SOIL MECHANICS LABORATORY RECORD

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Class

SCHOOL OF MECHANICAL & BUILDING SCIENCES

Branch : Civil Engineering

SOIL MECHANICS LABORATORY

CLE205L
Certified that this is a bonafide record of work done by
Of

class during the year

at VIT University, Vellore 632014.

This record is submitted for the Practical Examination held on

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Internal Examiner

External Examiner

INDEX
Sl.
No.

Date

Name of the Experiment

Page
No.

Marks

Remarks

CONTENTS
Expt. No.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.

NAME OF THE EXPERIMENT

Introduction
Water content Determination
Determination of Specific Gravity
Grain size Analysis Mechanical Method
Consistency Limits
i)

Liquid Limit

ii)
Plastic Limit
Compaction Test
Determination of Field Density
Coefficient of Permeability Constant Head Method
Coefficient of Permeability Falling Head Method
Direct Shear Test
Consolidation Test ( Demonstration only)
California Bearing Ratio Test

INTRODUCTION
Whenever a foundation engineer is called upon to test the suitability of a soil for use as
borrow material for an earthen embankment or for use in the different courses of a flexible
pavement or for locating a foundation, the first thing that he will be required to do is to
identify and classify the soil which helps in quantitatively predicting its performance when
the soil is actually put to use. For this purpose the index properties of the soil are required to
be determined experimentally in the laboratory.

The various index properties include

1. Water content
2. Specific gravity
3. Grain size distribution
4. Consistency limits
However, before the soil is actually put to use, it becomes necessary to predict
quantitatively the behaviour of the soil under engineering loads and under different field
conditions. This requires the determination of the engineering properties of the soil, which
include
1. The permeability
2. The dry density-moisture content relationship
3. The consolidation characteristics
4. The strength properties
5. The California Bearing Ratio (CBR) in case of pavement sub grade soils
The conduct of these tests in an essential pre-requisite for a soil engineer to predict the
engineering performance of any soil which is going to be put to use. Hence, the various
experiments to be conducted on a soil, depending upon their requirement for a given field
situation, are given in this manual together with the purpose, the practical relevance, the
procedure, the limitations and critical discussion based on the different experimental values
likely to be obtained for each experiment.
This meant to give a comprehensive approach to any field problem.

1. DETERMINATION OF WATER CONTENT

Experiment No:

Date:

AIM:
To determine the water content of a given soil sample by oven-drying method.

APPARATUS:
Moisture cans, thermostatically controlled oven.

IMPORTANCE:

Water content is a very important quantity in the various soil tests. It affects the
engineering performance of soils in general. Water content is defined as the ratio of the
Description

Container No.
Wt. of Container (W1)
Wt of container + wet soil (W2)
Wt of container + dry soil (W3)
Water Content (W %)
weight of water in the soil to the weight of the oven dried soil, expressed as a percentage.

PROCEDURE
1. Weight a clean, non-corrodible container with its lid (W1 gm). (The container
should be identified with the help of a number).
2. Place a representative sample of a moist soil in the container and place the lid
on it. Then, weigh the container with the moist sample and the lid (W2 gm).
3. Remove the lid, place it on the bottom of the container and keep the container
in the oven.

The oven is thermostatically controlled to maintain a

temperature of 105 - 110C.

4. After the soil sample has been dried to a constant weight, which normally
occurs at the end of 24 hrs, take out the container, keep in water desiccator
and allow it to cool.
5. Replace the lid and weigh the container with the oven dry soil specimen (W 3
gm).
6. Calculate the water-content by using the following expression.
W%

= (W2-W3)
-----------(W3-W1)
Table 1.1

OBSERVATIONS:

X 100

Result:

2. DETERMINATION OF SPECIFIC GRAVITY

Experiment No:

Date:

AIM:
To determine the specific gravity of the soil particles of the given soil sample.

APPARATUS:
pycnometer, vacuum pump, thermometer, distilled water, balance.

THEORY
The specific gravity of a soil is an important auxiliary factor, which is useful in the
computation of quantity like the void ratio and the unit weight of a soil. It is also useful
in the grain-size analysis of (fine-grained soils) silts and clays. The specific gravity of a

soil is generally taken to be the average value of soil grains, which means that the voids
present in the soil, are excluded for the purpose of computation. The specific gravity of
the soil-grains is given by the unit weight of the soil-grains divided by the unit weight if
distilled water. The specific gravity of the soil can also be given as the ratio of the weight
of the soil to the weight of water, when both are taken in equal volumes.
Specific gravity is normally reported at 27C as per the Indian Standard Practice.

PROCEDURE
1. Clean the pyconometer by washing it thoroughly with distilled water. Allow it to
drain and dry.
2. Find the weight of the empty pyconometer, together with the cap and washer (W1 g).
3. Take about 200 g. of the oven dried soil sample; transfer it to the pyconometer.
Determine the weight of the pyconometer with the soil in it, together with the cap and
washer (W2 gm).
4. Take about 200 cc of de-aired distilled water and put it in the pycnometer until the
soil is fully soaked. Remove the entrapped air by attaching to a high vacuum pump
for at least 10 minutes. During this time, gently agitate the mixture by carefully
shaking and turning the bottle. After the de-airing process is completed, add water
carefully of the upto the top notch of the cap and weight it (W3 gm).
5. Empty the pyconometer by removing all its contents.
6. Fill the pyconometer up to the top notch with water and weigh it (W4 gm).
7. Calculate the specific gravity at test temperature using the following expression.
GT =

Weight of the soil

----------------------------------------------------Weight of equivalent volume of water

(W2-W1)
----------------------------(W4-W1) (W3-W2)

COMMENTS

The major error in this experiment will occur from not properly de-airing the soil water
mixture. Water contains, under normal circumstances, dissolved air. The soil will also
contain air, and if the air is not removed from both these materials, this volume of air will
result in a decrease in the value of W3 which, in turn, will result in too small computed value
of the specific gravity. Generally, the range of specific gravity of soils will be 2.5 2.8. For
sandy soils it will be 2.65 2.8.

Table 2.1
OBSERVATIONS:
Sl. No.

Description
1

1
2
3
4

Wt of pyconometer
(W1) g
Wt of the pyconometer + dry soil (W2) g
Wt of the pyconometer + soil + water (W3)g
Wt of the pyconometer + water
(W4) g
SPECIFIC GRAVITY (G)

Average specific gravity at the room temperature (Gt) =

Average specific gravity of soil corresponding to 27C,
G27 = GT Gw at TtC / Gw at 27C

Trail no
2

Gw27 is taken from table 2.2.

NOTE: If a density bottle is to be used instead of a pyconometer, the procedure is repeated
by taking about 50 gm of the soil as against 200 g.
Table 2.2 SPECIFIC GRAVITY OF DISTILLED WATER

Temp. C
10
20
30

0
0.99973
0.99823
0.99568

2
0.99952
0.99780
0.9951

4
0.99927
0.99733
0.9944

6
0.99897
0.99681
0.9937

8
0.99862
0.99626
0.9930

3. GRAIN-SIZE ANALYSIS-MECHANICAL METHOD

Experiment No.

