G E O T E C H N I C A L E N G I N E E RI N G

(S OI L ME CH A NI CS )
Lecture 02:

W E I G H T- VO L U M E
RE L A T I O N S H I P
Weight - Volume Relationship

In natural occurrence, soil are three-phase

systems consisting of soil solids, water and
air.

The figure shows an element of soil of

volume V and weight W as it would exist in
a natural state.
Weight - Volume Relationship
To develop the weight-volume relationships, we must
separate the three phases (solid, water, and air) as shown
in the figure. Thus, the volume of a given soil sample can
be expressed as:

Assuming that the weight of the air is negligible, we

can give the total weight of the sample as:
Weight - Volume Relationship

The volume relationships commonly used for the three

phases in a soil element are:
Void Ratio
Void ratio (e) is defined as the ratio of the volume of voids
to the volume of solids.

Porosity
Porosity (n) is defined as the ratio of the volume of voids to
the total volume.

Degree of Saturation
The degree of saturation (S) is defined as the ratio of the
volume of water to the volume of voids.

This is commonly
expressed as percentage
Relationship between void ratio and porosity
Air Content
Air Content is defined as ratio of volume of air and
the total volume

𝑉𝑎
𝐴𝑐 =
𝑉

Air void ratio

Air void ratio is defined as ratio of volume of air and
the volume of voids

𝑉𝑎
𝐴𝑟 =
𝑉𝑣
Relationship of air content, porosity, and degree of saturation

Relationship of air void ratio and degree of saturation

Weight - Volume Relationship

The common terms used for weight relationships are:

Moisture Content
Moisture content (𝜔) is also referred to as water content and
is defined as the ratio of the weight of water to the weight of
solids in a given volume of soil.

𝑊𝑤
𝜔=
𝑊𝑠

Unit Weight
Unit weight (γ) is the weight of soil per unit volume.

𝑊
𝛾=
𝑉
Dry Unit Weight and Dry Density

Moist Unit Weight and Moist Density

Saturated Unit Weight and Saturated Density

Unit Weight and Density of Soil Solids

Relationship of Unit Weight Moist, Unit Weight Dry and Water Content
Specific Gravity
Specific gravity of soil (GS) is defined as the ratio of the unit
weight of solid particles to the unit weight of water at 4℃
Relationship between void ratio, degree of saturation,
specific gravity, and moisture content
Relationship between void ratio, degree of saturation,
specific gravity, and moisture content
Void ratio of Saturated Soil
Saturated soil refers to a soil's water content when practically
all pore spaces are filled with water
Relationship of Unit Weight, Void ratio, and Specific gravity
Relationship of Unit Weight, Void ratio, and Specific gravity
Relationship of Unit Weight, Void ratio, and Specific gravity
Effective Unit Weight of Soil, Submerged Unit Weight, Buoyant Unit Weight
It is the effective mass per unit volume when the soil is
submerged below standing water or below the ground
water table.
Relative Density, Dr
The term relative density is commonly used to
indicate the in-situ denseness or looseness of granular
soil. It is defined as
Relative Density, Dr
The values of Dr may vary from a minimum of 0% for very
loose soil to a maximum of 100% for very dense soils. Soils
engineers qualitatively describe the granular soil deposits
according to their relative densities, as shown in the table.
Properties of Soil Relationships
𝑉𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑚𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑉𝑜𝑖𝑑 𝑒 𝑛
1. Void Ratio (e) = 7. Submerged/Bouyant/Effective Unit a. 𝑛 = 𝑒=
𝑉𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑚𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑆𝑜𝑙𝑖𝑑 1+𝑒 1−𝑛
weight (𝛾 ′ )
𝑉𝑉
𝑒= 𝛾 ′ = 𝛾𝑠𝑎𝑡 − 𝛾𝑤
𝑉𝑠 b. 𝑆𝑒 = 𝑤𝐺𝑠
8. Dry Unit weight (γd)
𝐺𝑠 + 𝐺𝑠 𝑤
𝑉𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑚𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑉𝑜𝑖𝑑 𝑊𝑑 c. 𝛾𝑚 = (𝛾𝑤 )
2. Porosity (n) = 𝑉𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑚𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑆𝑜𝑖𝑙 × 100% 𝛾𝑑 =
𝑉
1+𝑒

