM1501 14

Drying the wet material

The trough with wet material is now placed in a drying oven and dried at a
temperature of between 105 and 110 ℃ until all shrinkage has stopped. As a rule
the material is dried out overnight--though three hours should be sufficient time in
the
oven. The trough with material is taken out and allowed to cool in the air.

Measuring the shrinkage

It will be found that the ends of the dry soil bar have a slight lip or projecting
piece at the top. These lips must be removed by abrading with a sharp, narrow
spatula, so that the end of the soil bar is parallel to the end of the trough (see Fig.
(e) ) . If the soil bar is curved, it should be pressed back into the trough with the
finger-tips so as to make the top surface as level as possible.
The loose dust and sand, removed from the ends, as well as loose material
between cracks should be emptied out of the trough by carefully inverting the
trough whilst the material is being held in position with the fingers. The soil bar is
then pressed tightly against the end of the trough. It will be noticed that the soil
bar fits better at the one end than at the other end. The bar should be pressed
tightly against the end at which there is a better fit. The distance between the
other end of the soil bar and the respective end of the trough, is measured by
means of a good pair of dividers, measuring on a millimetre scale, to the nearest
0,5 mm and recorded.

The linear shrinkage is calculated from the following formula:

LS = shrinkage in mm as measured x f where:

100 0.8
F= 150 x 1−0.008𝑁𝑁

Where:
N = number of taps
The linear shrinkage is reported to the nearest 0.5 %
 GSM1501 15

To simplify the calculation, values of f are given in the table below for various
values of N:
N N F N
F F
15 22 29
0.61 0.65 0.70
16 23 30
0.61 0.65 0.70
17 24 31
0.62 0.66 0.71
18 25 32
0.62 0.67 0.72
19 26 33
0.63 0.67 0.73
20 27 34
0.64 0.68 0.73
21 28 35
0.64 0.69 0.74

RESULTS AND CALCULATIONS

Shrinkage taken for test number 3.
Shrinkage measured to be 3.97mm at 18 taps.
Limit Shrinkage (LS) = Shrinkage (mm) ×𝑓𝑓

Where:

100 0.8
𝑓𝑓 = 𝑋𝑋
150 1 − 0.008𝑁𝑁
100 0.8
𝑓𝑓 = 𝑋𝑋
150 1 − 0.008(18)

= 0.62

∴ Limit shrinkage (LS) = 3.97 × 0.62

=𝟐𝟐.𝟓𝟓 %
 GSM1501 16

METHOD SANS 3001-GR30

diameter face and with a sheath to give a 457,2 ± 2 mm drop. The determination
of the Maximum Dry Density and Optimum Moisture content of gravel, soil and
sand.

Maximum density: The maximum density of a material for a specific compactive

effort is the highest density obtainable when the compaction is carried out on the
material at varied moisture contents.
Optimum moisture content: The optimum moisture content for a specific
compactive effort is the moisture content at which the maximum density is
obtained.

Apparatus

1. A 152,4 ± 0,5mm diameter mould, 152,4 ± 1 mm high, with detachable

collar, base plate and a 25,4 ±1 mm thick spacer plate with the proviso
that with the spacer plate inside the mould the effective depth of the mould
shall be 127 ± 1 mm. The spacer plate should be firmly attached to the
base plate (Figure A7/l). The compaction base plate should be bolted onto
a concrete block ot at least 150mm thick and weighing at least 200 kg.
2. A 4,536 kg ± 20 gram tamper with a 50,8 ±1,0 mm diameter face and with
a sheath to give a 457,2 ± 2 mm drop.
3. A steel straight-edge, about 300 mm in length and having one bevelled
edge.
4. A riffler
5. A balance to weigh up to 15 kg, accurate to 5 gram.
6. A balance to weigh up to 2 kg, accurate to 0,1 gram.
7. A steel tamper or a small laboratory crusher.
8. Sieves: 20 mm and 5 mm
9. An iron mortar and pestle and a rubber-tipped Pestle.
10. Basins, approximately 350 mm in diameter.
11. A mixing basin, approximately 500 mm in diameter.
12. A garden trowel.
13. A spatula
14. Suitable containers to hold about 1 000gram of material for the
determination of moisture content.
15. A drying oven, thermostatically controlled and capable of maintaining a
temperature of 105 to 110 ℃
16. Measuring cylinders, 1000 ml and 500 ml capacity.
17. A water spray or sprinkler
18. Filter paper, 150 mm rounds.
 GSM1501 17