Date:

AIM:
To determine the grain-size distribution of the given coarse-grained soil by sieving.

APPARATUS:
Thermostatically controlled oven, sieves and wire brush, mechanical sieve shaker,
rubber pestle and mortar.

THEORY:
The grain-size distribution is universally used in the engineering classification of the
soils. In addition, the suitability criteria of soils used for road and airfield construction, dam
and other embankment construction and the design of filters for earth dams are based partly
on the results of grain-size analysis.

The grain-size analysis is meant to determine the relative proportions of the different
grain sizes that constitute a given soil mass. This is accomplished by obtaining the quantity
of material passing through the apertures of a given-sized sieve but retained on a sieve of
smaller-sized apertures. The weight of the quantity of soil retained any particular sieve with
reference to the overall weight of the soil sample taken for the analysis, expressed as a
percentage, is termed as the percentage weight of the soil retained. The percentage of soil
that passes through the sieve is termed as the percentage finer.

For the purpose of

determining the proportions of soil retained on or passing through sieves of different

apertures by the sieve analysis, the soil retained on 75 micron sieve is used. The analysis
performed on this soil is called the coarse analysis.

PROCEDURE
1. Keep the given representative sample of soil in the oven for 24 hours.
2. Pulverize the oven-dried sample by using the mortar and pestle and sieve it on the
4.75 mm sieve. Take about 500g of the fraction of the soil passing 4.75 mm sieve and
retained on 75 mm sieve for the sieve analysis.
3. Take the following set of sieves and stack them one over the other in the order of
arrangement shown (i.e. the sieve with the largest aperture at the top and smallest
aperture size at the bottom).
Lid
4.75 mm sieve
3.40 mm sieve
1.20 mm sieve
600 micron sieve
300 micron sieve
150 micron sieve
75 - micron sieve
Pan
1 micron = 1 m = 1 X 10-6 or 1 X 10-3mm
Place the soil in the top sieve, close the lid, transfer the set of sieves with the receiver
pan at the bottom to a mechanical sieve shaker and fit them. Sieve the soil for a
period of 10 minutes.

4. Remove the stack of sieves from the shaker and obtain the weight of the material
retained on each sieve.
5. Compute the percentage retained on the each sieve by dividing the weight retained on
each sieve by the original weight of the soil sample taken for the analysis.
6. Compute the percent finer by starting with 100% and subtracting the percent retained
on each sieve as accumulative procedure.
Enter the readings in Table 3.1
7. Draw a graph between the percentage finer, drawn to natural scale on the Y axis and
the particle (aperture) size drawn to logarithmic scale on the X axis.

NOTE:
Information obtained from the grain size analysis is presented in the form of a
curve. In order to compare the grain size distributions of different soils and since a
typical coarse grained soil mass may have particles ranging from 4.75 mm or larger to
about 0.075 mm, which would require a very large scale to give the same weight and
reading precision to all the sizes, it is customary to plot grain size on a logarithmic scale.
8. On the graph, the grain sizes corresponding to the different components of soil are
shown on the X axis (drawn to a log scale) as shown:
Gravel
Grain size range in mm > 4.75

Coarse
4.75

Sand
Medium
2.00

Fine
0.425

0.075

2.00

0.425

0.075

0.002

Silt

Clay
<0.002

COMMENTS
From the grain size distribution curve grain sizes such as D 10, D30 and D60 may
be obtained. D refers to the grain size while the subscript (10, 30, 60) denotes the
percentage finer.

Thus D10 = 0.10 mm indicates the diameter of the particle

corresponding to 10 percent finer. Or, in other words, 10% of the sample has grains
smaller than 0.10mm.
From the above values, two quantities, namely the co-efficient of uniformity, Cu,
and the Coefficient of curvature, Cc, may be computed using the following formulae.

Cu = D60 / D10
Cc = (D30)2 / D60D10
These quantities enable one to know whether the soils are well-graded (W) i.e., it has a
good representation of all particle sizes, or poorly graded (P) i.e., a good representation of
all particle sizes does not exist.
For a well graded soil,
Cu>4 for gravels
Cu>6 for sands and
Cc must be between 1 and 3 for both.
If the above criteria are not met, the soil may be termed as poorly graded (p).

Table 3.1

OBSERVATIONS:
IS sieve

Particle size D

Weight

Cumulative

Cumulative %

No:

(mm)

retained (g)

retained

% retained

Finer, N%

Result:
D60 =
D30 =

D10 =
Cu = D60/D10 =
Cc = (D30)2/D60D10 =
Inference:

SEMILOG
GRAPH

4. CONSISTENCY LIMITS
Experiment No: 4

Date:

AIM:
To determine the liquid and plastic limits of the given soil.

APPARATUS:
Liquid limit device, grooving tool, moisture cans, glass plate, soil-mixing equipment,
porcelain dish, spatula, wash bottle, thermostatically controlled oven.

THEORY:
Fire-grained soils (soils with more than 50% of soil fraction passing 75 m sieve) are
classified, based on their liquid limit and plastic limit values only. Further, the engineering
behaviour of such soils is controlled by the water present in their voids. The water content in
the soils is needed to be compared to some important standard limits of engineering
behaviour, which are called the consistency limits, consistency limit is a term which is used
in respect of fine-grained soils only.
Atterberg, a Swedish soil scientist, has realized the importance of at least two limitsthe upper and lower limits of plasticity to define the plasticity of clays. These two limits are
called the liquid limit and the plastic limit, and the difference between them is termed as the
plasticity index, which is the range of water content within which the soil is in a plastic state.

A soil is said to be in a plastic state when it can be moulded into any desired shape or
form without rupture or elastic rebound or volume change.
Liquid limit may be defined as that water content at which a standard groove (2 mm
wide) made in a pat of soil placed in the cup of a standard liquid limit device, closes over a
distance of about 13 mm when the cup drops 25 times from a height of 10 mm on hard
rubber base
Plastic limit may be defined as the water content at which a thread made by rolling a
ball of soil crumbles, when it is rolled down to a diameter of approximately 3 mm.
The liquid limit apparatus in fig. 4.1 consists of a brass cup which drops through a
desired height on a hard rubber base. The brass cup can be raised and lowered to fall on the
rubber base with the help of a cam, operated by a handle. The height of fall can be adjusted
with the help of adjusting screws. To make a standard groove (2 mm wide) in the soil, two
types of grooving tools are available. One is the ASTM grooving tool which is better suited
for soils which are sandy or silty and have low liquid limits.
The other tool is the casagrande grooving tool, which has the advantage of extending
to control the depth of the soil part in the cup. The latter is generally preferred for more
clayed soils.

