Chapter Three: Sand

SAND
 Sand is a naturally occurring granular material composed of finely
divided rock and mineral particles.
 the most common constituent of sand is silica (silicon dioxide, or
SiO2), usually in the form of quartz.
SOURCES OF SAND
Sand is formed by the weathering of rocks. Based on the
natural sources from which sand is obtained, it is classified as
follows:

 Pit sand
 River sand
 Sea sand
PIT SAND
 This sand is obtained
by forming pits in
soils.
 It is excavated from a
depth of about 1-2 m
from the ground level.
 This sand is found as
deposits in soil and it
consists of sharp
angular grains, which
are free from salts.
Pit Sand
 It serves as an excellent material for mortar or concrete
work.
 Pit sand must be made free from clay and other organic
materials before it can be used in mortar.
 A coating of oxide of iron over the sand grains should be
removed.
RIVER SAND
 This sand is widely used for all purposes. It is obtained from
the banks or beds of rivers and it consists of fine rounded
grains. The presence of fine rounded grains is due to mutual
attrition under the action of water current.
River sand

 The river sand is available in clean conditions.

 The river sand is almost white in color.
River sand
 SEA SAND
 This is obtained from sea shores.
 It is brown in color and it also has the fine rounded grain.
Sea sand

DREDGED SAND
DESPOSITION
Sea sand
 As it is obtained from sea it contains salt, which is used in
attracting moisture from atmosphere.
 Such absorption causes dampness and disintegration of work.
 It is generally not used for engineering purpose due to its
retards setting action of cement. It is normally used for non
structural purposes.
Crushed Stone Sand / Artificial Sand
 It is a substitute for River Sand, fine aggregates which
manufactured by crushing either granite or basalt rock using
3 stage crushing process.
 This sand is manufactured in conformance to IS Codes and is
an effective alternative to river sand.
PROPERTIES OF GOOD SAND
 It should be clean and coarse.
 It should be free from any organic or vegetable matter; usually 3-4
per cent clay is permitted.
 It should be chemically inert.
 It should contain sharp, angular, coarse and durable grains.
 It should not contain salts which attract moisture from the
atmosphere.
 It should be well graded, i.e., it should contain particles of various
sizes in suitable proportions.
 It should be strong and durable.
 It should be clean and free from coatings of clay and silt.
Tests on Sand:
Test for Silt and Clay:
To check the quality of fine aggregates or sand; put some
quantity of sand in a glass of water. Then it is vigorously shaken
and allowed to settle. If the clay is present in sand, its distinct
layer is formed at the top of sand.

Test for Organic Content:

To detect the presence of organic impurities in sand, a solution
of sodium hydroxide or caustic soda is added to sand and
stirred. If the color of solution changes into brown, it shows
presence of impurities.
BULKING OF SAND
 The increase in the volume of sand due to the presence of
moisture is known as bulking of sand. This is due to the fact
that moisture forms a film of water around the sand particles
and this results in an increase in the volume of sand. The
extent of bulking depends on the grading of sand. The finer
the material the more will be the increase in volume for the
given moisture content.
Uses of Sand:
 Brick: Manufacturing plants add sand to a mixture of clay and other
materials for manufacturing bricks.
 Mortar: Sand is mixed with cement and sometimes lime to be used
in masonry construction.
 Concrete: Sand is often a principal component of this critical
construction material.
 Glass: Sand is the principal component in common glass.
 Railroads: Engine drivers and rail transit operators use sand to
improve the traction of wheels on the rails.
 Roads: Sand improves traction (and thus traffic safety) in icy or
snowy conditions.
 Sandbags: These protect against floods and gunfire. The inexpensive
bags are easy to transport when empty, and unskilled volunteers can
quickly fill them with local sand in emergencies.
 CLASSIFICATION OF SAND

Based on the grain size distribution:

 Fine sand:The sand passing through a sieve with clear openings of
1.5875 mm (No. 16 sieve size 1/16 inch) is known as fine sand. Fine
sand is mainly used for plastering.
 Moderately Coarse sand: The sand passing through a sieve with clear
openings of 3.175 mm (No. 8 sieve size 1/8 inch) is known as
moderately coarse sand. It is generally used for masonry work.
 Gravelly or Course sand: The sand passing through a sieve with clear
openings of 4.76 mm (No. 4 sieve size 3/16 inch) is known as course
sand. It is generally used for concrete work.
 Sieve Designation – 3” Sieve

