College of Engineering, Architecture,
and Technology
CE 412: LABORATORY EXPERIMENT NO. 5
SAMPLE VISUAL AND MANUAL TEST: IDENTIFICATION OF SOIL SAMPLE IN
THE FIELD PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF SOIL
NAME: COURSE & YEAR: RATING:
BSCE-4A(STEM)
ADDRESS: DATE:
COURSE FACILITATOR:
ENGR. MARJORIC A. PENETRANTE
INTRODUCTION:
SOIL CLASSIFICATION IS USED TO SYSTEMATICALLY GROUP SOILS WITH
SIMILAR PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS IN THE SAME CLASSIFICATION
CATEGORY. THE USE OF A SOIL CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM PRODUCES A
CONSISTENT DESCRIPTION OF SOIL SAMPLES THAT CAN BE READILY
UNDERSTOOD BY ENGINEERS, GEOLOGISTS, DRILLERS AND OTHER MEMBERS
OF THE PROJECT TEAM. SOIL CLASSIFICATION SYSTEMS GROUPS SOILS
BASED UPON PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS (E.G. GRAIN SIZE, GRADATION,
PLASTICITY, ETC.). GENERAL ENGINEERING AND HYDROLOGIC PROPERTIES
OF SOILS CAN BE ESTIMATED FROM THESE PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS
ALLOWING RAPID PRELIMINARY ASSESSMENT OF SITE CONDITIONS DURING
A FIELD INVESTIGATION PROGRAM WHEN LITTLE TIME IS AVAILABLE FOR
LABORATORY ANALYSES.
SOILS ARE CLASSIFIED ON THE BASIS OF VISUAL-MANUAL TESTS AND
LABORATORY TESTS. THE PURPOSE OF THIS SOP IS TO PRESENT
STANDARDIZED CRITERIA FOR DESCRIBING AND IDENTIFYING SOILS IN THE
FIELD. WITH PROPER TRAINING, EXPERIENCE, AND REGULAR FEEDBACK
(CORRELATION TO LABORATORY TESTS), IT IS POSSIBLE TO ACCURATELY
AND CONSISTENTLY CLASSIFY SOILS ON THE BASIS OF VISUALMANUAL
FIELD OBSERVATIONS/TESTS.
I. OBJECTIVES:
THE ACTIVITY AIMS TO IMPART THE MANUAL AND VISUAL
PROCEDURES FOR SOIL DESCRIPTION AND IDENTIFICATION PRIOR TO
DETAILED SITE INVESTIGATION.
THE STUDENT BE ABLE TO:
1. UNDERSTAND THE SOIL PARAMETERS THAT ARE BEING UNDERSTOOD
THROUGH THE CONDUCT OF THE EXPERIMENT
2. CONCEPTUALIZE A PROCEDURE FOR CONDUCT OF INITIAL
INVESTIGATION ON A SITE.
3. VISSUALY CLASSIFY SOIL.
II. APPARATUS/TOOLS
SPATULA
PAN
SIEVE NO. 40
BALLPEN
NOTEBOOK OR PAPER
PLASTIC GLOVES
PLASTIC SPATULA PAN
GLOVES
SIEVE NO. 40 BALLPEN NOTEBOOK OR PAPER
III. PREPARATION:
1. GATHER AND PREPARE ALL THE
NECESSARY TOOLS, APPARATUS
AND EQUIPMENTS NEEDED FOR
THE EXPERIMENT.
2. RETRIEVE THE SOIL SAMPLE
GATHERED FROM EXPERIMENT
NO. 4 THAT YOU HAVE SET
ASIDE.
TAKE A PORTION OF THE
UNDISTURBED SOIL AND USE AS
A REPRESENTATIVE SAMPLE.
IV. PROCEDURE:
1. FOR SAMPLE NO. 1, EXAMINE
AND SEPARATE THE COARSE-
GRAIN FROM FINE-GRAIN. SAME
PROCEDURE IS TO BE DONE FOR
SAMPLE NO. 2.
FOR COARSE-GRAINED SOIL
2. DESCRIBE AND CLASSIFY THE
ANGULARITY OF THE
PARTICLES IF IT IS ANGULAR,
SUBANGULAR, ROUNDED OR
SUBROUNDED.
3. DESCRIBE THE COLOR OF THE
SOIL SAMPLE. ( USE MUNSELL
SOIL COLOR CHART)
4. DESCRIBE THE ODOR OF THE
SOIL SAMPLE.
5. DESCRIBE THE MOISTURE
CONTENT OR MOISTURE
CONDITION OF THE SOIL.