DETERMINATION OF LIQUID LIMIT

1. Take about 250g. of air-dried soil passing 425 microns sieve in a porcelain dish.
2. Add a small amount of water and carefully mix the soil to a uniform colour.
3. Adjust the height of fall such that it is equal to 10 mm.
4. Place a portion of the paste in the cup over the spot where the cup rests on the base,
squeeze down and smoothen the surface of the soil pat carefully. By using a grooving
tool, cut a clean, straight groove that completely separates the soil pat into two parts.
5. Rotate the handle at rate of 120 revolutions per minute and count the number of
blows until the two parts of the soil sample come into contact at the bottom of the
groove over a distance of 13 mm. Record the number of blows. Continue to add
small amount of water until the soil attains that particular consistency at which it will
take about 40 blows to close the standard groove. This is a trial and error procedure.
6. Take about 25 g of soil from the closed part of the groove in the cup in a preweighted
moisture can, place the lid on the moisture can and determine the water content.

7. Remove the remainder of the soil from the brass cup and return it to the porcelain
dish, wash and dry the cup. Add a little more water to the soil in the porcelain dish
and carefully mix it to attain a uniform colour and consistency. Repeats steps 4 to 6.
This process has to be followed such that the blow count ranges between 40 and 60
blows and is obtained on a reasonably spread plot. Determine the moisture content
for every trial by collecting some soil generally about 25 g, out of the portion of the
soil from the closed part of the groove.
8. Plot a graph between the number of bows as abscissa on a logarithmic scale and
corresponding water content as ordinate. The resulting plot is called a flow curve.
Enter the observations in Table 4.1

CALCULATIONS
From the flow curve, the water content corresponding to 25 blows is to be reported as
the liquid limit of the soil.
The slope of the flow curve is termed as the flow index (If). Thus,
If =w2-w1 / log (N1/N2)

PRECAUTION
1. Consistency limits are greatly affected by the layer of absorbed water present in the
form of a thin film surrounding the soil particles. Oven-drying destroys this thin film.
Therefore, consistency limit tests should be performed only on air-dried soil samples.
2. Addition of water to the soil should be done from low water content. The water
content should be increased gradually to ensure the blow count gradually decreases
from about 40 to about 10. Soil should never be added if the paste becomes too wet.
In such a case, either the paste must be dried to obtain the desired blow count or it
should be discarded and fresh soil taken.

DETERMINATION OF PLASTIC LIMIT:

1. Take about 20g of the air-dried soil passing 425 m IS sieve. Add water to it to
attain a consistency that enables it to be moulded into a ball.

2. Take a small portion of the ball and roll it on the glass plate with fingers, using
just sufficient but uniform pressure to make it into thread of uniform diameter
over its entire length. When the diameter of the soil thread has reduced to 3 mm,
knead the specimen together and roll it again. Continue the process until the
thread just crumbles at 3 mm diameter.
3. Collect the crumbled soil thread in a pre-weighed moisture can, close the lid and
determine its moisture content.
4. Repeat the test two to three times and take the average value.
The observations are tabulated in Table 4.2.

COMMENTS:
It is possible to determine certain indexes which enable to predict the
performance of the soil. The various indexes are references to the natural water content
of the soil in order to assess the behaviour.
Plasticity Index

Ip = (wL wp)

Liquidity Index

IL = (wn Wp) / Ip

Consistency Index

Ic =

(WL Wn) / Ip

Toughness Index

It =

I p / If

From the data determined from these tests, it is possible to classify fine-grained soils,
making use of Casagrandes plasticity chart.

Comments on the Indexes:

Plasticity Index gives the range of moisture contents within which a soil remains
plastic. It also gives an idea of the volume change potential of a soil. Liquidity Index
(Water plasticity Ratio) & Consistency Index (Relative Consistency).
IL negative or Ic > 1

: the soil exhibits brittle fracture when sheared

IL > 1 or Ic negative

: the soil behaves as a viscous liquid when sheared.

IL and Ic between zero & 1 : the soil behaviour is plastic

Toughness index is a measure of the shearing resistance of the soil at its plastic
limit. The value varies between 0 and 3 for most soils. A value of less than 1 suggests
that the soil is friable at its plastic limit.

Liquid Limit
Description
Container No.
Wt. of Container (W1)
Wt of container + wet soil (W2)
Wt of container + dry soil (W3)
Water Content
No. of drops

Plastic Limit
Description
Container No.
Wt. of Container (W1)
Wt of container + wet soil (W2)
Wt of container + dry soil (W3)
Water Content
Result:

SEMILOG GRAPH

5. COMPACTION TEST
Experiment No: 5

Date:

AIM:
To determine the moisture content-dry density relationship of a given soil under the
standard Proctor compactive effort.

APPARATUS:
Proctors compaction mould (944 ml capacity) with base plate and collar,
compaction rammer (2.50 kg weight, 305 mm height of fall), Moisture cans, Large mixing
pan, sample extruder.

THEORY
Soil at a given site may not be often ideal for the construction of a civil engineering
structure or a facility. It may be necessary to improve the engineering properties of such
soils.

Compaction is one of the methods of making such improvement and involves

densification by applying mechanical energy on a soil mixed with suitable water content. To
arrive at the proper amount of water to the soil in the field, the optimum moisture content,
which also produces the maximum dry unit weight, is determined from this test. This test has
been developed by R.R. Proctor in 1933 and is therefore named after him.

PROCEDURE:
1. Weigh the empty Proctor mould (W1 g) and also determine its volume (V). Fix the
mould to the base plate and attach the collar to the mould. Apply a thin layer of oil to
the inside surface of the mould and the collar.
2. Take about 2 kg of air-dried soil which is pulverized and passed through 4.75 mm
sieve.

3. Add to this soil a certain initial percentage of water based on the dry weight. Sprinkle
this water uniformly on the soil and mix it carefully.
4. Divide the wet soil into three equal parts. Fill the mould with one part of the soil and
compact it with 25 evenly distributed blows with the standard rammer. Repeat the
above process with the second and third parts of the soil. Before each subsequent
layer of the soil is placed, the top of the previously compacted layer is scarified with a
spatula. This ensures a thorough bonding of one layer with the other. The mould is
thus filled with all the three soil layers. Detach the mould from the base plate,
remove the collar and trim the soil on the top of the mould. If there is any difficult in
removing the collar, take a spatula and trim along the bottom edge of the collar until it
comes off easily.
5. Weigh the mould with the compacted soil (W2 g), after removing the soil sticking to
the mould (trimmings).
6. To extrude the soil specimen from the mould use the sample extruder. After the
sample has come out, split it and take a small quantity of soil from the middle layer of
the sample for water content determination.

