SOIL MECHANICS

PHYSICAL
AND PLASTICITY
CHARACTERISTICS
EXPERIMENTS #1 - 5

CE 3143
October 7, 2003
Group A
David Bennett

0

TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. Experiment # 1:
Determination of Water Content (August 26, 2003)

pp. 1-3

2. Experiment # 2:
Determination of Specific Gravity of Soil (Sept. 2, 2003)

pp. 4-7

3. Experiment # 3:
Grain Size Analysis: Sieve Analysis (Sept. 9, 2003)

pp. 8-12

4. Experiment # 4:
Grain Size Analysis: Hydrometer Analysis (Sept. 16, 2003)

pp. 13-18

5. Experiment # 5:
Atterberg Limit Tests: Liquid & Plastic Limit (Sept. 23, 2003)

pp. 19-24

1

DETERMINATION OF
WATER CONTENT
EXPERIMENT # 1

CE 3143
August 26, 2003
Group A
David Bennett

1

TESTING OBJECTIVE:
• To determine the natural water content in a given soil sample.
• Testing conforms to ASTM D2216-90.

APPLICATIONS:
Natural moisture content is determined in almost all soil tests. Moisture content also called water content is the ratio of the weight of water to the weight of soil solids. This ration is usually expressed as a percentage. Water content will define the status of a soil sample. Natural moisture content is used in determining:
• Bearing Capacity of soil
• Settlement
• State of soil in the field

APPARATUS REQUIRED:
1. Moisture can(s):
Moisture cans are available in various sizes.
Example: 2-in. (50.8 mm) diameter and 7/8 in. (22.2 mm) high and 3.5-in. (88.9 mm) diameter and 2 in. (50..8 mm) high
2. Oven with temperature control:
For drying, the temperature of the oven is generally kept between 105°C. A higher temperature should be avoided to prevent the burning of organic mater in the soil.
3. Balance:
The balance should have a readability of 0.01 g for specimens having a mass of
200 g or less. If the specimen has a mass of over 200g, the readability should be
0.1 g

TEST PROCEDURE:
1. Determine the mass (g) of the empty moisture can plus its cap (W1), and also record the number.
2. Place a sample of