UNIVERSITY OF THE CORDILLERAS

COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING AND ARCHITECTURE

Civil Engineering Department

GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERING 1 LABORATORY

Name _______________________________ Date _______________________

Group No. _________ Course/Year ________________

Laboratory Work No. 1

Soil Sampling and Preparation for Test

A. Introduction
 Provide a brief introduction on what is soil sampling and why do we need to conduct this
procedure prior to laboratory tests of the soil.

B. Objective:
By the end of this activity, the student must be able to

1. enumerate and define the different soil exploration methods and soil sampling; and
2. describe and classify the soil by field inspection.

C. List of Equipment & Apparatus:

1. shovel and spade
2. soil auger
3. pipe wrench
4. water-tight sample containers
5. wax or paraffin
6. stack of sieves
7. oven
8. rubber-cover pestle
9. sample splitter

D. General Procedure:
PROCEDURE:
1. For easier boring and for better quality of soil sample, first clear the area where the sample is to
be obtained.
2. With the use of soil auger, bore thru the soil up to the desired depth and obtain a disturbed
sample.
3. Each type and depth or thickness of soil strata encountered must be noted.
4. Should it be desired to obtain an undisturbed sample, a large hole is dug but the middle portion
of the hole is kept intact.
5. Trim the middle portion to exact size then cover with wax or paraffin.
6. Place the sample I a container and to ensure water tightness, seal the sides of the cover with
wax or paraffin.
7. Label each container and store in a cold place.

The sample label shall include the following:

ProjectTitle: __________________________________
File No.____________________________
Location: _____________________________________
Sample No._______________________
Date: _________________________________________
Boring No.________________________
Depth of sample from surface: _________________
Description of soil: _______________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________

Remarks: ________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
The above data or information shall also be kept for filling purposes.

PROCEDURE: Preparation of Disturbed Sample for Test

1. Air-dry or oven dry (max. 60 oC) the disturbed soil sample obtained earlier.
2. Break the sample into smaller pieces using the rubber-covered pestle.
3. Using the splitter or quartering method obtain a representative sample of the amount required
for the desired test.

GENERAL DATA:

TEST TYPE OF WEIGHT OF HEIGHT, DIAMETER NUMBER

SAMPLE SAMPLE mm mm REQUIRED
Grain size Passing thru 400 gm
Analysis #10 oven
dried
Atterberg Passing thru 250 gm
Limits #40 disturbed
not dried
Specific Disturbed 100 gm
Gravity Passing thru
#10
Compaction Disturbed not 11 kgs
dried
Consolidation Undisturbed 50 70 1

Tri-Axial Shear Undisturbed 100-175 50-90 3-5

 Unconfined Undisturbed 100-175 50-90 2
Compression

PROCEDURE: Preparation of undisturbed soil sample for test

Trim the undisturbed soil sample extracted or obtained with the use of a wire saw and a soil lathe.
1. Cut the specimen to standard height.
2. Measure dimensions using caliper.

PRECAUTIONS:
As much as possible the preparation should be done inside a room.
1. Use a cellophane or wax paper in handling the sample.
2. Support the specimen over its entire length when transporting it.
3. After every cut, remove the soil sticking on the wire saw.

E. Additional Requirements
 In place of the discussion of theory, kindly research on

1. The different soil exploration methods; their advantages and disadvantages. In addition, provide
a thorough discussion on the test-pit method/ borrow-pit method which can be used to extract
a soil sample for laboratory tests. Include photos or illustrations if necessary.

2. Different types of In Situ or Field Tests for soils.

Examples: Vane Shear Test, Standard Penetration Test, Cone Penetration Test, etc.

 Experiential Learning:
3. Take a picture of a soil in your place and describe the soil based on its

a. Color: Color is not directly related to engineering properties of soils, but is related to soil
mineralogy and texture.
Gray and bluish: unoxidized soils White and cream: calcareous soils
Red and yellow: oxidized soils
Black and dark brown: soils containing organic matter
b. Moisture: Appearance due to water is described as wet, dry, or moist.
c. Structure:
Homogeneous: Color and texture feel the same throughout.
Nonhomogeneous: Color and texture vary.
d. Shape: Angular, subangular, subrounded, rounded, flaky.
e. Weathering: Fresh, decomposed, weathered.
f. Smell:
Organic soils give off a strong odor that intensifies with heat.
Nonorganic soils have a subtle odor with the addition of water.
g. Feel: Use feel to distinguish between sand, silts, and clays.
Sand has a gritty feel.
 Silt has a rough feel similar to fine sandpaper.
Clay feels smooth and greasy. It sticks to fingers and is powdery when dry.
h. Consistency:
Very stiff: Finger pressure barely dents soil, but it cracks under significant pressure.
Stiff: Finger pressure dents soil.
Firm: Soil can be molded using strong finger pressure.
Soft: Easily molded by finger.
Very soft: Soil flows between fingers when fist is closed.
i. Dilatancy: Place a small amount of the soil in your palm and shake horizontally. Then strike it
with the other hand. If the surface is slurry and water appears, the soil probably has a large
amount of silt.

4. Classify the soil based on the observations that you conducted.

F. Remarks & Conclusion

G. References