ADDIS ABABA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

SCHOOL OF CIVIL AND ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING

CENG 2141
Soil Mechanics I

Instructor: Petros Fekadu

11/2014

Mechanical Properties of Soil

Comprises compressibility, shear strength &
bearing capacity.
Depends on (1) Grain-size distribution &
(2) Consistency

Grain Size Distribution (GSD)

GSD information can be of value in providing
initial rough estimates of a soils engineering
properties such as permeability, strength,
expansivity, etc.
When measuring GSDs for soils, two methods are
generally used:
o For grains larger than 0.075mm sieving is used.
o For grains in the range of 0.075mm > D > 0.5m,
the hydrometer test is used.
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Grain Size Distribution Contd

Determination of GSD:
In coarse grain soils ... By sieve analysis
In fine grain soils

... By hydrometer analysis

hydrometer

stack of sieves
sieve shaker
soil/water suspension
Sieve Analysis

Hydrometer Analysis

Sieve Analysis

Procedure for Sieve Analysis

a) Pour ovendried soil of mass M into the top sieve of the
stack;
b) Shake and agitate the stack of sieves until all soil grains
are retained on the finest sized sieve through which they
can possibly pass;
c) Weigh the mass of soil Mi retained on each sieve;
Mi
% Retained on i seive
100
M
th

d) For each sieve size used, compute Ni, the percentage by

mass of the soil sample that is finer than the ith sieve
i
size.
th
th
% Finer than i seive 100

(% Retained on i

seive)

i 1

Some Commonly Used Measures

(1) The "effective size" of the soil: D10
(2) Average particle diameter (D50) is the
average particle diameter of the soil.
(3) The Uniformity Coefficient:
Cu = D60/D10
(4) The Coefficient of Gradation:
Cc= (D30)2/(D60xD10)
GSD measurements, which can be
performed quickly and inexpensively,
tell us whether a given soil is
predominantly sandy, silty, or clayey.
This simple information is often of
great help in trying to anticipate a
soils possible mechanical properties.
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Some Commonly Used

Contd

Empirically, D10 has been strongly correlated with the permeability of

finegrained sandy soils.
Poorly-graded soils: Cu < 4 & steep gradation curve
Well-graded soils: Cu > 4 , 1 < Cc< 3 & flat gradation curve
Gap-graded soils: Cc < 1 or > 3 & one or more humps

Example 2.4
A sample of a dry coarsegrained material of mass
1350 g was shaken
through a nest of sieves
and the following results
were obtained. Plot the
particle size distribution
and determine (a) the
uniformity coefficient and
(b) the coefficient of
curvature.

Sieve opening

Mass retained (g)

20 mm

52.5

10 mm

60

4.75 mm

120

2 mm

225

1 mm

225

0.6 mm

210

0.425 mm

172.5

212 m

82.5

150 m

52.5

75 m

37.5

Pan

112.5
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Hydrometer Testing
The basis of hydrometer analysis is that when soil particles are
dispersed in water, they will settle at different velocities because of
their different sizes.
Assuming that soil particles are perfect spheres
dispersed in water with a viscosity , Stokes law
can be used to relate the terminal velocity v of a
particle to its diameter D:

s w 2
v
D
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in which s is the density of soil particles and w is

the density of water.

The equation indicates that a larger particle will

have a greater terminal velocity when dropping
through a uid.
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Hydrometer Testing

Contd

In the hydrometer laboratory test (ASTM 2004) a dry soil specimen

weighing 50 g is mixed thoroughly with water and placed in a graduated
1000-mL glass ask.
A oating instrument called a hydrometer is placed in the ask to measure
the specic gravity of the mixture in the vicinity of the hydrometer center.
In a 24-hour period the time t and the corresponding depth z are recorded.
The measured depth is correlated with the amount of soil that is still in
suspension at time t .
From Stokes law, it can be shown that the diameter of the largest soil
particles still in suspension is given by
18z
D
(G s 1) w t D
in which w is the unit weight of water.

From the hydrometer readings and with the help of the above equation, one
can calculate the percent of ner particles and plot a gradation curve.
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Example 2.5
Estimate the diameter of the particles using Stokes law
and classify the soil as clay or silt. The vertical distance
moved by soil particles of a certain size over a period of
60 s is 1 cm. is 0.01 g/(cm.s) and w = 1 g/cm3 at a
temperature of 20C. Take Gs = 2.65.