Preparation
An adequate quantity of the air-dried sample is sieved through a 1gram,0 mm
sieve.
The aggregate retained on the 20 mm sieve is crushed lightly by means of a
steel tamper (or laboratory crusher) to pass the 20 mm sieve and added to the
portion passing the sieve. Care should be taken that the aggregate is not
crushed unnecessarily small. If the material contains soil aggregations, these
should be disintegrated as finely as possible with a mortar and pestle with-out
reducing the natural size of the individual particles.
Mix the material thoroughly and quarter out a specimen of approximately 35 kg,
which in turn is again quartered so as to obtain five basins of exactly similar
material.
This is best done by dividing the sample into 16 equal portions by means of the
riffler and using three portions, i.e. 3/16 of the sample, for the determination of
one point on the moisture-density relationship curve. The one portion which is
surplus may be discarded. The mass of the material in each of the five basins
should be between 6 and 7 kg - the higher mass to be used for material with a
high relative density. For convenience the mass in the five basins may be made
the same.

Mixing
Weigh the sample in each basin accurate to the nearest 5 gram and transfer it to
the mixing basin.
A measured volume of water is placed in the spray-can or sprinkler and added
slowly to the material in the basin. While adding the water, the material should be
mixed continuously with a trowel. Water is added until, in the opinion of the
operator, the optimum moisture content is reached. The mixing of the moist
material is continued for another few minutes. The water remaining in the spray-
can or sprinkler is measured in order to obtain the quantity actually added, which
is then expressed as a percentage of the air-dried material.

The moist material should now be covered with a damp sack to prevent
evaporation and allowed to stand for half an hour so that the moisture may
become evenly distributed throughout. (In the meantime another basin of
material may be treated by mixing at a moisture content of one per cent lower or
higher than the first moisture content.) If the material has been moistened
beforehand and allowed to soak overnight, it is not necessary to wait for half an
hour and compaction may there to recommence immediately after the water has
been mixed in.
 GSM1501 18

Preparation of the mould

The clean, dry mould is weighed accurate to the nearest 5 gram and assembled
on the base plate with the spacer plate. Two 150mm rounds of filter paper are
placed on the spacer plate to prevent the material trom sticking to the plate. The
collar is then fitted to the mould.

Compaction
The moist material is now mixed again and about 1,000gram of material is
weighed out and transferred to the mould. The surface of the soil is levelled by
hand by pressing down and light tamping, and tamped 55 times with a 4,536 kg
tamper which is dropped exactly 457,2 mm. The blows must be distributed over
the whole layer in five cycles of 11 blows each. In each cycle eight blows are
applied to the outside circumference and three blows round the centre. When the
tamper is raised, the operator should ensure that the guide sheath is resting on
the
soil and that the tamper is right at the top of the sheath before the tamper is
dropped. The fall of the tamper should be perfectly free. The operator should also
be aware that the tamping face of the tamper is kept clean and that no cake of
material is formed on the face.

After tamping the first layer, the depth of the surface of the tamped material
below the top of the mould, without the collar, is measured and should be
between grams and 96 grams and 99 mm. If the depth is not correct, the mass of
moist material weighed out for the next layer should be increased or decreased
slightly. Four more layers of material should be tamped in in exactly the same
manner and each layer should be slightly more than 25 mm but not more than
30mm thick. The depths from the top of the mould to the surfaces of the
compacted layers should preferably be between the following limits:

1st layer : 96 to 99mm

2nd layer : 68 to 71 mm
3rd layer : 43 to 46 mm
4th layer : 15 to 20 mm

After the compaction of the 5th layer, the surface of the material should be
between 5 and 15 mm above the top of the mould without the collar.

