NATIONAL UNIVERSITY – MANILA

COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING
DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL ENGINEERING

CEGTEC1L – GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERING LABORATORY MANUAL

EXPERIMENT NO. 6
GRAIN SIZE AND ANALYSIS – MECHANICAL METHOD

MEMBERS:
Co, Julian Vincent D.
Malate, Francis Tyler O.
Pangilinan, Mary Chiles S.
Pedron, Carl David B.
Verceles, Vash Austin B.

OCTOBER 03, 2024

DATE PERFORMED

OCTOBER 17, 2024

DATE SUBMITTED

SUBMITTED TO:
ENGR. MARC ERICK VON A. TIOSING

GROUP NO. 3

____________
RATING
 NATIONAL UNIVERSITY – MANILA
COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING
DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL ENGINEERING

CEGTEC1L – GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERING LABORATORY MANUAL

EXPERIMENT NO. 6
GRAIN SIZE AND ANALYSIS – MECHANICAL METHOD

COURSE LEARNING OUTCOME

CLO3 Analyze and interpret data in grain size distribution of soil.

OBJECTIVE: To introduce to the student the method of making a mechanical grain-

size analysis of soil and presenting the resulting data.

APPARATUS:
1. Set of sieves
2. Mortar and pestle or a mechanical soil pulverizer
3. Balance sensitive to 0.1 g

PROCEDURE:
1. Weigh all sieves to be used up to 0.1g
2. Arrange the sieves with decreasing openings from top to bottom and a
pan at the bottom.
3. Place about 1000g of soil sample on the top sieve and cover
4. Conduct the sieving using a mechanical sieve shaker (if available) for 5
to 10 minutes. If a mechanical shaker is unavailable, shake by hand
(horizontal & vertical motion) for about 10 minutes.
5. Remove the stack of sieves and obtain the weight of each sieve with the
soil in it.
6. Determine the weight of soil remaining in each sieve by subtracting the
weight obtained in step 1 from that in step 5. Add these weights and
compare them with the weight obtained in step 3 (the oven/air-dry
sample you started with). A loss of more than 2% by weight is considered
unsatisfactory.
7. Plot the grain size versus percent finer on a semi-logarithmic paper.
 NATIONAL UNIVERSITY – MANILA
COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING
DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL ENGINEERING

CEGTEC1L – GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERING LABORATORY MANUAL

CALCULATION:
1. Total weight passing, 𝑊𝑃 :
𝑊𝑃 = Weight arriving − Weight retained

2. Percent finer, 𝑃:
𝑊𝑃
𝑃= × 100
∑ Weight retained

3. Effective grain size of the soil, 𝐷10:

𝐷10 = effective size corresponding to 10% finer

4. Coefficient of uniformity, 𝐶𝑢 :
𝐷60
𝐶𝑢 =
𝐷10
where: 𝐷60 = diameter of soil corresponding to 60% finer

5. Coefficient of concavity (gradation), 𝐶𝑐 :

2
𝐷30
𝐶𝑐 =
𝐷60 × 𝐷10
where: 𝐷30 = diameter of soil corresponding to 30% finer
 NATIONAL UNIVERSITY – MANILA
COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING
DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL ENGINEERING

CEGTEC1L – GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERING LABORATORY MANUAL

GRAIN SIZE ANALYSIS – MECHANICAL METHOD

Data Sheet 5

Sampled at: _________________________________________________________

Description of Soil: ____________________________________________________
Tested by: __________________________________________________________
Date of Testing: ______________________________________________________

Soil Sample Size (ASTM D1140-54)

Nominal Diameter of Approximate minimum
Largest Particle weight of sample, g
No. 10 sieve 200
No. 4 sieve 500
¾ inch 1500

Weight dry sample + container: 111g

Weight of container: 111g
Weight of dry sample, WS: 910 g

Sieve No. Diameter (mm) Weight Retained Cumu. Mass Retained Total Weight Passing % Passing
4 4.75 15 15 909 98.3516484
8 2.36 44 59 880 93.5164835
10 2 77 136 847 85.0549451
20 0.85 93 229 831 74.8351648
40 0.425 114 343 810 62.3076923
60 0.25 155 498 769 45.2747253
100 0.15 319 817 605 10.2197802
200 0.075 67 884 812 2.85714286
Pan 26 910 0 0
TOTAL 910
 NATIONAL UNIVERSITY – MANILA
COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING
DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL ENGINEERING

