Introduction
Welcome! The soil mechanics laboratory is part of the Materials Research Laboratory of
Department of Infrastructure and Management of the SBE. The laboratory is equipped with
apparatus for evaluating the index and engineering properties of soil.
As part of your soil mechanics studies, you will be conducting experiments in the laboratory.
The goal of laboratory experimentation, in our case, is to introduce the you (the student) to
the basic soil properties relevant to the construction sector and methods of
determination of those properties. It should be noted that while the study of geotechnical
testing and investigation is vast, we will limit ourselves with only the fundamentals of
laboratory testing; furthermore, most test procedures discussed here will be limited to the
scope of the course.
Laboratory instruction will involve a pre-experiment stage where preliminary information
is provided and review of theoretical concepts is conducted. This is followed by
the Experimentation stage where the actual testing happens. The experimentation stage
may be conducted as either a demonstration type where the laboratory staff
demonstrate the experiment with some students assisting and the rest observing or team
experimentation. Where, students in groups will conduct the experiments. Lastly, the post-
experiment stage, where findings from experiments are discussed and interpreted.
Content1
A. Physical properties and index properties (Classification Tests)
Experiment-1: Laboratory determination of the Water Content of soils
Experiment-2: Determination of Density (Unit weight) of soils
Experiment-2a: Laboratory determination of the density of undisturbed soil
samples
Expriment-2b: In-place determination of the density of soil
Experiment-3: Specific gravity of soil solids
Experiment-4: Particle size analysis
Experiment-4a: Sieve analysis
Experiment-4b: Hydrometer analysis
Experiment-5: Atterbergs' limits
Experiment-5a: Liquid limit test
Experiment-5b: Plastic limit test
B. Engineering properties
Experiment-6: Volume change characteristics of soils (Consolidation test)
Experiment-7: Shear strength characteristics of soils
Experiment-7a Direct shear test
Experiment-7b: Triaxial compression test (UU only)
1
Content may change depending on time constraints
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C. Soil Technology
Experiment-8: Moisture-Density Relationship (Compaction characteristics of soils)
Schedule
[to be discussed in the laboratory]
Attendance Policy
• Attendance is mandatory and during each session attendance will be recorded
• Those who have legitimate reason and proof of that reason for not attending may
contact the lab staff at any time during working hours to obtain alternative schedules.
Assignments Policy
[to be discussed in the laboratory]
Final Evaluation
• Once all lab work is finished laboratory attendance and any assignment points are
transferred to the lecturer.
• Final evaluation is up to your lecturer.
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General laboratory Safety Guidelines
The soil mechanics laboratory houses equipment and chemicals that may pose potential
hazard. These include, but are not limited to, cuts from broken glassware, chemical irritation,
heat burns, electric shock and mechanical trauma. The student shall be aware of and attentive
to the equipment and chemical they are utilizing in the laboratory at all times.
The student is expected to:
• Do not eat or drink in the laboratory.
• Footwear must have enclosed toes and heals (no sandals); especially, in the Materials
laboratory.
• Confine long hair, loose clothing or jewelry when in laboratory.
• Report any and all accidents immediately to laboratory staff.
• Make sure to obtain the appropriate training and/or authorization before operating any
equipment or utilize any material.
• Use laboratory equipment only for its intended purpose.
• Place tools and equipment in proper place after use.
• Keep the workbench clear of all but the required materials.
• Keep pathways free of obstruction.
• Clean up spills immediately.
• If you are uncertain about anything, ASK!
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Preliminaries
Soil Samples
Before conducting laboratory soil testing, soil samples need to be collected from the field.
There exist specific geotechnical investigation procedures for soil sampling; such discussion
is outside the scope of this course but for the purposes of our study, soil samples may
be classed into two groups
1. Disturbed Samples: are samples that only represent the composition of the soil as it
exists in its natural state. Such samples are, generally, dug manually or through power
equipment and collected into a plastic bag.
