Soil Mechanics (CE252)

Lecture 3 – Estimation of Soil Properties

By
Dr. Gaurav Tiwari
Assistant Professor
Civil Engineering Department, IIT Kanpur

1
 Water Content – Estimation
⮚ The water content is an important soil parameter which influences the soil behaviour
⮚ Water content of a soil sample can be determined by several methods
Water Content

Oven – drying method Pycnometer method Rapid Moisture Meter method Sand bath method

2
 Water Content – Estimation
⮚ Pycnometer Method

Weight of water above Weight of water in the

soil sample + voids volume of solids

3
 Water Content – Estimation
⮚ Rapid Moisture Meter/Calcium Carbide Method
⮚ Portable equipment which can be used in field
⮚ A known weight of soil sample is taken and mixed with calcium carbide
⮚ Calcium carbide reacts with water in the sample to produce the acetylene gas
⮚ Pressure of this acetylene gas is calibrated to give the direct reading of moisture content in the sample

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xfQwcBI4YTA

⮚ Sand Bath Method

⮚ Similar test to oven drying with only difference in the heating method
⮚ Sample is dried over sand bath which itself is heated over a kerosene stove
⮚ Quick test

4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zWWI-tUn_NI
 Specific Gravity – Estimation
⮚ Frequently used to estimate different properties of soil as shown in inter-relationships of phase diagrams
⮚ Determined in the lab using pycnometer

Weight of water
Weight of water in Weight of water in above soil surface
the volume as that total volume (above and inside soil pores
of soil solids soil surface + soil
pores + volume of
soil solids)

5
 In-situ Unit Weight – Estimation
⮚ An important property to estimate the overburden pressure (will be discussed later)
⮚ Different methods to estimate unit weight are given below

In-Situ Unit Weight

Core Cutter method Sand Replacement method Water displacement method

⮚ Core Cutter Method

▪ A core cutter of known volume (V) is driven in soil by hitting it by a hammer
▪ Soil gets filled inside the core cutter
▪ Unit weight could be estimated by dividing the weight of soil (W) in the core cutter by its volume (V)

https://
www.youtube.com/watch?
v=cltEEEQa7KI

6
Image source: google
 In-situ Unit Weight – Estimation
⮚ Sand Replacement Method
▪ A hole is excavated in the ground and the excavated soil is weighed (W)
▪ The hole is filled with the sand of known unit weight by pouring it from sand bottle
▪ Total weight of sand required to fill hole is measured from which the volume of hole (V) is estimated
▪ Unit weight could be estimated as the ratio of the weight of excavated soil to the volume of hole
▪ More suitable for hard or gravely soils

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f5Z2l9RFumo

7
Image source: sciencedirect
 In-situ Unit Weight – Estimation

Volume of paraffin wax

Displaced Water Coated sample

8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=taNPfrqCTW8
Thank You