𝑉𝑉 9. Air content = 𝑛(1 − 𝑆) 𝐺𝑠 + 𝑒𝑆

𝑛= × 100% d. 𝛾𝑚 = (𝛾𝑤 )
𝑉 𝑉𝑎 1+𝑒
𝐴𝑐 =
𝑉 𝐺𝑠 + 𝑒
3. Water Content (⍵) 𝑊𝑒𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡 𝑜𝑓 𝑤𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑟 e. 𝛾𝑠𝑎𝑡 = (𝛾 )
= × 100% 10. Air void ratio = (1 − 𝑆) 1+𝑒 𝑤
Moisture Content (⍵) 𝑊𝑒𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡 𝑜𝑓 𝑆𝑜𝑙𝑖𝑑
𝑉𝑎 𝐺𝑠 − 1
𝐴=
𝑊𝑤 𝑊𝑚 − 𝑊𝑑 𝑉𝑉 f. 𝛾 ′ = (𝛾 )
⍵= = × 100% 1+𝑒 𝑤
𝑊𝑠 𝑊𝑑
𝑒𝑚𝑎𝑥 − 𝑒
11. Relative density = 𝐺𝑠 𝛾
𝑉𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑚𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑤𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑒𝑚𝑎𝑥 − 𝑒𝑚𝑖𝑛 g. 𝛾𝑑 = (𝛾 ) = 𝑚
4. Degree of Saturation (S) = × 100% 1+𝑒 𝑤 1+𝑤
𝑉𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑚𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑉𝑜𝑖𝑑
1 1
𝑆=
𝑉𝑤 𝛾𝑑𝑚𝑖𝑛 − 𝛾𝑑
× 100% 𝐷𝑟 =
𝑉𝑉 1 1
−𝛾
𝛾 𝑑𝑚𝑖𝑛 𝑑𝑚𝑎𝑥
5. Moist/Bulk unit weight (γm)

𝑊𝑚
𝛾𝑚 =
𝑉

6. Saturated unit weight (γsat)

𝑊𝑠𝑎𝑡
𝛾𝑠𝑎𝑡 =
𝑉
Sample Problem 1
For moist soil sample, the following are given:
• total volume = 1.2 m3
• total mass = 2350 kg
• moisture content = 8.6%
• specific gravity of soil solids = 2.71
Determine the following
a. moist density ⍴m = 1958.333 kg/m3
b. dry density ⍴d = 1803.254 kg/m3
c. void ratio e = 0.503
d. porosity n = 0.335
e. degree of saturation S = 46.349%
f. volume of water in the soil sample Vw = 0.186 m3
Sample Problem 2
In its natural state, a moist soil has a volume of 0.33 ft3 and weighs
39.93 lb. The oven-dry weight of the soil is 34.54 lb. If Gs = 2.67,
calculate the moisture content, moist unit weight, dry unit weight,
void ratio, porosity, and degree of saturation.
⍵ = 15.605%
γm = 121 lb/ft3
γd = 104.667 lb/ft3
e = 0.592
n = 0.372
S = 70.381%
Sample Problem 3
The sample of soil weight 30.6 kg had a volume of 0.0183 m3. The
sample is allowed to dry in an oven and the weight was reduced to
27.2 kg. the specific gravity of the solids was found to be 2.65.
Determine the following
a. moist unit weight of soil in kN/m3 γm = 16.404 kN/m3
b. dry unit weight of soil in kN/m3 γd = 14.581 kN/m
3

c. moisture content ⍵ = 12.5%

d. void ratio e = 0.783
e. porosity n = 0.439
f. degree of saturation S = 42.310%
Sample Problem 4
The following data are given for a soil:
• Porosity: n = 0.40
• Specific gravity of the soil solids: Gs = 2.68
• Moisture content: ⍵ = 12%
Determine the mass of water to be added to 10 m3 of soil for full
saturation.
mw = 2070.4 kg
Sample Problem 5
The moist soil having a volume of 0.0154 m3 has a unit weight of
16.5 kN/m3 and a moisture content of 15%. If the specific gravity
of solid is 2.7. Determine the following
a. degree of saturation S = 47.869%
b. volume of air in original shape Vair = 0.0037 m3
c. weight of water to be added to reach full saturation
Ww = 0.036 kN
Sample Problem 6
For a given sandy soil, emax = 0.75 and emin = 0.4. Let Gs = 2.68. In
the field, the soil is compacted to a moist density of 112 lb/ft3 at a
moisture content of 12%. Determine the relative density of
compaction.
Dr = 22.194%
Sample Problem 6
For a given sandy soil, emax = 0.75 and emin = 0.4. Let Gs = 2.68. In
the field, the soil is compacted to a moist density of 112 lb/ft3 at a
moisture content of 12%. Determine the relative density of
compaction.
Dr = 22.194%
Sample Problem 7
The moist unit weight of sample of soil is 17.43 kN/m3. It has a
specific gravity of solid of 2.65 and water content of 16%. The
sample has void ratio of 0.88 in the loosest condition and 0.36 in
the densest condition
a. Compute the density index. Dr = 28.824%
b. If the maximum dry unit weight was 16.2 kN/m3, what is the
minimum dry unit weight? γdmin = 14.597 kN/m3