2. Undisturbed samples: are samples that represent the composition, structure and
moisture content of the soil as it exists in its natural state, as accurately as is
practicable. Such samples require specialized techniques to collect from the site. In
most case, an undisturbed sample will arrive in the lab in a thin-walled tube
(Shelby tube). sampler The sample is then extruded from the tube.
Figure 1: Disturbed soil sample (left) and undisturbed soil sampling tube (right)
Depending on the property that is to be determined a testing procedure will require either a
disturbed or an undisturbed sample. For example, a property that is only reliant on the
composition of the soil (such as particle size distribution) will only require a disturbed sample
such that the results from the test will properly represent the soil on site. On the other hand,
properties that relay on the structure of the soil will require undisturbed samples, if the results
are to represent natural site conditions.
In addition, in cases where the soil may be modified from its natural state before use by
compaction or other forms of alteration of density or moisture content, compacted or
remolded samples are used. Such samples are prepared in such a way that they represent the
soil that is to be used on site after the modification.
For any sample type, the most important consideration is representativeness of the
sample relative to the soil mass it was taken from and to the final state that soil mass may be
at when put to use.
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Sample Preparation
Once samples arrive at the laboratory, they may need to be prepared (conditioned) for testing.
Sample preparation generally only applies to disturbed samples as preparation would involve
alteration of structure and/or moisture content.
Undisturbed sample are only extracted from the sample tube and carefully trimmed to the
dimension required for the specific test.
Disturbed sample may be prepared in either of two ways:
1. Dry Method: the sample is dried in an oven or in open air to remove moisture. After
which the sample is pulverized to break apart any aggregation of particle, while being
careful not to crush the actual grains. Generally, it is recommended to air dry the
sample or oven dry at temperatures not exceeding 60 0C.
2. Wet Method: where the sample is not dried and is directly tested as is. For tests that
require a specific size fraction the sample is sieved by running distilled water over the
required sieve and the required fraction collected.
The dry method is generally recommended for non-clayey soils which do not strongly
aggregate when dried. It is also not recommended for soils that may alter their nature
during drying such as soils containing significant amounts of organic matter, soils
containing gypsum and tropical clay soils.
All sample used in our experiment in the lab will have passed sample preparation and you
will be conducting expriments on an already prepared sample.
Testing Standards
Results from testing need to be repeatable and reproducible, irrespective of the
laboratory they were conducted in or the operator. To ensure this, standard testing
procedures are developed by various national and international bodies. Some of these
standards include
• Ethiopian Standards (ES) by the Ethiopian Standards Institute (ESI),
• ISO standards by the International Standards Organization (ISO)
• ASTM Standards by the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM)
• AASHTO Standards by the American Association of State Highway and Transport
Officials (AASHTO)
• British Standards (BS) by the British Standards Institute (BSI)
• Indian Standards (IS) by the Bureau of Indian Standards
The standards use designation codes to identify which test they are referring to; for example
the ASTM standard for the Laboratory Determination of Water (Moisture) Content of Soil
and Rock by Mass has the designation ASTM D2216.
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Resources
Books
William A. Kitch. Geotechnical Engineering Laboratory Manual, 2009
(available at
[Link]
liam_A Kitch 2009 -_Geotechnical_Engineering_Lab_Manual.pdf)
Krishna R. Reddy. Engineering Properties of Soils Based on laboratory Testing.
University of Illinois at Chicago, 2020
(available at [Link] [2002 version])
Braja M. Das. Soil Mechanics Laboratory Manual. 6th ed. Oxford University Press,
2002.
.
John T. Germaine and Amy V. Germaine. Geotechnical Laboratory Measurements for
Engineers, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2009
Test Standards
American Society for Testing and Materials Standard Testing Procedures, ASTM
International, West Conshohocken, PA, 2019
Websites
The International Information Center for Geotechnical Engineers
International Society for Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering
Vulcanhammer: Geotechnical engineering resources and educational materials
Geo-institute of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE)
All materials discussed above are available at: [Link]
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