After weighing the cans with soil

samples, keep them in the hot-air oven for 24 hours to determine the water content.
7. Repeat the procedure by taking fresh sample of soil each time and adding water to it
with increments varying between 2% and 4% until, based on the wet weight, a peak
value is obtained by at least two lesser compacted weights. The readings are to be
recorded in Table 5.1.
8. The weights of the moisture cans with oven-dried soil are taken the next day and the
average water content (w) determined for each test. The values are to be recorded in
Table 5.2.
9. Compute the dry density (d) and plot the results on a graph sheet with d as the
ordinate and water content as the abscissa.
The dry density is computed from the formula,
d =

--------------

-------------

(1+w)

V (1+W)

(W2-W1)
= --------------V (1+w)

Superimpose on the above curve the Zero air-voids line for drawing which the
densities are obtained using following formula:

d =

G w
------------(1-wG)

Where G is the specific gravity of the soil. Curves corresponding to any degree of
saturation and any % air voids can also be super imposed on this plot. The dry density
corresponding to any % air voids (na) can be obtained by using the formula
d =

(1-na) G w
-----------------(1 + wG)

The dry density corresponding to any degree of saturation (S) is obtained from the
formula
d = G w / (1+(wG/S))
COMMENTS:
1. Even though the standard Proctor compaction test results are used for controlling
compaction in the field, there is no field compaction method simulated by the
laboratory impact method.
2. During the Second World War, a modified test was developed by the U.S. Army
Corps of Engineers to better represent the compaction required for air fields to
support heavy air-craft. The specifications are as follows:
Weight of the rammer

: 4.54 kg.

Height of fall

: 457 mm

No. of layers

:3

No. of blows per layer

: 25

Capacity of the mould

: 944 ml

The modified compaction energy is about 4.5 times that used in the standard
compaction test.
Result:
The maximum dry density of the given soil sample is found to be _______________
and the corresponding optimum moisture content is _______________________

TABLE 5.1
DRY WEIGHT DETERMINATION:
Vol. Of the mould = 944 ml.
Sample No.
Wt. of empty mould
(Wcl g.)
Wt. of mould + soil
Wc2
Wt. of soil in the mould
(Wc2 - Wc1) = Wc g.
Bulk density () g/c.c.
= Wc / V
Water content,
w%
Dry density
/(1+w) g/c.c.

*Transfer the values from Table 5.2.

TABLE 5.2
WATER CONTENT DETERMINATION:
Sample No.

Moisture can No.

Wt. of can+wet soil
W1(g)
Wt. of can+dry soil
W2(g)
Wt. of water
(W1 - W2) (g)
Wt. of can
W3 (g)
Wt. of dry soil
(W2 W3) (g)
Water content, w% = (W1 W2) / (W2 W3)
Average w% =

GRAPH

6. DETERMINATION OF FIELD DENSITY

Experiment No: 6

Date:

AIM:
To determine the dry density of the soil in-situ by
a) Core-cutter method
b) Sand replacement method.

APPARATUS
a) Core-cutter, dolly, hammer, trowel, tray, spatula, moisture cans for core cutter method
b) Sand-pouring cylinder, cylindrical calibrating can, metal tray with a circular hole,
excavating tools, like trowel, crowbar etc., plane Perspex plate, moisture cans, clean
dry and uniformly graded natural sand for sand replacement method.

THEORY
[

During embankment construction or pavement laying, once the given soil is compacted
at a particular site, its density and water content have to be checked. One of the means of this
verification is by pushing a core-cutter into the soil and determining the density of the soil
collected after removing it from the earth. This method is essentially used in clays and other
moist soils.
The other means of verification is an indirect process using a sand-pouring cylinder.
The sand used (generally Ennore sand) is preferably a material passing 1mm and retained on
600 micron sieve.

In this method, soil is dug out from a small pit whose weight is

determined. The volume of the pit is determined by knowing the weight of the dry sand of
pre-calibrated density, filling the pit. This method is suitable for all types of soils and is
generally preferred in soils which cannot be collected in the core-cutter, like sands.

PROCEDURE
A.

Core-cutter method:
1. Clean the core-cutter and determine its weight (W1c) and volume (Vc).
2. Push the core-cutter, with the dolly fitted on top, to its full depth. If the core-cutter
cannot be pushed to its full depth, drive it, ensuring that there is no over-driving.
3. Dig the soil around the core-cutter with the help of a crowbar and remove it. Remove
the core-cutter by separating it from the soil with the help of a trowel and lifting it
carefully.

4. Trim the top and bottom surfaces of the sample collected with a spatula or a straight
edge. Determine the weight of the core-cutter with the soil (W2c).
5. Extrude the soil from the core-cutter with the help of a sample extruder, collect the
soil in moisture cans taking out the soil from the middle of the soil cylinder. Keep the
moisture cans in the hot-air oven for the determination of the moisture content. The
observations are entered in Table 6.1.
B.

Sand replacement Method:

(i)

Determination of the density of sand used in the sand-pouring cylinder

1. Fill the sand pouring cylinder with sand up to about 1 cm below the top edge of the
cylinder, weigh it with its shutter closed (W1s).
2. Keep the cylinder on a plane glass plate, allow the sand to run out by opening the
shutter when no further movement of sand is observed in the cylinder. Weigh the
sand pouring cylinder (W2s).
3. Determine the volume of the calibrating can (V can) by measuring its internal
dimensions.
4. Place the sand-pouring cylinder concentrically on the top of the calibrating can, open
the shutter and allow the sand to run out.

Close the shutter when no further

movement of sand is observed in the cylinder.

5. Remove the cylinder and determine its weight (W3s).
6. Compute the density of the dry sand as given below:
Weight of the sand occupying the conical
Portion in the bottom of the cylinder

= (W1s W2s)

Weight of the sand occupying the conical

Portion and the calibrating can

= (W2s W3s)

Weight of the sand filling the

Calibrating can, Wsand
Density of the calibrated sand, sand
(ii)

= (W2s W3s) (W1s W2s)

= W sand / V can

Determination of the field density of the soil:

1. Fill the sand pouring cylinder with the calibrated sand up to 10 mm below the
top of the cylinder and determine its weight (W1).

2. Weigh the tray with the central hole (W2).

3. Place the tray on a prepared surface of the soil, make a pit by excavating the
soil using the hole in the tray as a pattern, to a depth of about 125 mm.
Collect the excavated soil carefully into the tray, leaving no loose, material in
the hole. Weigh the tray with the excavated soil (W3)
4. Place the sand-pouring cylinder concentrically on the pit. Open the shutter
and allow the sand to run out into the hole. After ensuring that no further sand
is running out, close the shutter. Remove the cylinder and weigh it (W4).
5. Collect a representative sample of the excavated soil in a moisture can and
keep it in the hot-air oven for moisture content (w %) determination.
6. The bulk density of the soil is determined as follows:
Weight of the soil excavated from the pit,

W= (W3-W2)

Weight of the dry sand occupying the pit and the conical portion at the bottom
of the cylinder

= (W1-W4)

Weight of the dry sand occupying the pit = (W1-W4) (W3s-W2s)

Volume of the pit, V = {(W1-W4)-(W1s-W2s)} / sand
Bulk density of the in-situ soil,

= W/V

Dry density of the in-situ soil, d = / (1+w)

The observations are entered in the Tables 6.2A and 6.2B.