6. DESCRIBE THE CEMENTATION OF
THE SOIL SAMPLE. IF IT IS WEAK,
MODERATE OR STRONG USING
FINGER PRESSURE.
7. MAKE SURE TO TAKE NOTE AND
RECORD ALL THE DATAS
GATHERED WHILE PERFORMING
THE EXPERIMENT.
FOR FINE-GRAINED SOIL
1. SELECT A REPRESENTATIVE
SAMPLE AND SEPARATE USING
SIEVE #40. THE RETAINED SOIL IS
TO BE REMOVED. THE
REMAINING SAMPLE IN THE PAN
PASSING SIEVE #40 IS TO BE
TESTED FOR DRY STRENGTH,
DILATANCY AND TOUGHNESS
STRENGTH.
2. FOR THE DRY STRENGTH,
MOLD A SAMPLE INTO 30 MM
IN DIAMETER SIZE BALL AND
LET IT DRY. ADD WATER IF
NECESSARY. ALLOW IT TO DRY
TO THE SUN OR AIR DRY. TEST
THE DRY STRENGTH OF THE
BALL BY CRUSHING IT IN
BETWEEN THE FINGERS.
DESCRIBE AND CLASSIFY THE
STRENGTH AS NONE, LOW,
MEDIUM, HIGH OR VERY HIGH
DEPENDING ON THE RESULTS
OF THE TEST.
3. FOR THE DILATANCY TEST,
SELECT A SOIL SAMPLE THAT
WILL FORM THE SOIL INTO 15
MM BALL. MAKE A SAMPLE OF
SOFT PUTTY CONSISTENCY IN
YOUR PALM. ADD WATER IF
NECESSARY UNTIL IT HAS A
SOFT BUT NOT STICKY
CONSISTENCY. USING A
SPATULA, SMOOTHEN THE
BALL IN THE PALM OF ONE
HAND. SHAKE THE SOIL BY
STRIKING THE SIDE OF THE
HAND AGAINST THE OTHER
HAND. SQUEEZE THE SOIL AND
NOTE IF THE WATER
DISAPPEARS. THEN OBSERVE
THE REACTION DURING
SHAKING, SQUEEZING (BY
CLOSING HAND) AND
VIGOROUS TAPPING. NOTE THE
DILATANCY AS NONE, SLOW
OR RAPID.
4. FOR THE TOUGHNESS TEST,
SELECT A PORTION OF THE
SOIL SAMPLE, ROLL THE
SAMPLES INTO A THREAD
ABOUT 3MM IN DIAMETER.
FOLD AND REROLL THE
SAMPLE UNTIL THE SOIL IS
ABOUT TO CRUMBLE AT A
DIAMETER OF ABOUT 3 MM.
NOTE THE PRESSURE
REQUIRED TO ROLL THE
THREAD AS LOW, MEDIUM OR
HIGH.
5. MAKE SURE TO TAKE NOTE
AND RECORD ALL THE DATAS
GATHERED WHILE
PERFORMING THE
EXPERIMENT.
V. VISUAL SOIL CLASSIFICATION DATA SHEET
FOR COARSE-GRAINED SOIL
DESCRIPTION SAMPLE 1 SAMPLE 2
1. ANGULARITY
2. COLOR
3. ODOR
4. MOISTURE CONTENT
5. CEMENTATION
FOR FINE-GRAINED SOIL
DESCRIPTION SAMPLE 1 SAMPLE 2
1. DRY STRENGTH
2. DILATANCY
3. TOUGHNESS
IDENTIFICATION OF FINE-GRAINED SOILS
SOIL SAMPLE SOIL TYPE SOIL SYMBOL
NOTE (FOR SOIL SYMBOL): ML = SILT; CL = LEAN CLAY (LOW PLASTICITY
CLAY); MH = ELASTIC SOIL; CH = FAT CLAY (HIGH PLASTICITY CLAY).
VI. OBSERVATIONS:
VII. CONCLUSION:
VIII. DOCUMENTATION:
SOURCES:
https://cemmlab.webhost.uic.edu/Experiment%208-Visual%20Classification.pdf
http://www.dem.ri.gov/pubs/sops/wmsf5.pdf
MUNSELL ® COLOR (1994). SOIL COLOR CHARTS, MACBETH DIVISION OF
KOLLMORGEN INSTRUMENTS CORPORATION 405 LITTLE BRITAIN ROAD, NEW
WINDSOR, NY 12553
AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR TESTING AND MATERIALS (2000). STANDARD PRACTICE
FOR DESCRIPTION AND IDENTIFICATION OF SOILS BY VISUAL-MANUAL PROCEDURE
(D2488). PENNSYLVANIA: ASTM INTERNATIONAL
