THE INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY

VNU-HCM

COURSE SYLLABUS

CE303IU

SOIL MECHANICS LABORATORY

1. Name of course: SOIL MECHANICS LABORATORY

2. Number of Credits: 1

3. Level: 3rd year student

4. Prerequisites: Soil Mechanics.

5. Course Description:
The course provides to students the common technique to obtain necessary values of
the engineering properties of soil in Laboratory for design such as: Water content and
unit weight, particle size distribution, Atterberg limit, compaction test, direct shear
test. The course includes understanding about testing equipment, general procedures
related to each test, and parameters measured by the tests
6. Overall Educational Objectives/ Learning Outcomes:
This course is designed to give junior engineering students practical skills to
determine the value of soil properties, analyzing experimental result, commenting
experimental result and report skill.
7. Student responsibility:
Student is expected that you will spend at least 4 hours per week on studying this
course. This time should be made up of reading, working on exercises, group
assignment and attending class lectures and tutorials. University regulations indicate
that if students attend less than 80% of scheduled classes they may be refused final
assessment.
8. Course Assessment Policy:
- Laboratory activity and report: 70%
- Final presentation: 30%
9. Textbooks and Other Required Materials:
Textbook:
- Braja M. Das, Principles of Geotechnical Engineering, 7th Edition, CL - Engineering, 2005.
Referrences:
- Braja M. Das, Introduction to Geotechnical Engineering, 1st Edition, CL - Engineering, 2008.
10. Grade scale: 100
11. Course Outline

Week Content Activity

1 Introduction about soil laboratory test and lab
rules for safety
2 Water content and unit weight report
3 Sieving analysis report
4 Atterberg limit report
5 Compaction test report
6 Direct shear test report
7 Final presentation
 CE303IU Water content and unit
L01
Soil Mechanics Laboratory weight

1. Purpose
To determine natural water content of soil
To determine unit weight of soil
2. Equipment
Scale or electric balance
Non-rust metal container
Oven/Desiccators
Trimming frame
Sample holder/mold
3. Materials
Soil from test pit, Shelby or SPT liner
4. Procedure
For water (moisture) content
Weigh sample holder (w1)
Contain soil in a sample holder
Weigh wet soil and holder (w2)
Place soil in oven at 105C to dry (gypsum
or organic soil, temperature is not exceed
80C)
Cool dry soil in desiccators
Weigh dry soil and holder (w3)
Calculate water content by Eq.1
WW w - w3
w= 100% = 2 100% (Eq.1)
WS w3 - w1 w
gW = (Eq.2)
V
For unit weight For soil without change in volume by
Soil ring sample or holder for dense soil drying
gW
with stability of shape ; Wax for loose soil; gS = (Eq.3)
1 + 0.01w
Petroleum for dense soil with instability of
shape to determine volume It notes that:
Weigh soil sample to determine weight of
soil (w1) 1kN = 9.81 kg
Calculate water content by Eq.2 and 3
For soil without change in volume by
drying
 CE303IU
Sieve analysis L02
Soil Mechanics Laboratory

1. Purpose
To determine grain size distribution of soil
2. Equipment
Rubber-tipped pestle / Porcelain mortar
Sieves (No. 4, 10, 18, 20, 35, 40, 60, 140,
200 (and 0.1mm TCVN)
Sieve shaker
Oven/Desiccators
Spatula / sample holder (porcelain bowl)
Scale or electric balance (0.001g)
3. Materials
Soil from test pit, Shelby or SPT liner
4. Procedure
Dry sieve analysis
Weigh wet soil
Place soil in oven at 105C to dry
Weigh soil (total)
Grind soil by pestle and mortar
Put 0.5 kg to 1kg of dry soil on sieve and
shake (within 10 munites)
Weight retained soil in each sieve size.
If total weight of all sieve size is larger
99% of total weight is OK.
Wash sieve analysis
Place soil in oven at 105C to dry
Weigh dry soil (total)
Grind dry soil into mortar with water
Sieve wet soil through sieves above No.200
until seeing clean water
Dry retained soil and through soil on sieve
No. 200 and weigh
Determine weight on each sieve size

Weight of soil retained above sieve is

used to determine particle size
distribution curve
 CE303IU
Atterberg limit L03
Soil Mechanics Laboratory

1. Purpose
To determine consistency of clayey soil -
Liquid limit (LL) and Plastic limit (PL).
2. Equipment
Calibrated Casagrande cup
Grooving tool, Spatula
Bowl or Dish, Graduated Cylinder, 48 sample
cans
3. Materials
Fine grained soil passing through #40 Sieve
(0.425mm)
4. Procedure
Liquid limit (LL)
Prepare soil by adding water into sieved dry
soil. Water content is checked by weight.
Mix dry soil with water to produce soil
paste.
Place soil in clean Casagrande cup.
Level soil in cup by spatula.
Cut groove through center of cup by
grooving tool
Turn crank at 2 blows/s.
Record number of blows with groove closes
by 12.7 mm
Repeat from 4 to 5 soil samples to obtain
the number of blow between 15 and 35.
Calibration: Height of drop and base
Plastic limit (PL)
Air dry soil until it will not stick to hand.
Roll soil on glass plate by hand or plastic
limit roller into thread of 4.2 mm diameter.
If soil began to crumble, then take water
content, otherwise to reroll soil.
5. Data Presentation:
For LL, plot water content versus number
of blow then determine LL at 25 blows
For PL, present water content only
Check test results to other empirical
equations
 CE303IU Compaction test
L04
Soil Mechanics Laboratory (Proctor test)

1. Purpose
To determine compaction characteristics of
soil.
2. Equipment
Automatic compaction machine
Standard mould (int. dia. of 101.6 mm);
Modified mould (int. dia. of 152.4 mm)
Hammer or rammer: standard (2495 g) and
modified (4353 g) ones.
Balance and sample cans/holders
3. Materials
Most suitable on coarse-grained soil
Water content.
4. Procedure
Prepare sufficient amount of air-dried soil
(enough for 5 moulds).
Divide soil into equal portions for each
compaction.
Add water to each portion incremental
water content, then mixing each portion.
Compact each portion according to given
requirement. In which the last layer, it
should not exceed the mould by more than 8
mm.
Remove compaction collar and scrape
surface flat.
Determine water content and unit dry
weight by cans and oven-dry

5. Data Presentation:
For LL, plot water content versus number
of blow then determine LL at 25 blows
For PL, present water content only
 CE303IU
Direct shear test L05
Soil Mechanics Laboratory

1. Purpose
To determine shearing resistance of soil
2. Equipment
Direct shear box apparatus.
Round sample cutter, round dolly tampers,
porous plates,
3. Materials
Sample soil
4. Procedure
Trim soil by sample cutter to fit in shear
box.
Assemble soil sample into shear box by
using a dolly tamper.
For consolidation, apply required vertical
load. Record vertical displacement and time
for determining consolidation
characteristics.
For shearing (quick test or drained test on
sandy soil), lift upper half of box by 2
screws for friction reduction between upper
and lower boxes. Push one half of box
horizontal at rate of 5% per hour. Record
horizontally applied force, vertical and
horizontal displacements until shear strain
of 30% is reached.
Repeat test at different consolidation
stresses for cohesion intercept and friction
angle determination.