Sieves larger
than the #4
sieve are
designated by
the size of the
openings in
the sieve

18
Fineness Modulus:
Fineness Modulus is used to know the size of aggregate
grains (Particles) for various measurements used in
Civil Engineering. To characterize the overall coarseness
or fineness of an aggregate, a concept of fineness
modulus is developed. The Fineness Modulus is defined
as
So, Fineness Modulous = Σ(Cumulative Percentage
Retained on Standard Sieve)/100
Sieve Analysis
 Sieving procedure
(1) Write down the weight of each sieve as well as the
bottom pan to be used in the analysis.
(2) Record the weight of the given dry soil sample.
(3) Make sure that all the sieves are clean, and assemble
them in the ascending order of sieve numbers (#4 sieve at
top and #200 sieve at bottom). Place the pan below #200
sieve. Carefully pour the soil sample into the top sieve and
place the cap over it.
(4) Place the sieve stack in the mechanical shaker and
shake for 10 minutes.
(5) Remove the stack from the shaker and carefully weigh
and record the weight of each sieve with its retained soil. In
addition, remember to weigh and record the weight of the
bottom pan with its retained fine soil.
Sieving using hands.
 Data Analysis:
(1) Obtain the mass of soil retained on each sieve by subtracting the weight
of the empty sieve from the mass of the sieve + retained soil, and record
this mass as the weight retained on the data sheet. The sum of these
retained masses should be approximately equals the initial mass of the soil
sample. A loss of more than two percent is unsatisfactory.
(2) Calculate the percent retained on each sieve by dividing the weight
retained on each sieve by the original sample mass.
(3) Calculate the percent passing (or percent finer) by starting with 100
percent and subtracting the percent retained on each sieve as a cumulative
procedure.
 Total sample, W = 500 g

100-(Col
(𝐶𝑜𝑙 3)×100 5)
𝑊

4 4.75 0 0 0 100
8 2.36 20 4 4 96
16 1.18 142 28.4 32.4 67.6
30 0.6 100 20 52.4 47.6
50 0.3 157 31.4 83.8 16.2
100 0.15 51 10.2 94 6
200 0.075 18 3.6 97.6 2.4
Pan - 12
Total = 266.6
Hence F.M. = 266.6/100 = 2.67
Result
Gradation Curve:
There are mainly three types of gradation curve.
 Well Graded Curve
 Uniform or Poorly Graded Curve
 Gap Graded Curve

Other Important Terms:

 Coefficient of Curvature (Cc) and
D60
Cu 
D10
 Coefficient of Uniformity (Cu)
2
D30
Cc 
(D60 D10 )
 Calculate Cu and Cc
D60
Cu 
D10
D302
Cc 
( D60  D10 )
100

80
% Finer

60

40

20

0
0.0001 0.001 0.01 0.1 1 10 100
Particle size (mm)

D90 = 3 mm
 100

80
hydrometer sieve
% Passing

60
fines sands gravels

40

D10 = 0.013 mm
20
D
30
D30 = 0.47 mm
D60 = 7.4 mm
0
0.001 0.01 0.1 1 10 100

Grain size (mm)

Grain Size Distribution Curve

Calculate Cc and Cu
Problem 3:
Calculate FM and find out the value of Cc and Cu.
Combined FM:

FCOM = 𝑀1𝐹𝑀1+𝑀2 𝐹2 +⋯+𝑀𝑁 𝐹𝑁

+𝑀 +⋯+𝑀
1 2 𝑁
If R is the ratio of one variety of sand to be mixed with other variety
then,
𝐹1 −𝐹𝑐𝑜𝑚
R= 𝐹𝑐𝑜𝑚 −𝐹2
Problem 2: Three different types of sand A, B and C were mixed in
the ratio 1:2:3 and their FM were 2.62, 2.32 and 2.80 respectively.
Compute the combined FM.
Problem 3: A mixed sample of 1200 g of two different variety of
sands, one from Savar (FM=2.28) and other from Durgapur
(FM=2.74) were sieved and the combined FM was found to be 2.51.
Calculate the amount of each variety of sand in the mixture.