Document Type: Course Outlines Department: Civil Engineering

Course No: CE-209L

Course Title: Geotechnical Engineering-I, Lab, 4th Semester

Objective:
The goal of the course is to provide an introduction to soil, their different physical and chemical
properties, classification of soil according to different standards and their use in different types of
construction e.g Roads, Buildings, Bridges, Dams, and Canals, etc.

Type: Lab by Dr. Khan Shahzada (0333-9217623) shah_civil2003@yahoo.com

Week Contact Experiments Assignment/Quiz

Hours
1 3 Identification/Classification of Soil

2 3 Determination of Moisture Content of Soil3 Assignment#1

3 3 Determination of Specific Gravity of Soil4 Quiz#1
4 3 Grain size analysis of soil (Mechanical)5
5 3 Grain size analysis of soil (Hydrometer Analysis)6 Assignment#2
6 3 Determination of liquid limit of soil7 Quiz#2
Determination of Plastic Limit9 and Plasticity Index of
7 3
Soil10
8 Mid Term Lab Exam
9 Theory Exam Break
10 3 Determination of Shrinkage limit of Soil11

11 3 Classification of Soil according to AASHTO and USCS Assignment#3

12 3 Standard Proctor Compaction Test13 Quiz#3

13 3 Modified Proctor Compaction Test15

14 3 Constant Head Permeability Test 17 Assignment#4

15 3 Falling Head Permeability Test Quiz#4

16 3 Chemical Analysis of Soil

17 Final Term Lab Exam and Viva

Marks Criteria:

Sessional Marks:

1. Quizzes 6%
2. Assignment 6%
3. Mini Project 8%
4. Attendance 5%
5. Mid Term Lab Paper 25 %
6. Final Term Lab Paper 25 %
7. Final Viva 25 %

Recommended Books
1. An Introduction to Mechanics of Soils and Foundation by “John Atkinson”
2. Soil Mechanics by R.F.Craig
3. Principles of Geotechnical Engineering by Braja M. Das

Office Hours:

After every class by appointment or by chance.

Dr. Khan Shahzada

Associate Professor,
Department of Civil Engineering, UET, Peshawar
 EXPERIMENT NO. 1

TO DETERMINE THE MOISTURE / WATER CONTENT OF A GIVEN SOIL

SAMPLE BY OVEN DRYING METHOD

APPARATUS:
1. Container
2. Balance
3. Electric Oven
4. A pair of Tongs

PROCEDURE:
The stepwise procedure of this experiment is given below
1. Clean the container, dry it & find its mass (M1).
2. Take a certain quantity of given Soil Sample, place it loosely in the container
& then find the mass (M2) of this container having Soil in it.
3. Now place the container having Soil, in an electric oven at a fixed
Temperature of 105-110 0C.
4. Remove the container from oven after 24 hours. Allow it to cool &
find the mass (M3) of this container having dry Soil in it.
5. Find the Moisture Content of a given Soil Sample by using the following
formula.

Water content = (Weight of Wet soil-weight of dry soil)/(weight of dry soil)*100=(M2-M3)/(M3-M1)*100

PRECAUTIONS:

1. The Soil Sample should be loosely placed in the container.

2. Over heating should be avoided.

PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS:

1. Moisture Content plays an important role in understanding the

behavior of Soils.
2. The value of Moisture Content controls the Shear Strength &
Compressibility of a Soil.
3. It shows the degree of compaction of Soil in the field.
 EXPERIMENT NO. 2

TO DETERMINE THE SPECIFIC GRAVITY OF A GIVEN SOIL SAMPLE

APPARATUS:
5. Sieve No. 4
6. Balance
7. Electric Oven
8. Pycnometer

PROCEDURE:
The stepwise procedure of this experiment is given below
6. Take atleast 25g of soil which has been passed through Sieve No.4
& place it in an oven at a fixed temperature of 105-110 0C for 24
hours to dry it completely.
7. Clean & dry the pycnometer thoroughly & find its mass (M1).
8. Find the mass (M2) of pycnometer by placing oven-dried Soil in it.
9. Add sufficient quantity of water to fill the pycnometer about three-fourth full.
Mark the level of water in pycnometer & then find the mass (M 3) of
pycnometer & contents.
10. Empty the pycnometer, wash it thoroughly & fill with clean water upto the
same mark. Now find the mass (M4) of pycnometer having water in it.
11. Determine the specific gravity of a given soil sample.