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Consistency
Soil consistency is defined as the relative ease with which a soil can
be deformed. The terms of soft, firm, or hard are used.
Soil consistency provides a means of describing the degree and
kind of cohesion and adhesion between the soil particles as related
to the resistance of the soil to deform or rupture.
Consistency largely depends on soil minerals and the water content.
Cohesion is a measure of the interparticle molecular attraction and
bonds.
Adhesion is similar to cohesion except with adhesion involves the
attraction of a water molecule to a non-water molecule (water-solid
bond).

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Atterberg Limits
Atterberg limits are the limits of water content used to
define soil behavior. The consistency of soils according to
Atterberg limits gives the following diagram.

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Atterberg Limits

Contd

Liquid Limit (LL) is defined as the moisture content at which

soil begins to behave as a liquid material and begins to flow.
Plastic Limit (PL) is defined as the moisture content at which soil
begins to behave as a plastic material.
Shrinkage Limit (SL) is defined as the moisture content at which
no further volume change occurs with further reduction in
moisture content.
(SL represents the amount of water required to fully saturate the
soil (100% saturation))
o The shrinkage limit is useful for the determination of the swelling
and shrinkage capacity of soils.

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Liquid Limit
In the lab, the LL is defined as
the moisture content (%) required
to close a 2-mm wide groove in a
soil pat a distance of 0.5 in along
the bottom of the groove after
25 blows.
o Soil sample size 150g passing #
40 sieve
o Equipment: Casagrande liquid
limit device
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Plastic Limit
The moisture content (%)
at which the soil when
rolled into threads of 3.2mm
(1/8 in) in diameter, will
crumble.
Plastic limit is the lower
limit of the plastic stage of
soil.

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Plasticity Index
Plasticity Index is the difference between the
liquid limit and plastic limit of a soil.
PI = LL PL
After finding LL and PI, use plasticity chart to
classify the soil.
Table :Typical Atterberg limits for soils

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Liquidity Index
It is a measure of soil strength
.using Atterberg limits

w wPL
IL
IP

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Activity
Activity (A) of a soil is the PI divided by the percent of clay-sized
particles (less than 2 m) present.
A

IP
Clay fraction (%)

From the activity, one can predict the dominant clay type present in a
soil sample.
High activity signifies large volume change when wetted and large
shrinkage when dried. Soils with high activity are very reactive
chemically.
Normally the activity of clay is between 0.75 and 1.25, and in this
range clay is called normal. When A is less than 0.75, it is considered
inactive. When it is greater than 1.25, it is considered active.
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Example 2.6
Plastic limit and liquid limit tests were carried out on a clay soil with
60% of particles smaller than 0.002 mm. Two determinations for the
plastic limit gave water contents of 39.5 % and 40.5 %. A liquid limit
test conducted on a soil sample in the cup device gave the following
results:
Number of blows

10

19

23

27

40

Water content (%)

120

99

79.6

73

55

(a) Compute the plastic limit (PL)

(b) Extract the liquid limit (LL)
(c) Determine the activity (A) and
(d) Calculate the liquidity index and describe the consistency of the
soil with w =30%
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Assignment #1
1. Prove the following expressions:
(a) = Gsw(1 n)(1 + )
d d(min) d(max)

(b) D r
d(max) d(min) d

2. A cylindrical soil sample of 4 cm diameter and 8 cm

long with 5% air voids and 15% water by weight.
Calculate the mass and the void ratio of the sample.
Take Gs= 2.7.
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Assignment #1

... Contd

3. Calculate the weight of water that has to be added to 1

m3 of soil to attain a 95% degree of saturation. Take d =
18 kN/m3, w = 5% and Gs = 2.7.
4. Calculate the weight of water that has to be added to 1
m3 of soil to attain a 95% degree of saturation. Take d =
18 kN/m3, w = 5% and Gs = 2.7.
5. Determine the specific gravity of a soil sample if its
volumes at a liquid limit (LL = 65%) and a shrinkage limit
(SL = 22 %) are 34.8 cm3 and 19.9 cm3 respectively.
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END OF CHAPTER-2

ASSIGNMENT#1 has to be
Done in groups (5 students/Group)
Submitted 2 weeks after the chapter ends.

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