PRECAUTION:
1. The field test holes being small, the error is likely to be large if any soil is lost during
excavation. Therefore, any loss of soil should be avoided.
2. The excavation should be as rapid as possible to preserve the natural moisturecontent of the soil. As soon as the excavation is completed, the natural soil should be
taken for weight and water content determination.
3. Errors in water content determination can be minimized by during the entire quantity
of soil excavated from the test hole.

COMMENTS

In addition to using it as a means of verifying the dry density and water content of
compacted earth fills, field density of a natural soil is also needed in the determination of
vertical over-burden pressures and lateral pressures etc.

TABLE. 6.1
Sample no.
Weight of the core-cutter (W1c) g
Weight of core-cutter + wet soil (W2c) g
Weight of et soil (W2c W1c) g
Dia. of core cutter, d, cm
Height of core cutter, h, cm
Volume of core cutter (Vc) c.c. = d2h/4
Bulk density, (g/c.c) = (W2c W1c) / Vc

Average water content w% from Table 6.1B,

Average Dry density d (g/c.c)

-----------------

1 + (w/100)

Result:

TABLE 6.1 B
Water content determination:
Sample no.

Moisture can No.

Weight of can + wet soil

Weight of can + dry soil

Weight of water

Weight of can

Weight of dry soil

Water content w%
Average w %

TABLE 6.2.A
CALIBRATION OF SAND:
1
Weight of sand pouring cylinder + sand (W1s) g
Weight of sand pouring cylinder after running down the
sand plane glass plate
Dia. Of the calibrating can,

(W2s) g
d, cm

Height of the calibrating can, h, cm

Volume of the calibrating can, V can - d2h/4
Weight of the sand pouring cylinder after running down
the sand in the calibrating can

(W3s) g

Weight of the sand occupying the conical portion and

the Calibrating can

( W1s W3s) g

Weight of the sand filling the calibrating can,

Wsand = (W1s W3s) - (W1s W2s) g
Density of the calibrated sand
sand = (Wsand / Vcan) g/c/c
Avg sand

TABLE 6.2.B
Trial No.
Weight of sand pouring cylinder + sand (W1) g
Weight of the tray with the central hole, (W2) g
Weight of the tray + soil excavated from the Pit, W3 g

Weight of sand pouring cylinder after running down the

sand into the pit,

(W4) g

Weight of the soil excavated from the pit,

W = (W3-W2)g
Weight of dry sand occupying the pit and the conical portion
at the bottom of the Cylinder,

(W1 W4)g

Weight of the dry sand occupying the pit

= (W1 W4) (W1s W2s) g
Volume of the pit, V (Cc)= (W1 W4) (W1s W2s) / sand
Bulk density of the in-situ soil,
Avg Bulk density sand (g/c.c)

(W / V) g/c.c

TABLE 6.2.B
Sample no.

Moisture can No.

Weight of can + wet soil

Weight of can + dry soil

Weight of water

Weight of can

Weight of dry soil

Water content w%
Average w %

Dry density of the in-situ soil in g/c.c d = / (1+w)

Result:
7. COEFFICIENT OF PERMEABILITY CONSTANT HEAD
METHOD
Experiment No: 7

Date:

AIM:
To determine the coefficient of permeability of the given coarse grained soil.

APPARATUS

Permeameter, scale, vernier calipers, measuring jar, stop watch and thermometer.

THEORY
Permeability is the property of a soil which enables the flow of water through it.
The coefficient of permeability is a constant of proportionality relating to the ease of such a
flow. The flow of water through saturated porous media for laminar flow conditions is
described by Darcys law according to which the rate of flow, q is given by
q= k i A

(7.1)

Where q = Q/t
i

is the hydraulic gradient = h/L

is the measured discharge

is the time required for the discharge to take place

is the coefficient of permeability

is the cross sectional area of the soil through which the flow is taking
Place

is the head causing flow

is the length of the sample across which the head h is lost

Thus, the coefficient of permeability k is the rate of flow of water through a unit

cross-sectional area of the soil under unit hydraulic gradient. The units are cm/ sec. A
general range of values of k in cm/sec. for different soils is given below.

Gravel

10 to 10-1

Sand

10-1 to 10-3

Silt

10-3 to 10-6

Clay

Less than 10-6

Coefficient of permeability is a very important property used in the determination of

discharge through earth dams and also in the determination of yield of a well under
unconfined or artesian conditions.

The constant head test is generally preferred in respect of granular soils, because it
is possible to collect significant discharge in small time duration.

PROCEDURE
1. Note the dimensions (height and diameter) of the permeability mould and calculate its
volume.
2. Take the required weight of the dry cohesion less soil to fill the mould to the desired
dry density (or void ratio). Compact the soil into the mould after fixing the base plate
to the mould and placing the porous stone.
3. Place a filter paper on the top of the soil, and then place porous stone. Fix the top
plate, which is provided with an inlet valve and air-cock.
4. Secure both the base plate and the top plate to the mould with suitable clamps and
rubber gaskets to make the entire assembly water tight.
5. Place this assembly in a shallow metal tray with an outlet.
6. Fill the tray with water to submerge the base plate completely.
7. Attach the constant headwater tank with the sliding bracket to a vertical stand. This
tank has three openings. Connect one of them to a water supply source, the second to
an over flow tube and the third to the inlet valve provided on the cap of the
permeameter. Admit water into the permeameter. Remove all the air with the help of
the air cock provided on the top plate. Allow the sol sample to saturate. Check this
by obtaining concurrent values of discharge collected over a given time under a given
head. This ensures that the sample is fully saturated.
8. Ensuring that steady state flow conditions are attained, record the time required to
collect sufficient quantity of water (say 20 to 50 ml) using a 100 ml container. Take
the temperature of water. Repeat the collection of water two or three times for the
same time interval. Measure the hydraulic head with respect to the tail water level
corresponding to the bottom of the outlet in the tray.
9. Repeat the test three or four times varying the hydraulic head for each trial.
10. Compute the coefficient of permeability of the soil using the formula
1. K = (QL) / (h A t) cm/sec.
11. Tabulate the observations in Table 7.1. Report the average value of k at 27c using
the formula,
K27 = (T / 27) kT

Where
kT is the average coefficient of permeability at the test temperature Tc.
T is the viscosity of water at the test temperature
27 is the viscosity of water at 27c
The values of viscosity of water corresponding to different test temperatures are given in
Table 7.2.

COMMENTS:
Several factors affect the reliability of the permeability test in the laboratory.
1. Although the small samples used in the laboratory are assumed to be
representative of the field conditions, it is difficult to duplicate the in situ
structure, especially of granular deposits.
2. Air bubbles may be entrapped in the test specimen or air may come out of
solution from water. The degree of saturation could, thus, be less than 100%,
which would affect the test results significantly
3. Migration of fines in testing sand and silts may also affect the measured
values.

