CE F243

Soil Mechanics

BITS Pilani Sayantan Chakraborty, Ph.D., AM ASCE, MIE

[email protected]
Pilani|Dubai|Goa|Hyderabad

January 19, 2025 1

 BITS Pilani
Pilani|Dubai|Goa|Hyderabad

Lectures 4 and 5
Composition and Particle Sizes of
Soils
2
Soil Fabric and Structure
 Soil fabric refers to the geometric arrangement of the particles.
 Soil structure includes the geometric arrangement (fabric)
along with the interparticle forces.
 For coarse-grained soils (gravels, sands) and silts – fabric and
structure are the same.
 Since it is extremely difficult to directly measure the
interparticle force fields surrounding clay particles, most
studies of cohesive soil structures involve only fabric.
 From the fabric of these soils, certain inferences can be made
about their interparticle forces.
3

CE F243 - Soil Mechanics

Soil Fabric and Structure

 Fabric of coarse-grained soils

Loose Dense Honeycomb

CE F243 - Soil Mechanics

Soil Fabric and Structure

 Fabric of fine-grained soil: Flocculated – net effect

of attractive and repulsive forces is attractive – clay
particles tend to move toward each other

CE F243 - Soil Mechanics

Soil Fabric and Structure

 Fabric of fine-grained soil: Dispersed – net effect of

attractive and repulsive forces is repulsive – clay
particles tend to move away from each other

CE F243 - Soil Mechanics

Soil Fabric and Structure

 Fabric of fine-grained soil

 Depends on several factors
 pH, thickness of DDL, type of ions present, history, etc.

 Affects engineering properties of soil

 Compressibility, permeability, shear strength, etc.

CE F243 - Soil Mechanics

Soil Fabric

 Fabric of fine-grained soil

 Depends on several factors
 pH → acidic → +ve charge on edge → flocculated
 pH → basic → -ve charge on edge → dispersed
 Thickness of DDL ↑ → dispersed
 Type of ions present (Na+ → dispersed; Ca2+ →
flocculated)
 History (what happened in the past that can change the
geometric arrangement of clay particles) 8

CE F243 - Soil Mechanics

Soil Fabric and Structure

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3q-qfNlEP4A&t=263s

https://www.ngi.no/eng/Services/Technical-expertise/Quick-clay-landslides/What-is-quick-clay CE F243 - Soil Mechanics

Soil Fabric

 Fabric of fine-grained soil

 Affects engineering properties of soil
 Compressibility – low for flocculated (till the time that
applied stress is not strong enough to break the edge-
to-face bonds).
 Permeability – greater for flocculated (as large
interconnected voids are present that provide lower
resistance to flow of water).
 Shear strength – greater for flocculated (due to particle-
to-particle contact). 10

CE F243 - Soil Mechanics

Soil Types Based on Particle Size

11

Budhu, M., 2015. Soil mechanics fundamentals. John Wiley & Sons. CE F243 - Soil Mechanics
Soil Types Based on Particle Size

19 mm -75 mm

Note that the symbol M is from the Swedish terms mo (=very fine sand) and mjala (=silt).
12

Budhu, M., 2015. Soil mechanics fundamentals. John Wiley & Sons. CE F243 - Soil Mechanics
Particle Size Distribution

 Also known as grain size distribution.

 Size and distribution of the soil particle, especially for granular soils,
affects engineering behavior.

 For fine-grained soils, the presence of water greatly affects their

engineering response - much more than grain size distribution.

 The process to determine particle size distribution is called particle-

size analysis, or sometimes the mechanical analysis or the gradation
test.

 For coarse-grained soil sieve analysis is performed.

 For fine-grained analysis, sedimentation analysis is performed. 13

CE F243 - Soil Mechanics

Particle Size Distribution
Dry Sieve Analysis

14

CE F243 - Soil Mechanics

Particle Size Distribution
Wet Sieve Analysis

 Spread out soil passing 4.75 mm in a large tray or bucket and add water.
 Add dispersing agent - two grams of sodium hexametaphosphate or one gram
of sodium hydroxide and one gram of sodium carbonate per liter of water.
 The mix should be thoroughly stirred and left for soaking. The soil-soaked
specimen should be washed thoroughly over the nest of sieves.
 Washing shall be continued until the water passing each sieve is substantially
clean.
 The fraction retained on each sieve should be emptied carefully without any loss
of material in separate trays. Oven dry at 105 to 110°C and weigh each fraction 15
separately. CE F243 - Soil Mechanics
Particle Size Distribution

