PRACTICAL-2

DENSITY AND SPECIFIC GRAVITY MEASUREMENT

By Engr. Zahid Ur Rehman, Lecturer

Department of Mining Engineering, University of Engineering and technology,
Peshawar
 Engineering Properties of Rock
 Rock is a very complex material due to heterogeneity of the mass
and is very difficult to define.

 The heterogeneity is due to structure, fabric and components.

Accordingly, there is a vast range in properties of rocks.

 Rocks loaded by structure may undergo a displacement and

deformation. If overloaded, they show distress by cracking or
crushing.

 Such effects of load on rock strata depend both on the physical

and mechanical properties of rocks.
 Engineering Properties of Rock
 Hence it is imperative to understand well these properties for
their applications in any engineering projects, where the rocks
are involved.

 The physical properties is also known as index properties. Which

describes the rock material and helps in classifying them.

 The mechanical properties is known as strength and stiffness

properties and they give an information about the performance
of rock material, when subjected to a loading system.
Engineering Properties of Rock

Rock Properties

Physical Mechanical

Moisture Unit Weight Density Specific gravity Porosity Stiffness Strength

Content

(Rock
Classification)

Geotechnical engineering Geotechnical engineering

Structural engineering Structural engineering
Pavement engineering Pavement engineering
Environmental engineering
 Following are the different index properties of Rock
 Density
 Specific Gravity
 Unit weight
 Porosity and void ratio
 Moisture Content
 Water absorption
1. Density
 The amount of matter in a given volume
 it shows relative heaviness”
 density is a measurement that compares the amount of matter
an object has to its volume.
 An object with much matter in a certain volume has high
density
 An object with little matter in the same amount of volume has
a low density.
 Density is found by dividing the mass of an object by its
volume.
Density Formula

 Mass units: grams or kilograms

 Volume units: mL, L, or cm3 (solids)
 Solve for Mass or Volume using the
Formula Triangle
 At the Molecular Level
 Differences in density may help predict if an object sinks
or floats (along with other forces such as buoyancy)
Density
 Density is the important index property of rock and is
helpful in rock grading.

 Rocks have a wide range of density, which depends upon

the mineral constituents and the degree of compaction in
addition to the condition in which it is existing.

 Rock containing heavy minerals have higher unit value than

rock with lighter mineral.

 Depending upon the condition of the rock, the density may

be expressed as:
 Bulk density
 Dry density,

 Density of a Solid

Mass: balance (grams)

Volume: length x width x height= cm3
 Density of an Irregular Solid
Mass: balance (grams)
Volume: Liquid displacement- the solid displaces
(pushes away) a volume of water
The density values g/cc of some common rock types (Griffith,1973)
 PRACTICAL-2

Title : “Standard test procedure for the determination of Rock

Density and Sp. Gravity”
 Scope of the test
The objective of the test is to measure the density and specific gravity of
samples of cylindrical or other regular form as per standards procedures.

 Apparatus used
- Digital balance with accuracy of 0.01 g and range of 100
- Caliper with accuracy of 0.1mm
- Sample container
- Graduated cylinder
“Standard test procedure for the determination of Rock Density
and Sp. Gravity”

 Procedure

 Prepare three specimens of regular form a representative sample of

rock. The size of the specimens should be such that both following
conditions are fulfilled:
 the specimen mass should be at least 50 g (cube of 3x3x3cm3, or
cylinder with diameter of 2.5 cm and length 5 cm.)

 The minimum specimen dimension should be at least ten times the

maximum grain size of the rock.

 After preparing the samples, the weight (gram) of each sample is

determined using digital balance.

 The specimen volume (V) is calculated from the average value of

several calliper readings (3 at least, ) with an accuracy of 0.1 mm) for
each dimension of the specimens.
 PRACTICAL-2
 Procedure

 The volume of an irregularly shaped object can be determined by

measuring the amount of water it displaces.

 Fill a graduated cylinder about halfway with water. Note the level of the
water. Submerge your sample and mark the new water level.

 Observations and Calculations

Measuring the Mass

Sample 1 Sample 2 Sample 3
Trial
mass (gram) Mass (gram) Mass (gram)

1  
2  
3

Avg.    
 PRACTICAL-2
 Observations and Calculations
Measuring the Volume
Regular body

Sphere Cube Cylinder

4
V    R3 
3 V  L W  H V   R2  H
4

Trial Length (cm) Width (cm) Height (cm)

1      

2      

3      

Avg.      
 PRACTICAL-2
 Observations and Calculations
Measuring the Volume
Irregular body

Volume (ml)   Sample 1 Sample 2 Sample 3

 

Final volume of water      

Initial volume of water      

Volume of sample      
 PRACTICAL-2
 Observations and Calculations

Calculate the Density

Volume Mass Density

Specimen
(cm3) (grams) (gm/cc)
Sample-1      

Sample-2      

Sample-3      

Average  
The density values g/cc of some common rock types (Griffith,1973)
Specific Gravity

 Specific gravity of a material is defined as the ratio of the

weight of a material to the weight of an equal volume of
water (both the weights are taken in air. Or

 Ratio of the density of substance to the density of water.

Mathematical Formula:


Specific Gravity
 Rock mass is made up of several different minerals of various
specific gravities. Hence, rock specific gravity entirely depend
upon:
 Mineralogical composition
 Their orientation,
 Degree of crystallinity and compaction.

 Presence of inherited characters of micro or macro structure

also influence rock specific gravity.

 Thus, specific gravity of a rock is cumulative effect of the

different minerals and their proportion in the rock.

 Specific gravity is an important parameter and useful in

computing void ratio and porosity of rock.
The specific gravity values of some Common rock types (Griffith, 1973)