Name: _______________________________ Instructor: _________________________
Date Performed:_______________________ Date Due: __________________________
Group No.: ___________________________ Grade: ____________________________
EXPERIMENT NO. ______
PARTICLE SIZE ANALYSIS OF SOILS
(Referenced Document: ASTM D422-63)
Objective: ____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
Discussion:
The grain size test is an exercise in identifying the size of soil grains present. The sizes
when plotted on a grain-size curve will be a guide to the interrelation of the different grain sizes
and it can also be source for the identification of the original soil. A characteristic of the soil that
can be identified from the grain-size chart is whether the soil is well graded or not.
Significance:
It is an important criteria in the classification of highway subgrade materials. It is also
related to permeability and capillarity of cohesionless soil.
Apparatus:
1. Balance 7. Graduated Cylinder
2. Set of sieves 8. Distilled water
3. Oven 9. Thermometer
4. Brush 10. Evaporating dish
5. Hydrometer 11. Spatula
6. Mixer 12. Timer
Procedure:
A. Sieve Analysis
1. Weigh all sieves to be used up to 0.1 gram.
2. Weigh the soil sample.
3. Pass the sample through a nest of sieves by hand for at least 10 minutes.
4. Weigh and record the quantity retained on each sieve by subtracting the weight obtained
in step 1.
5. Compute the percent passing on each sieve.
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Calculation:
Wash passing No. 0.075mm sieve = W1 – W2
Where W1 = weight of oven dried sample
W2 = weight of the wash oven-dried sample
Weight passing, g = weight passing + weight retained
% Passing = 𝑥 100
% Retained = x 100
% Cumulative Retained = 100% - % Passing = % retained on sieve and those above it
B. Calibration of Hydrometer
1. Measure the overall length of the hydrometer bulb and call IT L 2 (cm).
2. Measure the distance of the stem of the hydrometer from top of the bulb to the mark of
the hydrometer reading and represent it by L1 (cm).
3. Represent the distance from the center of the volume to the surface of suspension by Zr,
where 𝑍 = .
C. Hydrometer Test
1. Mix a moist specimen of soil passing the No. 200 sieve and approximately 50 grams dry
weight with distilled water to form a smooth thin paste.
2. Add sodium silicate, a deflocculating agent.
3. Mix the suspension in a machine until particles are broken down.
4. Fill the graduated jar with distilled water.
5. After mixing, wash the specimen into a graduated cylinder and add enough distilled
water to bring the level to 1000 cc mark.
6. Mix the soil and water by placing the palm of the hand over the open end and turning
the cylinder up and down.
7. After shaking it for approximately 30 seconds, place the graduate on the table and insert
the hydrometer in the suspension and start the timer.
8. Take the hydrometer readings at total elapsed time of ¼, ½ and 2 minutes without
removing the hydrometer. The suspension should be remixed, and this set of readings
repeated until a consistent pair of results has been obtained.
9. After reading, remove the hydrometer, remix and restart the test, but take no reading
until 2 minutes. For this reading and all the following ones, insert the hydrometer just
before reading. Before the insertion of the hydrometer, dry the stem.
10. Take the hydrometer readings at total elapsed time intervals of 2, 5, 20, 20 minutes, etc.,
approximately doubling the previous time interval. The hydrometer should be removed
from the suspension and stored in the graduate of distilled water after each reading.
Take frequent temperature measurement of the suspension.
11. Take temperature observations and hydrometer readings in the jar of distilled water
every 20 to 30 minutes add warm or cold water to keep it at the same temperature.
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Prevent variations by keeping the test graduates away from heat source as radiators,
sunlight of open windows.
12. Keep the top of the jar containing the soil suspension covered to retard evaporation and
to prevent the collection of dust, etc. from the air.
13. Obtain the height of meniscus rise of pure distilled water on the stem of the hydrometer.
This height, known as the meniscus correction, is used in the calculations.
14. Continue taking observations until hydrometer reads approximately one, i.e. around
1,001 or until readings have the minimum soil particle diameter desired.
15. After final reading, pour the suspension into a large evaporating dish, taking unusual care
to avoid losing any soil.
16. Evaporate the suspension to dryness in the oven, cool the dish, subtracted from the
value determined in step 16 given the weight of the dry soil used.
Hydrometer: R = Reading + Zero + Temperature Corrections
(a = solids corrections)
%
% 𝐹𝑖𝑛𝑒𝑟 =
Graph
The various percent described are normally plotted versus sieve opening (particle size) on a
semilogarithmic paper. The resulting points are then connected smoothly. The graph
representing the percent passing (normal scale) and the grain diameter size (logarithmic scale) is
referred to as the grain-size distribution. This can yield information relative to the geologic origin
of the particular soil being tested.
Grain size distributions are generally characterized by numerical parameters so that comparisons
can be made between different soils. The uniformity coefficient, Cu, gives an indication of the
range of grain sizes present in a given soil sample while the coefficient of concavity, C c, is a
standard measure used in characterizing a grain size curve.
𝐶 = 𝐶 =
where D10 = the effective size and represents the grain size diameter corresponding to 10%
passing.
D30 = the grain size diameter corresponding to 30% passing
D60 = the grain size diameter corresponding to 60% passing
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Name: _______________________________ Instructor: _________________________
Date Performed:_______________________ Date Due: __________________________
Group No.: ___________________________ Grade: ____________________________
EXPERIMENT NO. ______
Worksheet for Sieve Analysis
Kind of Material ______________________________Date Sampled ____________________________
Weight, Original Sample _______________________Moisture Content__________________________
Weight, Oven dry sample ______________Weight, Wash Oven dry sample passing No.200__________
Sieve No Weight % Cumulative % Remark
Retained Retained Weight % % Passing
(g) Passing (g) Passing Retained Spec’s
US mm
3″ 75
2-1/2″ 63
2″ 50
1-1/2″ 37.5
1″ 25
¾″ 19
½″ 12.5
3/8 9.5
1/4″ 6.3
No. 4 4.75
No. 8 2.36
No.10 2.00
No. 16 1.18
No. 30 0.60
No.40 0.425
No. 50 0.300
No. 60 0.250
No.100 0.150
No.200 0.075
Wash
Passing
No. 200
Pan
Total
Remarks: ____________________________________________________________________________
________________________________ _______________________
Student’s Signature Over Printed Name Instructor’s Signature
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Observation
Conclusion
Illustration
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