CIVIL ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT CC304 GEOTECHNICAL 1

NO. PRACTICAL WORK

2 (a) SOIL CLASSIFICATION AND DESCRIPTION OF SOIL (SIEVE ANALYSIS)

TITLE OF PRACTICAL WORK : OBJECTIVE :

The sieve analysis determines the grain size distribution curve of soil sample by passing them through a stack of sieves of decreasing mesh opening sizes and by measuring the weight retained on each sieve. The sieve analysis is generally applied to the soil fraction larger than 75 m. THEORY :

BS 1377 : 1990 allows either wet or dry sieving to be used, but the wet method is preferred. After oven drying, the test sample mass is determined before being separated into two parts, the first comprises particles that are retained on a 20mm sieve and the second, that passes 20mm. The particles greater than 20mm is dry sieved, while the smaller particles is wet sieved. The sieves which are used are generally chosen within the size ranges of (in mm) 75, 63, 50, 37.5, 28, 20, 14, 10, 6.3, 5, 3.35, 2, 1.18, 0.6, 0.425, 0.3, 0.212, 0.15 and 0.063. The mass retained on each sieve is recorded, from which the percentage of the sample passing of each sieve can be calculated. Material passing the 63 micron (0.063mm) sieve is retained for a fine particle analysis are plotted on a semi logarithmic graph of the form shown in figure 1.0, to produce a particle size distribution curve, hence allowing the type of soil to be determined. Having plotted the results of the particle size analysis, the shape of the curve and its position on the chart can be used to indicate the nature of the soil. Figure 1 shows the grading curves of a typical soil. Thus a well-graded soil has a curve which was evenly spread and indicates a wide range of particle size. A uniformly graded soil has a near vertical curve indicating that the soil particles are approximately the same size. A poorly graded soil is one having a wide range of particle sizes but in which there is a lack of particles in one or more of the intermediate size ranges.

CIVIL ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT CC304 GEOTECHNICAL 1

Figure 1 This deficiency, or gap, is indicated by near horizontal section of the curve. Two additional piece of information can be obtained to define the curve, the effective size and the uniformity coefficient. The effective size of a soil is defined as the particle size of the ten percent passing fraction of that soil and is denoted by the symbol d10. The uniformity coefficient is defined as the ratio of the sixty percent passing fraction size to the ten percent passing fraction size and denoted by the symbol C u where; Cu = d60 / d10. Another quantity that may be used to judge the gradation of a soil is the coefficient of curvature, designated by the symbol Cc. Cc = d302 / (d10 x d60) d10 and d60 have been defined, while d30 is the grain diameter corresponding to 30 percent passing on the grain-size distribution curve

CIVIL ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT CC304 GEOTECHNICAL 1

Criteria for Grading Soils The following criteria are in accordance with the Unified Soil Classification System: For a gravel to be classified as well graded, the following criteria must be met: Cu > 4 & 1 < Cc < 3 If both of these criteria are met, the gravel is classified as well graded or GW. If both of these criteria are not met, the gravel is classified as poorly graded or GP. For a sand to be classified as well graded, the following criteria must be met: Cu > 6 & 1 < Cc < 3 If both of these criteria are met, the sand is classified as well graded or SW. If both of these criteria are not met, the sand is classified as poorly graded or SP APPARATUS : The following apparatus are required. i. Series of standard sieves with opening ranging from 75m to 75mm, including a cover plate and a bottom pan. ii. Rubber hammer iii. Soft wire brush iv. Mechanical sieve shaker v. Weighing machine

CIVIL ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT CC304 GEOTECHNICAL 1

Figure 2 shows photos of the sieving equipment to be used in this test. PROCEDURE : Dry Sieving 1. Oven dry a tray of soil sample in approximately a mass of 250g. Allow it to cool. 2. Select a stack of sieves suitable to the soil being tested. A stack of six or seven sieves is generally sufficient for most soil and applications. The top sieves soil should have an opening slightly larger than the largest particles. Arrange the stack of sieves so that the largest mesh opening is at the top and the smallest is at the bottom. 3. Attach a pan at the bottom of the sieve stack. Pour the sample on the top sieve. Add the cover plate to avoid dust and loss of particles while shaking. 4. Place the stack of sieves in the mechanical shaker and shake for about 5minutes or until additional shaking does not produce appreciable changes in the amounts of material retained in each sieve. 5. Remove the stack of sieves from the shaker. Measure the weight of soil retained in each sieve. 6. Record the data and plot the passing vs sieve size on a semilog graph. 7. Determine the uniformity and curvature coefficients and the type of soil.

CIVIL ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT CC304 GEOTECHNICAL 1

RESULT : Mass of sample: ________________ Sieve size (mm) 7.5 5.0 2.360 1.180 0.600 0.425 0.300 0.212 0.150 0.075 Pan Total of retained soil : Mass of Sieve + soil (g) Mass of empty sieve (g) Mass of retained soil (g) Percentage of retained soil (g) Percentage of passing soil (g)

From the distribution curve on semilog graph, Cu = ____________ Cc = ____________ Type of soil = ___________________________________________
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CIVIL ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT CC304 GEOTECHNICAL 1

CIVIL ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT CC304 GEOTECHNICAL 1

CONCLUSION

REFERENCE (S)