Table 7.1
CONSTANT HEAD PERMEABILITY TEST
Description of soil:
Specimen Dimensions:
Area of mould (A)

cm2

Length of mould (L)

cm

Volume of mould (V)

cm3

Test temperature Tc

Head
(h) cm

Quantity of water (Q) c.c

Time (t) sec

Permeability (cm / sec)

Avg

Avg

Avg

Table 7.2 VISCOSITY OF WATER

(Values are in millipoise)
c
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100

0
17.94
13.10
10.09
8.00
6.54
5.29
4.70
4.07
3.57
3.17
2.84

1
17.32
12.74
9.84
7.85
6.42
5.40
4.63
4.02
3.53
3.13
2.82

2
16.74
12.39
9.61
7.67
6.60
5.32
4.66
3.96
3.48
3.10
2.79

3
16.19
12.06
9.38
7.51
6.18
5.24
4.50
3.91
3.44
3.06
2.75

1 dyne sec. per sq. cm

4
15.68
11.75
9.16
7.36
6.08
5.15
4.43
3.86
3.40
3.03
2.73
=

5
15.19
11.45
8.95
7.37
5.97
5.07
4.37
3.81
3.36
2.99
2.70
1 poise

6
14.73
11.16
8.75
7.06
5.87
4.99
4.31
3.76
3.32
23986
2.67

7
14.29
10.88
8.55
5.92
5.77
4.92
4.24
3.71
3.28
2.93
2.64

8
13.87
10.60
8.36
5.79
5.58
4.84
4.19
3.66
3.24
2.90
2.62

9
13.48
10.34
8.18
6.66
5.58
4.00
4.13
3.62
3.20
2.87
2.59

1 gram sec. per sq. cm

980.7 poises

1 pound sec. per sq. ft

478.9 poises

1 poise

1000 millipoises

Result:
The Coefficient of permeability of the given coarse grained soil is _____________________

8. COEFFICIENT OF PERMEABILITY FALLING HEAD

METHOD
Experiment No: 8

Date:

AIM:
To determine the coefficient of the permeability of the given fine-grained soil.

APPARATUS:
Variable head permeameter, scale, vernier calipers, stop watch and thermometer.

IMPORTANCE:
For Fine-grained soils, constant head method cannot be applied because significant
quantity of water cannot be collected in a short duration of time. Hence, a method in which
the fall in the measure can be measured in a stand pipe as water flows through the sample is
adopted by equating the quantity of in-flow into the sample to the quantity of flow coming

out of the sample, the coefficient of permeability can be determined without actually
collecting the water emerging without of the sample.
The formulae used is
k = (2.3 a L/A t) (log (h1/h2)
Where

(8.1)

k = is the coefficient of permeability of cm/sec

a = is the cross-section area of the stand pipe in cm2
L = length of the sample in cm
A = is the cross-section area of the sample in cm2
t = is the time elapsed in sec during the fall of head in the stand
pipe from (h1 to h2)

PROCEDURE:
1. Note the dimensions (height and diameter) of the permeability mould and calculate its
volume.
2. For testing an undisturbed soil sample obtain the sample, trim the sample and weigh
the mould with the soil.

Determine the water content of the sample from the

trimmings. For testing remoulded sample, adopt the procedure given in Expt no. 7
3. After placing the filter paper and the porous stones as mentioned in exp no 7, attach
the top cap to the stand pipe, tighten the bolts of the permeability device to make the
assembly water-tight. Place this assembly in a shallow metal tray with an outlet. Fill
the tray with water to submerge the base plate completely.
4. Fill the sand pipe to a convenient height and measure the hydraulic head (h 1) with
respect to the tail water level corresponding to the bottom of the outlet of the tray.
Commence the flow of water by opening the inlet valve and simultaneously start the
stop clock.
5. Note the time (t) for the head in the stand pipe to fall to a height h2.
6. Check the saturation of the soil by noting the time for the same fall of head of water.
Repeat the same procedure until the same time is obtained for equal falls in head.
7. Refill the stand pipe and allow the water to run through the soil sample and take
observations for different falls in head noting the corresponding elapsed times. Take
at least four sets of readings with different h1 and h2.
8. Note the temp of the water (Tc)

9. Enter the reading in Table 8.1 obtain the coefficient of permeability by using Eq.
(8.1).

After obtaining the average value from the different observations, apply the

temp. correction and report the value of the coefficient of permeability corresponding
to 27c.

COMMENTS
To determine the cross-section area of the stand pipe, close the inlet tube and pour the known
volume (10 c.c) of the water exactly measured by means of a pipette into the stand pipe and
note the rise of water level in it. The cross sectional area of the stand pipe (a) is a=vol of
water / rise of water level

Table 8.1
VARIABLE HEAD PERMEABILITY TEST
Description of soil

Specimen dimensions

Initial head (h1)

Diameter of the mould, cm

Area of the mould (A), cm2

Length of the mould (L), cm

Vol. of mould (V), cm3

Diameter of the stand pipe, cm

Area of the Stand pipe, cm2

Final head (h2)

Time (t)

Permeability kT

Result:
Average coefficient of permeability, kt
Coefficient of permeability at 27c at, k27

=
=

9. DIRECT SHEAR TEST

Experiment No: 9

Date:

AIM:
To determine the strength parameters of the given cohesionless soil by conducting the shear
box test.

IMPORTANCE:
Safety of foundations and stability of slopes and retaining walls depend upon the shear
strength of the soil. The shear strength equation of soil is known as Mohr-Coulomb equation
that reads as
S = c + tan
Where
S = shear strength in kg / cm2
c = cohesion in kg / cm2
= Normal stress on the plane of shear in kg / cm2
= Angle of internal friction in degrees
Cohesion c is dependent on the water content and is due to the inter-particle
forces. This is independent of the normal stress on the plane of shear or plane of failure. The

angle of internal friction () is dependent on the normal stress on the plane of failure. This
is similar to sliding friction in solids. In case of clean dry sands, the cohesion term is equal
to zero. Direct shear test or shear box test is the simplest and the easiest test particularly
suited for determining the shear strength of the dry cohesionless soils.

APPARATUS:
Direct shear apparatus, balance, tamper, two gripper plates with grooves, weights for
applying normal stress, dial gauges.

DESCRIPTION OF DIRECT SHEAR TEST APPARATUS:

The apparatus consists of shear box, 6 cm X 6 cm in size, which is separated
horizontally into two halves. One half is fixed while the other half can move horizontally. A
normal load is applied to the soil in the shear box through a rigid loading cap.

PROCEDURE
1. Place the gripper plate at the bottom of the box with the grooves on the specimen side
and perpendicular to the direction of the movement of the movable half of the shear
box. Place the pins in the shear box so that the halves in the box do not move while
filling the box and compacting the soil in it.

2. Place the sample in the shear box. For this take some amount of granular soil and
weigh it. Divide it into three parts and fill the shear box with the soil in three layers,
tamping each layer with a tamper. The final thickness of the compacted specimen
should be 2 cm.
3. Place the other plate with grooves facing the soil specimen and in a direction
perpendicular to the direction of movement. Place the loading plate on the top of the
gripper plate. Adjust the normal loading yoke and place it centrally on the specimen.
Apply the normal loads to the lever pan attached to the hanger (the loads are
calibrated loads, based on the lever arm ratio).
4. Place the horizontal deformation measuring dial gauge with its spindle touching the
moving half of the shear box.

