The basic unit of this type of clay is formed by atomic bond of the unsatisfied face of silica sheet and either face of aluminum sheet as seen in Figure 1.Figure 1. Kaolinite clay formationThe bond be...
The water content w, also called the moisture content, is defined as the ratio of weight of water Ww to the weight of solids (Ws or Wd) in a given mass of soil.Equation 1. Natural water content expres...
Clay needs special attention because of its small particle size. As discussed in the grain size distribution section, soils with their particle diameters less than 5 μm (2 μm in some classification sy...
Specific gravity G (or Gs) is defined as the ratio of the weight of a given volume of soil solids at a given temperature to the weight of an equal volume of distilled water at that temperature, both w...
Rounding off a number is necessary so that the accuracy of the result will be the same as that of the problem data. As a general rule, any numerical figure ending in a number greater than five is roun...
The four basic quantities -length, time, mass, and force- are not all independent from one another; in fact, they are related by Newton’s second law of motion, F = ma. Because of this, the units used ...
Soil is a complex physical system. A mass of soil includes accumulated solid particles or soil grains and the void spaces that exist between the particles. The void spaces may be partially or complete...
In this website, SI units have been used throughout. However, prior to this, metric units were in use, not only in India, but also in several parts of the world. Most of the equipment in these laborat...
The field of soil mechanics is very vast. The civil engineer has many diverse and important encounters with soil. Apart from the testing and classification of various types of soils in order to determ...
The ‘structure’ of a soil may be defined as the manner of arrangement and state of aggregation of soil grains. In a broader sense, consideration of mineralogical composition, electrical properties, or...
Soil is formed by the process of ‘Weathering’ of rocks, that is, disintegration and decomposition of rocks and minerals at or near the earth’s surface through the actions of natural or mechanical and ...
Soils which are formed by weathering of rocks may remain in position at the place of region. In that case these are ‘Residual Soils’. These may get transported from the place of origin by various agen...
The following are some commonly used soil designations, their definitions and basic properties:Bentonite: Decomposed volcanic ash containing a high percentage of clay mineral— montmorillonite. It...
The knowledge of soil mechanics has application in many fields of Civil Engineering.Foundations: The loads from any structure have to be ultimately transmitted to a soil through the foundation fo...
The use of soil for engineering purposes dates back to prehistoric times. Soil was used not only for foundations but also as construction material for embankments. The knowledge was empirical in natur...
The term ‘Soil’ has different meanings in different scientific fields. It has originated from the Latin word Solum. To an agricultural scientist, it means ‘‘the loose material on the earth’s crus...