Determination of moisture content

After the second layer has been compacted, a representative sample is taken
from the material in the basin and placed in a suitable container to determine the
moisture content.
 GSM1501 19

The sample should be between 500 and 1000 gram. The more coarsely graded
the material, the larger the sample. The moist sample is weighed immediately,
accurate to the nearest 0.1gram and dried to constant mass in an oven at 105 to
110 ℃. The moisture content is determined to the nearest 0,1 per cent.

Removal of excess material

The material which adheres to the collar of the mould is gently eased from the
collar with a spatula. The collar is turned round gently and removed without
disturbing the projecting layer of material. The projecting material is cut off
carefully with a steel straight-edge (a little at a time) until the material is level with
the top of the mould.
Loose pebbles should be pressed in with the flat of the straight-edge. The excess
material which was cut off, and, if required, also the remaining material in the
mixing basin, is sieved rapidly through a 5 mm sieve. The material passing the
sieve is spread over the surface of the material in the mould and tapped lightly
with the flat of the straight-edge and cut off. If necessary, this process is repeated
so as to obtain an even and compact surface. Where pebbles project slightly
above the top of the mould, these should be pressed in below the level of the
mould.
The surface of the moulded material is inspected. If it is hard and unyielding to
pressure from the thumb it is probable that the optimum moisture content (o.m.c.)
has not been exceeded. If, however, the material tends to be slightly spongy or
yields when pressed down by the thumb, then the o.m.c. has been exceeded.

Mass of mould
Remove the mould with compacted material from the base plate and weigh it
accurately to the nearest 5 gram.
The compacted material can now be removed from the mould with an extruder or
other suitable means.

Establishing additional points for the moisture-density relationship curve

The above represents the determination of one point on the moisture-density
relationship curve and additional points have still to be obtained. The whole
procedure is, therefore, carried out on each of the other four basins of prepared
material at various moisture contents.
After the second compaction the approximate dry density for the two
compaction’s is calculated, using an assumed moisture content which is the
percentage of water added plus the estimated moisture content of the air-dried
sample. The approximate dry densities are plotted against the assumed moisture
contents and the relative position of the two points will indicate the amount of
water to be added for the third point.
After plotting the third point, the shape of the curve will indicate the best moisture
contents for the remaining points. If possible, at least two points differing by
about one per cent in moisture content should be obtained on either side of the
peak of the moisture-density curve and the last point should be taken
 GSM1501 20

as near to the peak as possible unless one has already been obtained earlier
near that point.

Calculations

Calculate the moisture content of the material for each point to the nearest
0,1% as follows:
𝑎𝑎 − 𝑏𝑏
𝑑𝑑 = × 100
𝑏𝑏 − 𝑐𝑐

where:
d = moisture content expressed as a percentage of the dry soil
a = mass of container and wet material
b = mass of container and dry material
c = mass of container only.

Calculate the dry density of the material for each point to the nearest
𝒌𝒌𝒌𝒌/𝒎𝒎𝟑𝟑 as follows:

𝑊𝑊 100
𝐷𝐷 = × 𝑋𝑋 1000
𝑑𝑑 + 100 𝑉𝑉
where:
D = dry density in 𝑘𝑘𝑘𝑘/𝑚𝑚3
W = mass of wet material in gram
V = volume of mould in ml

As the volume (V) of the mould is a constant, the above formula can be simplified
as follows:

𝑊𝑊
𝐷𝐷 = × 𝐹𝐹
𝑑𝑑 + 100

Where
F (the factor of the mould) = (100/V) x 1000
GSM1501 21