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Physical Properties of Soil

Testing
Phase Diagram of Soil
Laboratory
Soil is composed of solids, liquids, and gases. Liquids and Microbiology - Air
gases are mostly water and air, respectively. These two Quality - Mold
(water and air) are called voids which occupy between soil Asbestos -
Environmental -
particles. The figure shown below is an idealized soil drawn
Lead
into phases of solids, water, and air.
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Geotechnical Engineering

Weight-Volume Relationship from the Phase Diagram of Physical Properties of Soil

Soil Consistency of Soil (Atterberg Limits)
total volume = volume of soilds + volume of voids Unit Weights and Densities of Soil
V = Vs + Vv
volume of voids = volume of water + volume of air
Vv = Vw + Va
total weight = weight of solids + weight of water
W = Ws + Ww

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Void Ratio, e
cookies.
Void ratio No,
is the ratio
give meofmore
volume
info of voids to the volume of
solids.

Vv
e=
Vs

Porosity, n
Porosity is the ratio of volume of voids to the total volume
of soil.

Vv
n=
V

Degree of Saturation, S
Degree of saturation is the ratio of volume of water to the
volume of voids.

Vw
S=
Vv

Water Content or Moisture Content, w

Moisture content, usually expressed in terms of percentage,
is the ratio of the weight of water to the weight of solids.

Ww
w= × 100%
Ws

Unit Weight, γ
Unit weight is the weight of soil per unit volume. Also
called bulk unit weight (γ), and moist unit weight (γm).

W
γ=
V

Dry Unit Weight, γd

Dry unit weight is the weight of dry soil per unit volume.

Ws
γd =
V dry
Saturated Unit Weight, γsat
Saturated unit weight is the weight of saturated soil per unit
volume.

W sat
γ sat =
V sat

Effective Unit Weight, γ'

Effective unit weight is the weight of solids in a submerged
soil per unit volume. Also called buoyant density or buoyant
unit weight (γb).

γ ′ = γ sat − γ w

Specific Gravity of Solid Particles, G

Specific gravity of solid particles of soil is the ratio of the
unit weight of solids (γs) to the unit weight of water (γw).

γs
G=
γw

Formulas for Properties of Soil

Basic Formulas
Unit weight, γ = sγ w

Weight, W = γV = sγV
γ
Specific gravity, s =
γw

Physical Properties
Total weight, W = W w + W s

Total volume, V = V s + V v
Volume of voids, V v = V w + V a
Vv
Void ratio, e = , Note: 0 < e < ∞
Vs
Vv
Porosity, n = , Note: 0 < n < 1
V
e n
Relationship between e and n, n = and e =
1+e 1−n
 Ww
Water content or moisture content, w = × 100%,
Ws
Note: 0 < w < ∞
Vw
Degree of saturation, S = , Note: 0 ≤ S ≤ 1
Vv

Relationship between G, w, S, and e, Gw = Se

Moist unit weight or bulk unit weight,
W (G + Se)γ w G(1 + w)γ w
γm = = =
V 1+e 1+e
Ws Gγ w
Dry unit weight, γ d = =
V 1+e
(G + e)γ w
Saturated unit weight, γ sat =
1+e
Submerged or buoyant unit weight,
(G − 1)γ w
γ b = γ sat − γ w =
1+e
γb G−1
Critical hydraulic gradient, i cr = =
γw 1+e
1 1
−
e max − e (γ d) min γd
Relative Density, D r = =
e max − e min 1 1
−
(γ d) min (γ d) max

Atterberg Limits
Plasticity index, PI = LL − PL
MC − PL
Liquidity index, LI =
PI
Shrinkage index, SI = PL − SL
PI
Activity of clay, A c = , where μ = soil finer than 0.002
μ
mm in percent

Other Formulas
eV
Volume of voids, V v =
1+e
V
Volume of solids, V s =
1+e
SeV
Volume of water, V w =
1+e
SeVγ w
Weight of water, W w =
1+e
 V(G + Se)γ w
Weight of soil, W =
1+e
γm
Dry unit weight, γ d =
1+w

Relationship between G, w, S, and e

The relationship between specific gravity of solid particles
G, water content or moisture content w, degree o saturation
S, and void ratio e, is given by the following:

Gw = Se

The formula above can be derived as follows:

γ s = Gγ w
Ws
= Gγ w
Vs
Ws Ww
⋅ = Gγ w
Vs Ww
Ww Ws
⋅ = Gγ w
Vs Ww
Ww 1
⋅ = Gγ w
Vs Ww / Ws
γ wV w 1
⋅ = Gγ w
Vs w
Vw 1
⋅ =G
Vs w
Vw
= Gw
Vs
Vw Vv
⋅ = Gw
Vs Vv
Vw Vv
⋅ = Gw
Vv Vs

Se = Gw

Thus, Gw = Se as stated above.

Relationship e and n
The relationship between the the void ratio e, and the
porosity n is given by:

n e
e= and n =
1−n 1+e

Derivation is as follows
Vv
e= → void ratio
Vs
Vv
e=
V − Vv
Vv 1/V
e= ⋅
V − Vv 1/V
Vv / V
e= → n = Vv / V
1 − Vv / V
n
e= (okay!)
1−n

Vv
n= → porosity
V
Vv
n=
Vs + Vv
Vv 1 / Vs
n= ⋅
Vs + Vv 1 / Vs
Vv / Vs
n= → e = Vv / Vs
1 + Vv / Vs
e
n= (okay!)
1+e

Tags:
Unit Weight Degree of Saturation of Soil
moisture content porosity specific gravity
Void Ratio

Consistency of Soil (Atterberg Limits)

Unit Weights and Densities of Soil

‹ Geotechnical up Consistency of Soil

Engineering (Atterberg Limits) ›
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