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Geotechnical Testing Methods
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Hydrometer Analysis
Purpose: Grain size distribution of fine-grained soils is determined using Stokes' Law. Procedure: Soil is dispersed in a suspension, and particle settling velocity is measured with a hydrometer at different times.
Unconfined Compression Test
Purpose: Simplest test to assess the shear strength of cohesive soils without lateral confinement. Procedure: Axial stress is applied to a cylindrical soil sample until failure occurs.
Direct Shear Test
Purpose: Determine the shear strength parameters of a soil, such as cohesion and the angle of internal friction. Procedure: Soil sample is sheared along a failure plane while being compressed under a normal load.
Soil Compaction Test (Modified Proctor Test)
Purpose: Determine the relationship between soil compaction and moisture content using heavier compaction. Procedure: Similar to the Standard Proctor Test but with greater hammer weight and drop height, resulting in a modified compaction curve.
California Bearing Ratio (CBR) Test
Purpose: Assess the strength of subgrade and base/sub-base materials for road and pavement design. Procedure: A standard plunger penetrates a compacted soil sample at a constant rate, and the bearing ratio is calculated.
Consolidation Test
Purpose: Measure settlement and the rate of consolidation of soils under load over time. Procedure: Vertical load is applied to a soil sample within an oedometer to track time-related deformation and calculate the Coefficient of Consolidation.
Triaxial Compression Test
Purpose: Evaluate the mechanical properties of soil like shear strength under controlled stress conditions. Procedure: Soil cylinder is compressed under confining pressure to find its shear resistance at different stress levels.
Vane Shear Test
Purpose: On-site determination of the undrained shear strength of cohesive soil. Procedure: A vane is inserted into the soil and rotated to measure resistance to shearing.
Permeability Test
Purpose: Estimate the hydraulic conductivity of soil to evaluate water flow through it. Procedure: Water is passed through a soil sample and flow rates are measured to determine permeability.
Plate Load Test
Purpose: Estimate bearing capacity of soils and settlements related to shallow foundations. Procedure: Load is gradually applied to a soil sample through a rigid plate, and the settlement corresponding to each load increment is recorded.
Atterberg Limits
Purpose: Determine the plasticity and consistency of fine-grained soils to classify them. Procedure: Gradually wet soil samples are tested for limits of phase changes from semi-solid to plastic (plastic limit) and from plastic to liquid (liquid limit).
Falling Head Permeability Test
Purpose: Determine the permeability of fine soils. Procedure: Water is allowed to flow through the soil specimen and the rate of fall of water head is recorded to calculate the permeability.
Standard Proctor Test
Purpose: Determine the soil compaction characteristics and its optimal moisture content. Procedure: Compact soil in a mold at various moisture contents with controlled hammer blows to create a compaction curve.
Sieve Analysis
Purpose: Establish the particle size distribution for granular soils. Procedure: Soil is passed through a stack of sieves with decreasing mesh sizes and the mass retained on each sieve is measured.
Dynamic Cone Penetrometer Test
Purpose: Evaluate the in-situ strength and estimate the thickness and compaction of layers in pavements and subgrades. Procedure: A cone is driven into the ground and the penetration depth per blow is used to estimate the strength of the soil.
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