5. Adjust the proving ring dial gauge to measure the shearing load. Note the initial
readings of the providing ring dial gauge and the deformation dial gauge.
6. Shear the soil specimen after removing the pins from the shear box. Note the
readings of the proving ring, dial gauge and the deformation dial gauge corresponding
to different percentage strains until failure of the specimen has occurred. Shearing in
the soil specimen can be induced either manually or with the help of an electric
motor.
7. Repeat the test with three or four more normal loads every time with a different soil
specimen, compacted to the same initial dry density i.e. dry weight and volume of the
soil being kept constant.
8. Note the readings in Table 9.1
9. Draw the stress-strain graphs for samples tested under different normal stresses. The
peak value of the shear stresses is obtained from these graphs.
10. Draw a plot between the normal stress and the shear stress as the abscissa and the
ordinate respectively. This will yield a straight line. If the soil has cohesion there
will be an intercept on the shear stress axis. This gives the magnitude of cohesion. If
the soil is cohesionless the straight line passes through the origin. The slope of the
line gives the angle of internal friction of the soil.

COMMENTS:
Direct shear test is the simplest and the least expensive test of all the shear tests. It
is particularly best suited for the determination of the shear parameters of dry cohesionless
soils. It is very difficult to control drainage especially in fine grained soils. As a result, it is
difficult to measure the pore water pressure also. The horizontal plane along which the soil is
forced to fail is not necessarily the weakest plane.

This might induce some error in

determining the actual shear strength of the soil specimen.

OBSERVATIONS
Table 9.1
Description of soil specimen :
Weight of the soil specimen :
Dimensions of the specimen :
Area

Thickness

Density of the soil specimen :

S. No

Normal stress
2

(kg/cm )

Shear force at failure

(kg)

Shear stress at failure (kg/cm2 )

Result:

The following are the strength parameters of the soil

C=

kg / cm2

Graph

degrees

10. CONSOLIDATION TEST

Experiment No: 10

Date:

AIM:
To determine the coefficient of consolidation of the given soil specimen under the
given stress range.

IMPORTANCE:
Consolidation is a term related to saturated clays. Consolidation is a process involving
a) A gradual compression of the soil
b) A slow drainage of water from the soil
c) A gradual transfer of stress from the pore water to the soil grains.
The rate at which compression or reduction in volume occurs is equal to the rate at which
drainage takes place through the sample. This is possible only when the clay is saturated,
that is the voids are completely filled with water. The time-rate of consolidation is very
important. It is not only the magnitude of consolidation settlement, but the time taken for it
to take place is also important. The coefficient of consolidation gives the rate at which
consolidation occurs in a mass of clayey soil.

APPARATUS:
Consolidation test assembly with consolidation ring, measuring 60 mm in dia. and 20
mm in height, a set of calibrated weights, two porous stones for facilitating drainage of water
through the soil specimen from the top and the bottom, filter papers of the same size as the
porous stones, dial gauge to record consolidation settlement, stop clock.

PROCEDURE:
1. Measure the diameter and the height of the consolidation ring. Compute its area and
volume.
2. Fit the soil specimen in the ring by properly trimming the top and the bottom.
3. Place the porous stones (which are already boiled to remove air from the pores) at the
top and the bottom, moisten them and place filter paper between the soil specimen
and the porous stone on both sides of the specimen.
4. Place the ring and the porous stones in the consolidation test assembly. Place the top
loading pad and the steel ball on it.
5. Bring the loading frame exactly to the center of the consolidation ring. Place the
thrust piece on the central steel ball and the loading yoke on it. Saturate the soil
specimen by pouring water into the water reservoir. Ensure that water appears in the
annular space between the ring and the collar.
6. Place a seating load of 0.05 kg/cm2 (calibrated weights taking in to effect the lever
arm ratio) on the loading pan. This is to ensure that proper contact is established
between the loading pad and the sample.
7. Place the deformation measuring dial gauge and note the initial dial reading.
8. Place a load of 0.1 kg/cm2 and start the stop clock simultaneously. Record the dial
gauge readings at elapsed times of 0.25, 1.0, 2.25, 4, 6.25, 9, 12.25, 16, 20, 25, 36, 49,
64, 81, 100, 121, 144 minutes and 24 hours.
9. Draw a graph between time as abscissa and dial gauge as ordinate.
10. At the end of 24 hours increase the load to twice the previous loading intensity and
take dial readings as before and record in Table 11.1. Thus load the sample to a
maximum loading intensity of 3.2 kg/cm2 and note the dial readings under each stress
increment.

CALCULATIONS:

The date under each load increment are plotted in the form of a time vs. dial gauge
reading (fig 11.1). The initial part of the curve is a straight line. The straight line portion is
projected backward to get the dial gauge reading corresponding to zero time (R o) Ro may be
slightly lower than the initial reading at zero time recorded.

This may be due to the

immediate compression of the specimen and the apparatus. Draw a line through R o with all
abscissas 1.15 times as large as the corresponding values on the straight-line portion. Thus,
the values of different points on this new line are
2.30

Corresponding to t of 2.0

3.45

Corresponding to t of 3.0

4.60

Corresponding to t of 4.0

5.75

Corresponding to t of 5.0

and so on. The intersection of this new line and the laboratory curve gives the dial gauge
reading corresponding to 90% consolidation (R90) and the square root of time corresponding
to 90% consolidation, t90 (see Fig. 11.1) from which t90 is obtained.
The coefficient of consolidation Cv is determined from the equation
Cv =

T90Hdr2
--------------t90

Where
T90 = 0.848, time factor corresponding to 90% consolidation, which is a constant.
Hdr = length of the drainage path, i.e. half the thickness of the soil specimen since
drainage occurs through the top and the bottom faces of the specimen (=H/2)
for a lab consolidation test.
This is called the square root of time fitting method and is credited to D.W. Taylor.

COMMENTS:
The corrected reading corresponding to zero time does not coincide with the initial
reading. The reasons for this difference are:
1. Elastic compression of the soil specimen, porous stones and the apparatus
2. Lateral expansion of the soil specimen if it is not trimmed exactly to the diameter of
the consolidation ring.
3. Deformation associated with the lateral expansion of the consolidation ring.

The biggest advantage of the t fitting method is that t 90 can be determined without
waiting for a long time. If the dial readings are plotted soon after they are recorded, it is
possible to lead to the next increment level as soon as t 90 is reached, without having to wait
for 24 hours of 1440 minutes.

OBSERVATIONS:
Description of soil specimen :

Weight of consolidation ring :

Undisturbed / remoulded

Weight of ring + soil sample :

Dimensions of the specimen :

Weight of wet soil sample

Dia. of the soil specimen

Weight of dry soil sample

Area of the soil specimen

Dry density of soil sample :

Thickness of the specimen

Least count of deformation dial gauge:

Elapsed
time in
min

Result:

Sqrt
(time)

Consolidation dial gauge reading corr to load increments (kg/cm2) of

.05 0.1

0.1 0.2

0.2 0.4

0.4 0.8

0.8 1.6

1.6 3.2

The coefficient of consolidation of the sample, Cv =

cm2 / min

Graph

11. CALIFORNIA BEARING RATIO TEST

Experiment No.

Date:

AIM:
To determine the California Bearing Ratio (CBR) of the given soil specimen.

APPARATUS:
a) Loading machine: This is a compression machine, which can operate at a constant
rate of 1.25 mm per minute. A metal penetration piston or plunger of diameter 50 mm
is attached to the loading machine.
b) Cylindrical mould: Mould of 150 mm diameter and 175 mm height provided with a
collar of about 50 mm length and a detachable base. A spacer disc of 148 mm
diameter and 47.7 mm thickness is used to obtain a specimen of exactly 127.3 mm
height.
c) Compaction Rammer
d) Annular weight: In order to simulate the effect of the overlying pavement weight,
annular weights each of 2.5 kg weight and 147 mm diameter are placed on the top of
the specimen, at the time of testing the sample, as surcharge.

IMPORTANCE:
The CBR is a measure of resistance of a material to penetration of standard
plunger under controlled density and moisture conditions. The test procedure should be
strictly adhered if high degree of reproducibility is desired. The CBR test may be conducted
in re-moulded or undisturbed specimens in the laboratory. Many methods exist today, which
utilize mainly CBR test values for designing pavement thickness requirement.

PROCEDURE:
1. Remoulded soil specimen is compacted by dynamic compaction. The preparation of
soil specimens by dynamic compaction or ramming is more commonly adopted and is
explained below. About 4.5 kg material is dried and sieved in 20 mm sieve. If a
noteworthy proportion of material is retained on 20 mm sieve, allowance for larger
size materials is made by replacing it by an equal weight of material passing 20 mm
sieve and retained on 4.75 mm sieve. The optimum moisture content and maximum
dry density of soil are determined by adopting either IS light compaction (Proctor
compaction) or IS heavy compaction (modified Proctor or AASHTO compaction) as
per the requirement 5.5 kg weight for granular soils and 4.5 kg weight for finegrained soils is mixed with water up to the optimum moisture content or the field
moisture content if specified so. The spacer disc is placed at the bottom of the mould
over the base plate and a course filter paper is placed over the spacer disc. The moist
soil sample is to be compacted over this in the mould by adopting either IS light
compaction or IS heavy compaction.
i)

For IS light compaction, the soil to be compacted is divided in to three

equal parts; the soil is compacted in three equal layers, each of compacted
thickness about 44 mm by applying 56 evenly distributed blows of 2.6 kg
rammer.

ii)

For IS heavy compaction, the soil is divided in to five equal parts; the soil
is compacted in five equal layers, each of compacted thickness about 26.5
mm by applying 55 evenly distributed blows of the 4.89 kg rammer. After
compaction the last layer, the collar is removed and the excess soil above
the top of the mould is evenly trimmed off by means of the straight edge.

Any hole that develops on the surface due to the removal of coarse
particles during trimming may be patched with smaller size material.
2. The clamps are removed and the mould with the compacted soil is lifted leaving
below the perforated base plate and the spacer disc, which is removed.
3. The mould with the compacted soil is weighted. A filter paper is placed on the
perforated base plate, the mould with compacted soil is inverted and placed in
position over the base plate (such that the top of the soil sample is now placed over
the base plate) and the clamps of the base plate are tightened. Another filter paper is
placed on the top surface of the sample and the perforated plate with adjustable stem
is placed over it.
4. Surcharge weights of 2.5 or 5.0 kg weight are placed over the perforated plate and the
whole mould with the weights is placed under the penetration plunger of the loading
machine. The penetration plunger is seated at the center of the specimen and is
brought in contact with the top surface of the soil sample by applying a seating load
of 4.0 kg.
5. The dial gauge for measuring the penetration values of the plunger is fitted in
position.
6. The dial gauge of the proving ring (for load readings) and the penetration dial gauge
are set to zero.
7. The load is applied through the penetration plunger at a uniform rate of 1.25 mm /
min. The load readings are recorded at penetration readings of 0.0, 0.5, 1.0, 1.5,2.0,
2.5, 3.0, 4.0, 5.0, 7.5, 10.0 and 12.5 mm. In case the load readings start decreasing
before 12.5 mm penetration, the maximum load value and the corresponding
penetration value are recorded. After the final reading the load is released and the
mould is removed from the loading machine. The proving ring calibration factor is
noted so that the load dial values can be converted into load in kg. About 50 kg of
soil is collected from the top three cm depth of soil sample for the determination of
moisture content.

CALCULATION
The load-penetration curve is then plotted in natural scale for each specimen. If
the curve is uniformly convex upwards no correction is needed. In case there is a reverse
curve or the initial portion of the curve is concave upwards necessity of a correction is

indicated. A tangent is drawn from the steepest position on the curve to intersect the base
at point y which is the corrected origin corresponding to zero penetration. The load
values corresponding to 2.5 and 5.0 mm penetration values (either from the original
origin for curve with out correction or from the corrected origin for the curve with
correction, as the case may be) are found from the graph. The CBR value is calculated
from the formula
Load carried by soil sample at defined penetration level
CBR % = --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- X 100
Load carried by standard crushed stones at the above penetration level
Load values on standard stones are given in Table 12.2

Penetration, mm
2.5

Standard load, kg
1370

5.0

2055

The CBR values at 2.5 mm and 5.0 mm penetrations are calculated for each specimen
from the graph. Generally the CBR value at 2.5 mm is higher and this value is adopted.
However, if higher CBR value is obtained at 5.0 mm penetration, the test is to be repeated to
verify the results. If the value at 5.0 mm is again higher, this is adopted as CBR value of the
soil sample.

COMMENTS:
The CBR test is essentially and arbitrary test and hence cannot be used to evaluate
the fundamental soil properties. Unless the test procedure is strictly followed, dependable
results cannot be obtained.

The compaction specifications such as the total height of

compacted specimen (before trimming off), the equality of thickness of five compacted
layers and the uniformity of distribution, the blows of the rammer in each layer affect the test
results. The initial upward concavity of the load penetration curve calling for the correction
may be due to piston surface not being fully in contact with top of the specimen. The test is

meant for soil and granular base course materials and hence may not be suitable for semirigid materials like soil-cement.

OBSERVATIONS
Table 11.1
Compacting moisture content

Dry density

Condition of test specimen

:-

Proving ring calibration factor

Surcharge weight

Penetration mm (1)
0.0
0.5
1.0
1.5
2.0
2.5
3.0
4.0
5.0

soaked / unsoaked

Proving ring dial

reading (2)

Load on Plunger, kg (3)

7.5
10.0
12.5

Result:
CBR 2.5 =
CBR 5.0 =
Design value of CBR =

Graph