When you hear about soil testing for construction, you might not feel like it a a very important or exciting topic, but believe me it is an unskippable part of construction if you want your structure to be strong and durable.
You can think of soil as the foundation of your construction project— quite literally. They say that a “well begun is half done”. So if you build on unstable or poor-quality soil, you can be sure that trouble is right around the corner . Soil testing helps us understand the characteristics of the soil on your site, such as its strength, composition, and ability to bear loads. It can give professionals an idea on what kind of construction elements are best used in your site. Soil tests help avoid costly mistakes and ensure that your building stands strong for years to come. They help us determine:
Here are some of the most popular soil test done in the construction industry
This test is done to determine the density of soil particles per unit volume of soil without its moisture content. Knowing soil density is crucial for understanding how much load-bearing capacity the soil on the proposed land has. There are two main methods used for this test:
In this method, we insert a core cutter of specific dimensions into the soil from the site and take a cylindrical core sample. We then weigh it, measure its mass and calculate volume. To find the dry density, we use the formula:
P=( M/V) /(1+W)
Where:
P = Dry density of soil
M = Mass of soil sample
V = Volume of soil sample
W = Water content of soil
In this method, we use a metallic sieve and dig out a hole in the earth that is circular in shape. This hole will have a specific volume that is predetermined. This hole is then filled with sand which we know the density to see how much volume of it is required. We then measure the volume of soil that we excavated and the mass of both the soil and sand earlier and then calculate its dry density of the excavated soil.
Moisture content is another important factor you need to be aware of in soil testing. If the soil has excessive moisture, it can weaken the soil and affect its load-bearing capacity. Moisture tests help us calculate the amount of water present in the soil.
A common method for moisture testing is the oven-dry method. In this method, we first weigh a soil sample, then we dry it in an oven and weigh it again. The difference between the two will give us the moisture content of the soil.
The Atterberg limits test helps us understand how moisture content can change the soil’s consistency. It consists of three main parameters:
Liquid Limit: The moisture content of the soil at the state which it transitions from a liquid to a plastic state.
Plastic Limit: The moisture content at which the soil you have collected transitions from a plastic to a semisolid state.
Plasticity Index: The difference between the liquid limit and the plastic limit of the soil in your land gives plasticity index. This tells us the range of moisture content over which the soil behaves as a plastic material.
These parameters give us valuable insights into the soil’s behavior. It helps engineers determine how suitable the soil is for construction.
In the specific gravity test, we measure the density of soil solids. It helps us understand the soil’s composition and its ability to support structures. We usually use this test on soil particles by separating from the soil sample. This process is done by comparing the specific gravity of soil solids to that of water. We use it to calculate the void ratio and porosity of the soil. These are important factors in foundation design and soil stabilization, it gives us an idea about the vulnerability of soil corrosion and its susceptibility to float away with floods.
This is a widely used laboratory test in the field of construction, It helps us determine the optimal moisture content of the soil and its maximum dry density. This is done so that engineers can evaluate the compatibility of the soil along with its compaction characteristics. It is especially important for constructing earthwork projects like embankments, roads, and foundations.
The test is quite a lengthy process. We first obtain a soil sample from the site. We then dry, crush and sieve it to remove all coarse particles and any organic materials present. We divide the resulting soil into different batches with increasing moisture content. We then put the moist samples in layers into a compaction mold and compact it down with either a compaction hammer or a mechanical compactor to make it really dense. This process gets repeated for sand in each moisture level.
We carefully take out each of the compacted mass and then weigh it to determine its mass. We then dry it in an oven and weigh them again to determine the moisture content in each level. We also calculate each of the layers’ dry density by dividing its mass by volume.
After all the molds are measured, we plot a graph with moisture content vs dry data to get a compacted curve known as the proctor curve. This curve is used to determine the best moisture level for compacting the curve.
