Chap 3

Geotechnical Engineering
(Soil Mechanics)
1
Chapter Three
• Weight—Volume Relationships
Mododi
Fall 1402 Principles of Geotechnical Engineering, 9th Edition, Braja M. Das
2 3.1 Introduction
Air
Water
Solid
Mododi
Fall 1402
3 3.2 Weight—Volume Relationships
 Soils are three-phase systems consisting of soil solids, water

and air
Mododi
Fall 1402
 The total volume of a given soil sample can be expressed as
𝑉 = 𝑉𝑠 + 𝑉𝑣 = 𝑉𝑠 + 𝑉𝑤 + 𝑉𝑎
• 𝑉𝑠 —volume of soil solids
• 𝑉𝑣 —volume of voids
• 𝑉𝑤 – volume of water in the voids
• 𝑉𝑎 —volume of air in the voids
 The total weight of the soil sample
𝑊 = 𝑊𝑠 + 𝑊𝑤
• 𝑊𝑠 —weight of soil solids
• 𝑊𝑤 —weight of water
Mododi
Fall 1402
 The volume relationships used for three phases of soil are:

 Void Ratio (e): defined as the ratio of the volume of voids to the
𝑉
volume of solids 𝑒= 𝑣
𝑉𝑠
 Porosity (n): is defined as the ratio of the volume of voids to the

𝑉
total volume 𝑛= 𝑣
𝑉
 Degree of Saturation (S): is defined as the ratio of the volume of

𝑉
the water to the volume of voids 𝑆 = 𝑤
𝑉𝑣
 Water Content or Moisture Content (w): the ratio of the weight of

𝑊
water to the weight of solids 𝑤= 𝑤
𝑊𝑠
Mododi
Fall 1402
 Void ratio and Porosity

𝑉𝑣
𝑉𝑣 𝑉𝑣 𝑉 𝑛
𝑒= = = 𝑉 = void ratio in terms of porosity
𝑉𝑠 𝑉−𝑉𝑣 1−( 𝑉𝑣) 1−𝑛
𝑒
𝑛= porosity in terms of void ratio
1+𝑒
 Unit Weight and Water Content

𝑊𝑤
𝑊𝑠 1 +
𝑊 𝑊𝑠 + 𝑊𝑤 𝑊𝑠 𝑊𝑠 1 + 𝑤 moist unit weight in terms of
𝛾= = = =
𝑉 𝑉 𝑉 𝑉 water contents
𝑊𝑠 𝛾 dry unit weight in terms of water

𝛾𝑑 = = content and moist gamma
𝑉 1+𝑤
Mododi
Fall 1402
7 Unit Weight (𝛾), Void Ratio (𝑒), Water
Content (𝑤), and Specific Gravity (𝐺𝑠 )
 Consider a volume of soil that the volume of the solids is equal

to one. 𝑉𝑠 = 1
 If the volume of the solids is one then the volume of voids is

numerically equal to void ratio.
𝑉𝑠 = 1 then 𝑉𝑣 = 𝑒
 The weight of soil solids and water can be given as:
𝑊𝑠 = 𝐺𝑠 𝛾𝑤
𝑊𝑤 = 𝑤𝑊𝑠 = 𝑤𝐺𝑠 𝛾𝑤
Mododi
Fall 1402
8 Unit Weigth, Void Ratio, Water
Content, and Specific Gravity
𝑊 𝑊𝑠 + 𝑊𝑤 𝐺𝑠 𝛾𝑤 1 + 𝑤
𝛾= = =
𝑉 𝑉𝑠 + 𝑉𝑣 1+𝑒
𝑊𝑠 𝐺𝑠 𝛾𝑤 𝐺𝑠 𝛾𝑤
𝛾𝑑 = = =
𝑉 𝑉𝑠 + 𝑉𝑣 1 + 𝑒
𝐺𝑠 𝛾𝑤
𝑒= −1
𝛾𝑑
𝑉𝑤 𝑤𝐺𝑠
𝑆= 𝑉𝑣
= 𝑒
or 𝑆𝑒 = 𝑤𝐺𝑠
Mododi
𝑒 = 𝑤𝐺𝑠 for saturated soil S=1
Fall 1402
9 Unit Weigth, Void Ratio, Water
Content, and Specific Gravity
𝑊 𝑊𝑠 + 𝑊𝑤 𝐺𝑠 𝛾𝑤 + 𝑒𝛾𝑤
𝛾𝑠𝑎𝑡 = = =
𝑉 𝑉𝑠 + 𝑉𝑣 1+𝑒
𝑒 = 𝑤𝐺𝑠 for saturated soil S=1
𝑘𝑁 lb
𝛾𝑤 = 9.81 = 62.4
𝑚3 ft3
𝑘𝑔
𝜌𝑤 = 1000 3
𝑚
Mododi
Fall 1402
10 Unit Weight, Porosity, and Water
Content
 Consider a soil volume sample that has a total volume equal
to one.
𝑉𝑣 𝑉𝑣
𝑛= = = 𝑉𝑣
𝑉 1
𝑉𝑠 = 𝑉 − 𝑉𝑣 = 1 − 𝑛
𝑊𝑠 = 𝐺𝑠 𝛾𝑤 𝑉𝑠 = 𝐺𝑠 𝛾𝑤 (1 − 𝑛)
𝑊𝑤 = 𝑤𝑊𝑠 = 𝑤𝐺𝑠 𝛾𝑤 (1 − 𝑛)
𝑊𝑠 𝐺𝑠 𝛾𝑤 (1 − 𝑛)
𝛾𝑑 = = = 𝐺𝑠 𝛾𝑤 (1 − 𝑛)
𝑉 1
𝑊 𝑊𝑠 + 𝑊𝑤
𝛾= = = 𝐺𝑠 𝛾𝑤 1 + 𝑤 (1 − 𝑛)
Mododi 𝑉 𝑉
Fall 1402
11 Unit Weight, Porosity, and Water
Content
 Unit weight and moisture content for saturated soil sample
𝑊𝑠 + 𝑊𝑤 𝐺𝑠 𝛾𝑤 1 − 𝑛 + 𝑛𝛾𝑤
𝛾𝑠𝑎𝑡 = =
𝑉 1
= 1 − 𝑛 𝐺𝑠 + 𝑛 𝛾𝑤
𝑊𝑤 𝑛𝛾𝑤 𝑛
𝑤= = =
𝑊𝑠 1−𝑛 𝐺𝑠 𝛾𝑤 1−𝑛 𝐺𝑠
Mododi
Fall 1402
12 Various Unit Weight Relationships
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Fall 1402
13 Various Unit Weight Relationships
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Fall 1402
14
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Fall 1402
15
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Fall 1402
16
Example 3.2
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Fall 1402
17 Example 3.2
Solution
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Fall 1402
18
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Fall 1402
19
Anis, Fall 1394
Mododi
Fall 1402
20
Mododi
Fall 1402
21
Example 3.3
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Fall 1402
22 Example 3.4
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Fall 1402
23
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Fall 1402
24
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25
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Fall 1402
26 3.5 Relative Density
 The relative density is commonly used to indicate the in situ