PRECAUTIONS:

3. The Soil Sample should be completely dry.

4. All the readings of mass should be noted carefully.

PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS:

a. The value of Specific Gravity helps us, upto some extent, in identification &
classification of Soil.
2. It gives an idea about the suitability of a given soil as a construction material.
3. It is used for calculating void ratio, porosity & degree of saturation
if the density or unit weight & water content are known.
 EXPERIMENT NO. 3

GRAIN SIZE ANALYSIS OF COARSE GRAINED SOIL

(SIEVE ANALYSIS)

APPARATUS:
9. A set of Sieves
10. Balance

PROCEDURE:
The stepwise procedure of this experiment is given below
12. Arrange different types of Sieves in order of decreasing their size of
openings.
13. Find the total Weight of a Given Soil Sample & pour it in a top Sieve.
14. Place a set of Sieves on a Mechanical Shaker & shake it properly.
15. Find the Weight of Soil retained on each Sieve.
16. Calculate percentage weight of Soil passing through each Sieve.
17. Draw a grain size distribution / gradation Curve.

PRECAUTIONS:

5. During shaking, Soil Sample should not be allowed to spill out.

6. All the readings should be noted carefully.

PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS:

a. Grain Size Analysis gives an idea regarding the gradation of Soil.

b. It is used to proportion the selected Soils in order to obtain the Design Soil
Mix.
c. It is also utilized in part of the specifications of Soil for air-fields, roads, earth
dams & other Soil embankment construction.
 EXPERIMENT NO. 4

GRAIN SIZE ANALYSIS OF FINE GRAINED SOIL

(HYDROMETER METHOD)

APPARATUS:
1. Sieve No. 200
2. Balance
3. Stop Watch

PROCEDURE:
The stepwise procedure of this experiment is given below
1. Find the total Weight of a Given Soil Sample passing Sieve No. 200.
2. Take 1000 c.c. of water in a sedimentation jar & add 8 gm of Sodium
Hexametaphosphate per 50 gm of Soil.
3. Now put Soil Sample in a sedimentation jar.
4. Mix thoroughly the suspension in a jar by placing the palm of a hand on the
open end of the jar, & turning the jar upside down & back.
5. Place the jar on a table & insert the Hydrometer with least disturbance. Start a
Stop Watch simultaneously.
6. Read the top of Meniscus at suitable time intervals.
7. Record the temperature for each Hydrometer Reading for very precise
computations.
8. From the observed readings, find the size & percentage of particles in
suspension at suitable time intervals.
9. Draw a Grain size distribution / gradation Curve.

PRECAUTIONS:

1. Insert the Hydrometer in a sedimentation jar slowly & carefully.

2. All the readings should be noted carefully.

PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS:

a. This Method is used to analyze very fine Soil particles.

b. It helps in computing the %age of Silt & Clay present in the Given Soil
Sample.
 EXPERIMENT NO. 5

TO DETERMINE THE LIQUID LIMIT OF A GIVEN SOIL SAMPLE

APPARATUS:
4. Liquid Limit/Casagrande Apparatus
5. Grooving Tool.
6. Balance
7. Electric Oven
8. Sieve No. 40
9. Spatula
10. Containers

PROCEDURE:
The stepwise procedure of this experiment is given below
10. Take about 100-120g of dry Soil, passing Sieve No. 40 in a container.
11. Add small quantity of water in Soil & stir it properly by means of
spatula to form a uniform paste.
12. Place a part of this paste in a cup of Casagrande Apparatus & smoothen the
surface with spatula.
13. Make a groove in Soil paste by means of a grooving tool.
14. Turn the handle of Casagrande Apparatus at a rate of about 2 revolutions per
second until the two parts of Soil Sample come into contact along a distance of
½ inch.
15. Note the reading of number of blows.
16. Take a portion of Soil paste from the cup of Casagrande Apparatus &
determine its Moisture Content.
17. Repeat the entire procedure described in step 1 to 7 above, by gradually
increasing the quantity of water in a Soil Sample, four to five times.
18. Plot a graph between No. of blows (N) on log scale on x-axis & Moisture
Content (w) on ordinary scale on y-axis. A straight line known as “Flow
Curve/Line” is obtained.
19. Read the Moisture Content corresponding to 25 blows from the obtained graph,
as to indicate Liquid Limit of a given Soil.