16

CE F243 - Soil Mechanics

Particle Size Distribution

Opening (mm) Weight retained (g) % retained Cum % retained % finer

4.75 10.00

2.36 20.00

1.18 50.00

0.60 20.00

0.30 60.00

0.15 80.00

0.075 45.00

Pan 170.00
17

CE F243 - Soil Mechanics

Particle Size Distribution

Opening (mm) Weight retained (g) % retained Cum % retained % finer

4.75 10.00 2.20

2.36 20.00 4.40

1.18 50.00 10.99

0.60 20.00 4.40

0.30 60.00 13.19

0.15 80.00 17.58

0.075 45.00 9.89

Pan 170.00 37.36

18

CE F243 - Soil Mechanics

Particle Size Distribution

Opening (mm) Weight retained (g) % retained Cum % retained % finer

4.75 10.00 2.20 2.20

2.36 20.00 4.40 6.59

1.18 50.00 10.99 17.58

0.60 20.00 4.40 21.98

0.30 60.00 13.19 35.16

0.15 80.00 17.58 52.75

0.075 45.00 9.89 62.64

Pan 170.00 37.36 100.00

19

CE F243 - Soil Mechanics

Particle Size Distribution

Opening (mm) Weight retained (g) % retained Cum % retained % finer

4.75 10.00 2.20 2.20 97.80

2.36 20.00 4.40 6.59 93.41

1.18 50.00 10.99 17.58 82.42

0.60 20.00 4.40 21.98 78.02

0.30 60.00 13.19 35.16 64.84

0.15 80.00 17.58 52.75 47.25

0.075 45.00 9.89 62.64 37.36

Pan 170.00 37.36 100.00 0

Interpretation of cumulative % retained and % finer? 20

CE F243 - Soil Mechanics

Particle Size Distribution

.
Budhu, M., 2015. Soil mechanics fundamentals. John Wiley & Sons
(Uniformly graded) Poorly graded
( )

21
D50 = Average particle diameter; D10 = Effective size
CE F243 - Soil Mechanics
Particle Size Distribution
Well-graded

Contains wide range of

particle sizes and has
good representation of
all sizes

22

Holtz, R.D., Kovacs, W.D. and Sheahan, T.C., 1981. An introduction to geotechnical
engineering (Vol. 733). Englewood Cliffs: Prentice-Hall. CE F243 - Soil Mechanics
Particle Size Distribution
Poorly graded: Uniformly graded Poorly graded: Gap graded

23

Holtz, R.D., Kovacs, W.D. and Sheahan, T.C., 1981. An introduction to geotechnical
engineering (Vol. 733). Englewood Cliffs: Prentice-Hall. CE F243 - Soil Mechanics
Particle Size Distribution

.
Budhu, M., 2015. Soil mechanics fundamentals. John Wiley & Sons
Coefficient of
uniformity
(Uniformly graded) Poorly graded
( )

Coefficient of
curvature

A soil with a Cc between 1 and 3 is considered to be well graded as

long as the Cu is also greater than 4 for gravels and 6 for sands.
24

CE F243 - Soil Mechanics

Particle Size Distribution

Opening (mm) Weight retained (g) % retained Cum % retained % finer

4.75 10.00 2.20 2.20 97.80

2.36 20.00 4.40 6.59 93.41

1.18 50.00 10.99 17.58 82.42

0.60 20.00 4.40 21.98 78.02

0.30 60.00 13.19 35.16 64.84

0.15 80.00 17.58 52.75 47.25

0.075 45.00 9.89 62.64 37.36

Pan 170.00 37.36 100.00 0

% Coarse-grained =?; % fine-grained =?; % gravel =?; % sand=?; % silt =?; % clay =? 25

CE F243 - Soil Mechanics

Particle Size Distribution

 Hydrometer analysis (scope of application and

assumptions)
 For fine-grained soil (< 75 microns)
 Based on Stokes law
 Particles are assumed to be spheres of same specific gravity
 Particles settle individually and are not affected by other
particles
 Not valid for colloids where Brownian motion is prevalent
 Terminal velocity is reached immediately after starting the
test 26

CE F243 - Soil Mechanics

Particle Size Distribution Hydrometer reading =
(Sp. Gr – 1) x 1000

 Hydrometer analysis (apparatus)))

Stem
Soil suspension = fine-grained
soil (<75 microns) + dispersing
agent + water

Sp. Gravity of the suspension

at the center of the bulb
Bulb

V hydrometer ≈ V bulb 27

https://www.globalgilson.com/hydrometer-analysis-of-soils CE F243 - Soil Mechanics

Particle Size Distribution

 Hydrometer analysis (philosophy/working principle)

 Initially specific gravity of
suspension is same throughout

 Will specific gravity of this

suspension be >1, = 1, or <1?

 Will the hydrometer sink or rise or

stay as it is, if left in the suspension
over time?

 Will hydrometer reading increase or

28
decrease with time?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WkN4LxXKKKI CE F243 - Soil Mechanics
Particle Size Distribution

 Hydrometer analysis (philosophy/working principle)

With time, the specific gravity of suspension increases or decreases
with depth??
For now, assume that area of
At time t = 0 At time t = t tank is huge and hence inserting
the hydrometer will not result in
change in free surface elevation

HR

At time t = t, can we say that all

particles of dia D and larger
than D have settled below the
center of the bulb as per
Stokes law? 29

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WkN4LxXKKKI CE F243 - Soil Mechanics

 BITS Pilani
Pilani|Dubai|Goa|Hyderabad

THANK YOU
30