CEGTEC1L – GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERING LABORATORY MANUAL

Grain Size Distribution Curve

 NATIONAL UNIVERSITY – MANILA
COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING
DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL ENGINEERING

CEGTEC1L – GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERING LABORATORY MANUAL

COMPUTATIONS:
EFFECTIVE GRAIN SIZE OF SOIL, D10

X Y
0.15 10.22
0.075 2.86
10𝑥̅ = 0.1469
D10 = 0.1469

COEFFICIENT OF UNIFORMITY, CU
𝑫
𝐂𝐔 = 𝑫𝟔𝟎
𝟏𝟎

For D60,

X Y
0.425 62.31
0.25 45.27

60𝑥̅ = 0.3998
𝑫𝟔𝟎 = 𝟎. 𝟑𝟗𝟗𝟖
𝟎. 𝟑𝟗𝟗𝟖
𝐂𝐔 = = 𝟐. 𝟕𝟐𝟏𝟔
𝟎. 𝟏𝟒𝟔𝟗

COEFFICIENT OF CONCAVITY (GRADATION), CC

(𝑫𝟑𝟎 )𝟐
𝐂𝐂 =
𝑫𝟔𝟎 × 𝑫𝟏𝟎
𝑫𝟔𝟎 = 𝟐. 𝟕𝟐𝟏𝟔
𝑫𝟏𝟎 = 𝟎. 𝟏𝟒𝟔𝟗
For D30

X Y
0.25 45.27
0.15 10.22
30𝑥̅ = 0.2001
𝑫𝟑𝟎 = 𝟎. 𝟐𝟎𝟎𝟏
(𝟎. 𝟐𝟎𝟎𝟏)𝟐
𝐂𝐂 = = 𝟎. 𝟔𝟖𝟏𝟖
𝟎. 𝟑𝟗𝟗𝟖 × 𝟎. 𝟏𝟒𝟔𝟗
 NATIONAL UNIVERSITY – MANILA
COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING
DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL ENGINEERING

CEGTEC1L – GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERING LABORATORY MANUAL

DISCUSSION:

Grain size analysis through the mechanical method, or sieve analysis, involves
passing a dry soil or aggregate sample through a series of sieves with decreasing
mesh sizes to determine the particle size distribution. In this experiment, a total weight
of 910 grams was used, and the sample was sieved through various mesh sizes,
ranging from 4.75 mm (Sieve No. 4) to 0.075 mm (Sieve No. 200), with a pan at the
bottom. The data show the weight retained on each sieve and the cumulative mass
retained. For instance, 15 grams were retained on the largest sieve (No. 4), and 26
grams were collected in the pan. The percentage passing column indicates the
proportion of the sample that passed through each sieve, with 98.35% passing the
largest sieve and only 2.86% passing the finest one. This distribution helps assess the
gradation of the material, crucial for determining the suitability of soil or aggregate for
construction purposes, such as its strength, permeability, and compaction
characteristics.
 NATIONAL UNIVERSITY – MANILA
COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING
DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL ENGINEERING

CEGTEC1L – GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERING LABORATORY MANUAL

CONCLUSION:

The sieve analysis results indicate that the sample consists of a well-graded mixture
of particles ranging from coarse to fine sizes. A significant portion of the material
passes through medium-sized sieves, with 45.27% passing the 0.25 mm sieve,
suggesting a balanced distribution of particle sizes. However, a small percentage
(2.86%) consists of very fine particles that pass through the 0.075 mm sieve. This
gradation suggests that the material is suitable for applications requiring a well-graded
aggregate, which promotes good compaction, stability, and strength in construction
projects like roadways or foundations. The low percentage of fine particles also
indicates limited potential for excess water retention, contributing to better drainage
and durability.
 NATIONAL UNIVERSITY – MANILA
COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING
DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL ENGINEERING

CEGTEC1L – GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERING LABORATORY MANUAL

DOCUMENTATION: