Soil Testing in Construction

Soil can be defined in many ways. In civil engineering, soil is a naturally occurring,
loose/uncemented/weakly cemented/relatively unconsolidated mineral particle, organic or
inorganic in character, lying over the bed rock which is formed by weathering of rocks. Soil is
formed by different particles such as gravel, rock, sand, silt, clay, loam and humus.

Main Types of Soil – Sand, Silt, Clay and Loam

SAND SLIT

       
                    CLAY                                      LOAM
1. Sand Soil:

It is the most extensively used construction material. It consists of particles of rock and hard
minerals, such as silicon dioxide. They are the largest type of soil particles, where each particle
is visible to naked eye. The large, relatively stable sand-particle size increases soil aeration
improves drainage in tight soils and creates plant-growth supporting qualities, or tilt.

2. Silt Soil:

Silt is a sediment material with an intermediate size between sand and clay. Carried by water
during flood it forms a fertile deposit on valleys floor. The particle size of silt ranges from 0.002
and 0.06 mm.

Silt is a non-plastic or low plasticity material due to its fineness. Due to its fineness, when wet it
becomes a smooth mud that you can form easily into balls or other shapes in your hand and
when silt soil is very wet, it blends seamlessly with water to form fine, runny puddles of mud.

3. Clay Soil:

Clay particles are the finest of all the soil particles, measuring fewer than 0.002 mm in size. It
consists of microscopic and sub-microscopic particles derived from the chemical decomposition
of rocks. Clay is a fine-grained cohesive soil. They stick together readily and form a sticky or
gluey texture when they are wet or dry.

Clay is made of over 25 percent clay, and because of the spaces found between clay particles,
clay soils hold a high amount of water. Clay expands when in contact with water and shrink
when getting dry. Compared to sand particles, which are generally round, clay particles are thin,
flat and covered with tiny plates. Organic clay is highly compressible, and its strength is very
high when dry, which is why it is used in construction as mud mortar.

4. Loam Soil:

Loam is a mixture of clay, sand and silt and benefits from the qualities of these 3 different
textures, favouring water retention, air circulation, drainage and fertility. These soils are fertile,
easy to work with and provide good drainage. Depending on their predominant composition
they can be either sandy or clay loam.

The way the other particles combine in the soil makes the loam. For instance, a soil that is 30
per cent clay, 50 per cent sand and 20 per cent silt is a sandy clay loam, with the soil types
before “loam” listed in the order their particles are most dominant in the loam. The labels “clay
loam,” “silt loam” and “sandy loam” are used to refer to soils that are composed predominantly
of those ingredients.
California Bearing Ratio Test:

Grain Size Analysis:

Moisture Content Test: The moisture content of the soil is determined using several
methods, including the oven-drying method, calcium carbide method, torsion balance method,
Pycnometer method, sand bath method, radiation method, and alcohol method. The most
common method is the oven-drying method, which involves weighing the sample soil, drying it
in an oven at 110 degrees Celsius (+/- 5 degrees), and weighing it again. The difference in the
before and after weights is the weight of water in the soil.

Dry Density Test: The dry density of soil is the weight of soil particles in each volume of a
sample. Its value depends on the void ratio and the soil’s specific gravity. This value is used to
classify soil as dense, medium dense, or loose. The dry density test is done using one of three
methods: sand replacement, core cutter, or water displacement. Of these, the sand
replacement and core cutter methods are the more widely used.

Specific Gravity Test: The specific gravity of any substance is the ratio of density to the
density of the water. It is determined using one of several methods that include the density
bottle method, Pycnometer method, gas jar method, shrinkage limit method, and measuring
flask method. Of these, the most used in soil analysis are the density bottle and Pycnometer
methods.

Atterberg Limits Test: The Atterberg limits test is done on the fine-grained soil to measure its
critical water content. There are three limits that determine the properties of fine-grained soil
under different conditions: liquid limit, plastic limit, and shrinkage limit.

A). Liquid Limit: In a liquid limit test, a device called a Casagrande’s liquid limit device, which
consists of a cup with a mechanism that moves up and down is used to determine the soil’s
liquid limit.

B). Plastic Limit: In a plastic limit test, water is added to the soil sample to make it plastic. It is
then shaped into a ball, which is put into a glass plate and rolled into threads that are 3
millimeters in diameter. If the threads do not break, then the procedure is repeated with a new
sample and less water. It goes on until the thread breaks. That is the plastic limit of the soil.

C). Shrinkage Limit: In a shrinkage limit test, a mathematical formula is used to determine the
water content that is just enough to fill the voids of the soil.

Proctor’s Compaction Test:

Compaction: Compaction involve rearranging the soil particles into a tighter configuration,

Proctor test is used to determine the compaction of different types of soil and the properties of
soil with a change in moisture content. This test is conducted to find out the compaction
characteristics of the soil.

Proctor Test Procedure:

The soil sample is air dried and then divided into four to six smaller samples. Their water
content is adjusted by adding 3 percent to 5 percent water. The samples are then placed in the
Proctor compaction mold in three different layers. Each layer is then given 25 blows from a
standard 5.5-pound hammer. The samples are removed and dried, and their dry density and
water content are determined. A curve is then plotted based on the entire set of results – with
the density as a function of water content. This curve gives an accurate picture of the optimum
water content needed to reach the maximum dry density.

Dry density of soil:

Where M = total mass of the soil, V= volume of soil, w= water content.

Graph:

Visit this link to know more about PCT: https://youtu.be/AP-lvZqLDYM

There are two types of

1. Ultimate Bearing Capacity: The intensity of loading at the base of foundation, at