denseness or looseness of granular soil
𝑒𝑚𝑎𝑥 − 𝑒
𝐷𝑟 =
𝑒𝑚𝑎𝑥 − 𝑒𝑚𝑖𝑛
• 𝐷𝑟 relative density, given as percentage

• 𝑒 in situ void ratio of soil
• 𝑒𝑚𝑎𝑥 void ratio of the soil in the loosest state
• 𝑒𝑚𝑖𝑛 void ratio of the soil in the densest state
 The relative density may vary from a minimum of 0% for loose

soil to a maximum of 100% for very dense soil
Mododi
Fall 1402
27 Relative Density
Qualitative Description of Granular Soil Deposits
 The relative density can also be defined in terms of porosity,
1 − 𝑛𝑚𝑖𝑛 𝑛𝑚𝑎𝑥 − 𝑛
𝐷𝑟 =
𝑛𝑚𝑎𝑥 − 𝑛𝑚𝑖𝑛 1 − 𝑛
Mododi
Fall 1402
28 3.5 Relative Density
 Also relative density can be express in terms of maximum and

minimum dry unit weight
𝛾𝑑 − 𝛾𝑑 𝑚𝑖𝑛 𝛾𝑑 𝑚𝑖𝑛
𝐷𝑟 =
𝛾𝑑(𝑚𝑎𝑥) − 𝛾𝑑 𝑚𝑖𝑛 𝛾𝑑
 ASTM test designation D4253 and D4254 provide a procedure

for determining the maximum and minimum dry unit weights
of granular soils so that they can be used to measure the
relative density of compaction in the field
Mododi
Fall 1402
29
Mododi
Fall 1402
30 3.8 Summary
 Volume Relationships
 Void Ratio, Porosity, Degree of Saturation
 Weight Relationships
 Moisture Content and Dry, Moist, Saturated Unit Weight
 Relative Density
 In terms of 𝑒𝑚𝑎𝑥 , 𝑒𝑚𝑖𝑛 and 𝛾𝑑(𝑚𝑎𝑥) , 𝛾𝑑 𝑚𝑖𝑛
Mododi
Fall 1402
31 Assignments
 Read Sections 3.5 and 3.6
 Do the Problems: 3.6, 3.11, 3.19
Mododi
Fall 1402

Chap 3

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Chap 3

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Geotechnical Engineering

 Soils are three-phase systems consisting of soil solids, water

 The total volume of a given soil sample can be expressed as

 The volume relationships used for three phases of soil are:

 Porosity (n): is defined as the ratio of the volume of voids to the

 Degree of Saturation (S): is defined as the ratio of the volume of

 Water Content or Moisture Content (w): the ratio of the weight of

 Void ratio and Porosity

 Unit Weight and Water Content

𝑊𝑠 𝛾 dry unit weight in terms of water

 Consider a volume of soil that the volume of the solids is equal

 If the volume of the solids is one then the volume of voids is

𝑒 = 𝑤𝐺𝑠 for saturated soil S=1

Anis, Fall 1394

 The relative density is commonly used to indicate the in situ

• 𝐷𝑟 relative density, given as percentage

 The relative density may vary from a minimum of 0% for loose

 The relative density can also be defined in terms of porosity,

 Also relative density can be express in terms of maximum and

 ASTM test designation D4253 and D4254 provide a procedure

 Read Sections 3.5 and 3.6

 Do the Problems: 3.6, 3.11, 3.19

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