PRECAUTIONS:

3. For each test, cup & grooving tool should be cleaned.

4. The No. of blows should be just enough to close the groove.
5. The No. of blows should be between 10 & 40.
6. All the readings of mass should be noted carefully.
PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS:

a. The values of Liquid Limit & Plastic Limit of a Soil are used to classify fine
grained Soil.
b. The values of Liquid Limit & Plastic Limit are used to calculate Flow index,
Toughness index & Plasticity index of Soils.
c. It helps in selecting a suitable method of design, construction & maintenance
of the structure made up of, or/and resting on test Soil.
 EXPERIMENT NO. 6(a)

TO DETERMINE THE PLASTIC LIMIT OF A GIVEN SOIL SAMPLE

APPARATUS:
11. Sieve No. 40
12. Glass plate
13. Balance
14. China dish
15. Electric oven
16. Spatula

PROCEDURE:
The stepwise procedure of this experiment is given below
20. Take about 50g of dry Soil Sample, passing Sieve No. 40 in a china dish.
21. Add small quantity of water in Soil & stir it properly by means of
spatula.
22. Place a portion of prepared Soil Sample on a palm & roll it into a small ball.
23. Now place this ball on a glass plate & roll it between the hand & glass plate
to form a soil thread.
24. If the diameter of thread becomes less than 1/8 inch without cracks, then
reduce the Moisture Content of Soil by kneading & rolling into a thread, again
& again, till the thread just starts crumpling at a diameter of 1/8 inch.
25. If crumpling starts before 1/8 inch diameter thread, add a small quantity of
water in a Soil Sample & roll it into a thread, again & again, till the thread just
starts crumpling at a diameter of 1/8 inch.
26. Collect the pieces of crumpled Soil thread at 1/8 inch diameter, & place them
in a container for Moisture Content determination.
27. From the observed readings, find the Plastic Limit of a given Soil Sample.

PRECAUTIONS:

7. The apparatus required for test should be properly cleaned.

8. All the readings of mass should be noted carefully.

PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS:

a. The values of Liquid Limit & Plastic Limit of a Soil are used to classify fine
grained Soil.
b. The values of Liquid Limit & Plastic Limit are used to calculate Flow index,
Toughness index & Plasticity index of Soils.
c. It helps in selecting a suitable method of design, construction & maintenance
of the structure made up of, or/and resting on test Soil.
 EXPERIMENT NO. 6(b)

TO DETERMINE THE PLASTICITY INDEX OF A GIVEN SOIL SAMPLE

We have already found the Liquid Limit & Plastic Limit of a given Soil Sample, passing Sieve
No. 40. Now, the Plasticity Index of a same Soil can be simply found by taking the difference
of Liquid Limit & Plastic Limit.
 EXPERIMENT NO. 7

TO DETERMINE THE SHRINKAGE LIMIT OF A GIVEN SOIL SAMPLE

APPARATUS:
1. Sieve No 40
2. Shrinkage dish
3. Glass plate
4. Oven
5. Weighing balance
6. Spatula
7. Mercury

PROCEDURE:
1. Take air dried Soil Sample passing sieve No. 40.
2. Take about 30 g of soil sample in a large evaporating dish. Mix it with distilled water
to make a saturated paste.
3. Take the shrinkage dish, clean it and determine it’s mass.
4. Fill mercury in the shrinkage dish. Remove the excess mercury by pressing the plain
glass plate over the top of the shrinkage dish.
5. Determine the mass of mercury & find its volume which will be equal to the volume of
Saturated Soil Sample
6. Coat the inside of the shrinkage dish with a thin layer of silicon grease or Vaseline.
Place the soil specimen in a shrinkage dish in three layers & allow the paste to flow to
the edges.
7. Dry the Soil Sample in an oven at 105 to 110 ºC.
8. Take it out after 24 hours & weigh the shrinkage dish with the dry pat to determine the
dry mass of the soil.
9. Remove the dry Soil Sample from a shrinkage dish & place the shrinkage dish
in a large evaporating dish and fill it with mercury. Remove the excess mercury by
pressing the glass plate firmly over the top of the cup.
10. Immerse the dry Soil Sample in a shrinkage dish full of mercury. Press the plate on
the top of cup firmly.
11. Collect the mercury displaced by the dry Soil Sample in the evaporating dish.
Determine its mass & find volume which will be equal to the volume of dry Soil
Sample.

PRECAUTIONS:
1. Shrinkage dish should be properly cleaned.
2. Soil Sample should not be over-dried.

