Lesson 4. Continuation

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CE111 – GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERING

(SOIL MECHANICS)

Lesson 4. Particle Sizes of Soils

III. Interpreting Sieve Analysis Data

Problem:
A sample of a dry, coarse-grained material of mass 500 grams was shaken through a
nest of sieves, and the following results were as given in the table below.
(a) Plot the particle size distribution (gradation) curve.

(b) Determine (1) the effective size, (2) the average particle size, (3) the uniformity
coefficient, and (4) the coefficient of curvature.

(c) Determine the textural composition of the soil (the amount of gravel, sand, etc.).

A B C D E F
Mass % Retained
Sieve Opening % Finer (100 –
Retained (Mr/Mt) x ∑(% 𝑹𝒆𝒕𝒂𝒊𝒏𝒆𝒅)
No. (mm) Column E)
(grams), Mr 100
3/8” 9.53 0.0
4 4.75 0.0
10 2.00 14.8
20 0.85 98.0
40 0.425 90.1
100 0.15 181.9
200 .075 108.8
Pan 6.1

Total Mass, Mt

Strategy
Calculate the percentage finer and plot the gradation curve. Extract the amount of
coarse-grained soil (particle sizes ≥ 0.075mm) and the amount of fine-grained soil (particle
sizes < 0.075mm).

Step 1: Set up a table or a spreadsheet to do the calculations.


Step 2: Plot the gradation curve.

Step 3: Extract the effective size.


Effective size = D10 = 0.10 mm

Step 4: Extract percentages of gravel, sand, silt, and clay.


Gravel = 0%
Sand = 98 8. %
Silt and clay = 1 2. %

Check answer: gravel (%) + sand (%) + silt (%) + clay (%) must equal 100%.
That is: 0 + 98.8 + 1.2 = 100%

Step 5: Calculate Cu and CC.

𝑫𝟔𝟎 𝟎. 𝟒𝟓
𝑪𝒖 = = = 𝟒. 𝟓𝟎
𝑫𝟏𝟎 𝟎. 𝟏𝟎

(𝑫𝟑𝟎 )𝟐 𝟎. 𝟏𝟖𝟐
𝑪𝒄 = = = 𝟎. 𝟕𝟐
𝑫𝟏𝟎 𝑫𝟔𝟎 𝟎. 𝟏𝟎 𝒙 𝟎. 𝟒𝟓
IV. Calculation of Particle Diameter from Hydrometer Test Data

Problem:
After a time of 1 minute in a hydrometer test, the effective depth was 0.8cm. The
average temperature measured was 68°F and the specific gravity of the soil particles was 2.70,
calculate the diameter of the particles using Stokes’s law. Are these silt or clay particles?

Step 1: Calculate the particle diameter using Stokes’s law.

z = 0.8cm and tD = 1 minute. For the temperature and specific gravity of the soil
particles, K = 0.01341

𝒛 𝟎. 𝟖𝟎
𝑫 = 𝑲√ = 𝟎. 𝟎𝟏𝟑𝟒𝟒√ = 𝟎. 𝟎𝟏𝟐 𝒎𝒎
𝒕𝑫 𝟏
Step 2: Identify the soil type.

Silt particles have sizes between 0.075mm and 0.005mm.


Therefore, the soil particles belong to the silt fraction of the soil.

V. Interpreting Hydrometer Analysis

Problem:
Sixty-five grams of the soil passing the No. 200 sieve in Problem 2 was used to conduct
a hydrometer test. The results are shown in the table below. What are the amounts of clays and
silts in the soil?
Solution

Step 1: Plot percentage finer versus particle size (log scale).

Step 2: Extract percentage finer than 0.005mm.


% finer than 0.005 mm = 39%
% of clay and silt from Problem 2 = 15.40%
% clay in the soil in Problem 2 is (39/100) x 15.4 = 6%
%. silt = 15.40% − 6% = 9.40%

Check answer: silt (%) + clay (%) must equal 15.4%:


9.4% + 6% = 15.40%

COMPARISON OF COARSE-GRAINED AND FINE-GRAINED SOILS FOR


ENGINEERING USE

Coarse-grained soils have good load-bearing capacities and good drainage qualities,
and their strength. They are practically incompressible when dense, but significant volume
changes can occur when they are loose. Vibrations accentuate volume changes in loose, coarse-
grained soils by rearranging the soil fabric into a dense configuration. Coarse-grained soils
with angular particles have higher strengths, higher compressibilities, and lower densities than
coarse-grained soils with rounded particles. The engineering properties of coarse-grained soils
are controlled mainly by the grain size of the particles and their structural arrangement.
Changes in moisture conditions do not significantly affect the volume change under static
loading.
Coarse-grained soils are generally described as free draining. However, the term free
draining means that the soil allows free passage of water in a relatively short time (a few
minutes). Fines content (silts and clays) can significantly alter the flow conditions in these
soils. Gravel, boulders, and coarse sands with fines content less than 5% are free draining. Fine
sand, especially if it exists as a thick layer, is not free draining.

Fine-grained soils have poor load-bearing capacities compared with coarse-grained


soils. Fine-grained soils are practically impermeable (not free draining), change volume and
strength with variations in moisture conditions, and are susceptible to frost. Mineralogical
factors rather than grain size control the engineering properties of fine-grained soils. Thin
layers of fine-grained soils, even within thick deposits of coarse-grained soils, have been
responsible for many geotechnical failures, and therefore, you need to pay special attention to
fine-grained soils.

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