HASHMITE UNIVERSITY Civil Engineering Department Geotechnical Laboratory
Lab Number: 4 Experiment name: Sieve Analysis & Grain Size Analysis
Name: Deiaa al-majalee ID Number: 433150 Date: 22/10/2005 Section: 1
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Introduction:
The experiment divided in two parts: A. Sieve analysis (mechanic method) The size of particles soil larger than sieve number 200 B. Hydrometer The size of particles soil passes sieve number 200.
Objective:
This experiment important to classification the soil & draw the distribution of the size grain in a given soil mass by sieve analysis & hydrometer.
Equipment:
Sieve analysis:
1. Sieve, a bottom, and pan. NO of sieve (4, 10, 20, 40, 60, 140, 200). 2. Balance sensitive up to 0.1g. 3. Oven. 4. Mechanical sieve shaker. 5. Mortar and rubber tipped pestle.
Hydrometer:
1. 2. Hydrometer (calibrated). Electric mixer and dispersion. 3. Thermometer reading to nearest 1C. 4. Deflocculating agent (sodium hexametaphsphate, typically).
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5. 24 hour timer with minute and second graduations. 6. Two graduated cylinder of 6.35cm diameter and 1 letter capacity. 7. Dry oven, at 110 5C. 8. Wash bottle, with distilled water. 9. Large pelvis.
Procedure:
Sieve analysis: 1. Break the soil into individual particles using mortar a rubber- tipped pestle. 2.determine the mass of the sample accurately to 0.1g (w) 3.Prepare a stack of sieve, a sieve larger openings is placed above a sieve with smaller opening (1/2, 3/8, 4, 8, 16, 30, 50, 100, 200). 4.pour the soil prepared in step into the stack of sieves from the top 5.Place the cover on the top of the stack sieve. 6.Run the stack of sieves through a sieve shaker for about 10 to 15 minutes. 7.Stop the sieve shaker and remove the stack of sieves. 8.Weight the amount of soil retained on each sieve and bottom pan. 9.if a considerable amount of soil with silty and clayey fractions is retained on sieve No 200 sieve, it has to be washed. Washing is done by taking the No 200 sieve with the soil retained on it and pouring the sieve from a tap in the laboratory.
Hydrometer: 1.Sample size using the material passing in sieve No 200 in the last laboratory to continue drawing the percent finer particles diameter graph. 2.Place the sample in a 250-ml glass and cover with 125 ml of the sodium hexametphsphate solution, stir until the soil is thoroughly wetted, then cover the beaker and allow it to set overnight. 3.At the end of the curing period disperse the sample further by using an electric mixer. 4. Immediately after dispersion, transfer the slurry to a hydrometer bottle partly filled with approximately 100ml of distilled water. 5. Add sufficient distilled water to bring the bottom of the volume in the hydrometer bottle to the 1000ml calibration mark. 6.place the palm of one hand tightly over the mouth of hydrometer bottle and carefully turn the bottle upside down and back for a 1 minute period to mix solution thoroughly be sure that none of the soil remains at the bottom of the bottle as the bottle is rotated, set the bottle down on a flat surface and prepare to take hydrometer readings. 7.after the bottle is set down following the mixing period, quickly but carefully insert the calibrated the hydrometer into the solution this should be done with both hands to prevent the hydrometer from spinning and bobbing in the suspension as will as prevent it from resting against the side of the bottle, care must also be taken to insert the hydrometer into suspension only to depth at which it will float when released, the insertion time should not approximately 30 second.
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8.Take the hydrometer reading after 1min, 2min, 4min, 8min, 15min, 30min, and 4016min. 9.once consistent reading have been obtained, leaving the hydrometer in the solution for first 2min reading, remove the hydrometer in the suspension and place it in a second hydrometer bottle filled only with distilled water at the same temperature as the soil- water suspension. 10. Record the temperature of the soil water suspension following each hydrometer reading. 11. After the final reading, pour the suspension into a large, clean, pre-weighed evaporate the solution in the dry oven at 1105 C, care must be taken to avoid losing any soil. 12. Determine the dry weight of the soil used in the test to the nearest 0.01g and record as (WS).
Data Analysis & Result:
Table 1: sieve analysis:
Sieve No (1/2) (3/8) #4 #8 # 16 # 30 # 50 # 100 # 200 Pan Sieve opening (mm) 12.5 9.5 4.75 2.38 1.18 0.6 0.3 0.15 0.075 Mass of soil retained on each sieve, Wn (g) 0 1.58 13.97 11.4 11.63 8.58 6.45 6.2 7.19 28.09 Percent mass retained on each sieve Rn 0.000% 0.316% 2.794% 2.280% 2.326% 1.716% 1.290% 1.240% 1.438% Cumulative percent retained, Rn 0 0.316% 3.110% 5.390% 7.716% 9.432% 10.722% 11.962% 13.400% Percent finer,100Rn 100.000% 99.684% 96.890% 94.610% 92.284% 90.568% 89.278% 88.038% 86.600%
Table 2: hydrometer
Elapsed Time (minutes) 0.3 1 2 4 8 15 30 4016 Hydrometer Reading Ract (divisions) 1.029 1.0265 1.025 1.0225 1.0215 1.02 1.0185 1.01 Corrected Hydrometer Reading (divisions) 1.0255 1.023 1.0215 1.019 1.018 1.0165 1.0155 1.0065 Water Temp c 22 22 22 22 22 22 22 20
Table 3: hydrometer
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Specific Gravity of Water at Test temp 0.99777 0.99777 0.99777 0.99777 0.99777 0.99777 0.99777 0.99820
Viscosity of Water at Test Temp (N) 9.61 9.61 9.61 9.61 9.61 9.61 9.61 10.09
L (cm) 8.6 9.3 9.7 10.. 35 10.. 6 11.0 11.4 13.7
D (mm) 0.0542 0.0394 0.0288 0.021 0.015 0.011 0.0081 0.00076
Percent smaller than (%) 80% 72.65% 67..3% 60% 56.9% 52.1% 47.4% 20..53%
Sample of Calculation:
d= [(30*(N)*L)/ (980(GS-GW)*(L/t)) [1/2 d= [(30*(9.61*10-3)/ (980(2.7-.99777)*(8.6/0.5) =0.0532 mm Pf = [(1*105*Gs*(R-Gw))/((Gs-Gw)Ws))]*(Wt-WS)*100% Pf = [(1*105*2.72*(1.0225-0.9977))/((2.720.9977)*50))]*452.3/500 *100%= 80%
Discussion & conclusion:
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This experiment divided in two parts: sieve analysis, in this part we measure the size of soil particles by the sieves so the coarse particles retained in the sieves above sieve No200. In the hydrometer we can measure the size of grain passing sieve No200 by hydrometer device This experiment important to classify the soil by drawing the distribution of the size grain in a given soil mass than you can determine the percent finer in any size for example if more than half is larger than sieve No200 (75mm) &more than half of coarse fraction is larger than No4 (4.75mm) then the soil classify as gravels.