PRACTICAL APPLICATION:]
The Shrinkage Limit is useful in analyzing soils that undergo volume changes with changes in water
content (such as clays).
Large changes in soil volume are important considerations for soils that are to be used as fill material
for Highways and Rail-roads or for soils that are to support structural foundations. Unequal
settlement results from such volume changes can result in crakes in structures or unevenness in road-
beds.
 EXPERIMENT NO. 08

STANDARD PROCTOR COMPACTION TEST

APPARATUS:

1. Mould
2. Rammer of Weight 5.5 lb
3. Sieve No. 4
4. Oven
5. Weighing Balance
6. Containers
7. Straight edge

PROCEDURE:

The stepwise procedure of this experiment is given below

1. Take about 4 kg of air-dried soil passing Sieve No 4 & add 7% of water in it.
2. Clean and dry the mould and base plate.
3. Weigh the mould, attach a collar to it and place it on a solid base.
4. Compact the moist soil in to the mould in three layers of approximately equal
weight, by 25 blows from 5.5 lb rammer dropped from a height of 12 in.
5. Remove the collar and trim off the excess soil projecting above the mould by
using straight edge. Take the weight of mould with compacted soil in it.
6. Remove the 100 g compacted soil specimen for the water content
determination.
7. Add water in increment of 1 % in a Soil.
8. Above procedure will be repeated for each increment of water added. The
total number of determination shall be at least four

PRECAUTIONS:

1. Ramming should be done continuously taking of height of 18 in free fall

accurately.
2. The blows should be distributed uniformly over the surface of each layer.
3. Weighing should be done accurately.

PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS:

Compaction increases Soil density, thereby producing three important effects.

1. an increase in shear strength
2. a decrease in further settlement
3. a decrease in permeability
These three changes in Soil characteristics are beneficial for some types of earth
constructions such as Highways & earth dams; and as a general rule, the greater the
compaction, the greater the benefits will be.
 EXPERIMENT NO. 09

TO DETERMINE THE MAXIMUM DRY DENSITY & OMC OF A

GIVEN SOIL SAMPLE BY MODIFIED PROCTOR COMPACTION TEST

APPARATUS:

1. Mould
2. Rammer of Weight 10 lb
3. ¾ in Sieve
4. Oven
5. Weighing Balance
6. Containers
7. Straight edge

PROCEDURE:

The stepwise procedure of this experiment is given below

1. Take about 10 kg of air-dried soil passing ¾ in Sieve & add 1.5% of water in it.
2. Clean and dry the mould and base plate.
3. Weigh the mould, attach a collar to it and place it on a solid base.
4. Compact the moist soil in to the mould in five layers of approximately equal
weight, by 56 blows from 10 lb rammer dropped from a height of 18 in.
5. Remove the collar and trim off the excess soil projecting above the mould by
using straight edge. Take the weight of mould with compacted soil in it.
6. Remove the 100 g compacted soil specimen for the water content
determination.
7. Add water in increment of 1.5 % in a Soil.
8. Above procedure will be repeated for each increment of water added. The
total number of determination shall be at least four

PRECAUTIONS:

1. Ramming should be done continuously taking of height of 18 in free fall

accurately.
2. The blows should be distributed uniformly over the surface of each layer.
3. Weighing should be done accurately.

PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS:

Compaction increases Soil density, thereby producing three important effects.

4. an increase in shear strength
5. a decrease in further settlement
6. a decrease in permeability
These three changes in Soil characteristics are beneficial for some types of earth
constructions such as Highways & earth dams; and as a general rule, the greater the
compaction, the greater the benefits will be.
 EXPERIMENT NO. 10

TO DETERMINE THE PERMEABILITY OF A GIVEN SOIL SAMPLE BY

CONSTANT HEAD METHOD

APPARATUS:

1. Permeameter
2. Constant head water supply reservoir.
3. Constant head collecting chamber/flask.
4. Stop watch

PROCEDURE:

1. Connect the constant head reservoir to the soil sample container.

2. Allow the water to flow through the soil till a steady state is attained.
3. Start the stop watch, and collect the water flowing out of the container in a
measuring flask for some convenient time interval.
4. Measure the difference of head (h) in levels between the constant head
reservoir and the outlet in the container.
5. Find the diameter & length of a soil sample container.

PRECAUTIONS:

1. Keep the head constant through the test.

2. Carefully note the volume of water collected in a flask for a specific time.

PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS:

1. Determination of permeability is extremely important to estimate the seepage

forces, which has a direct effect on the safety of hydraulic structures.
2. The quantity of stored water escaping through & beneath the earthen dam also
depends on the permeability of embankment & the foundation soil,
respectively.
3. The yield of wells & tube wells is also governed by the value of permeability of
the water bearing strata.