QUESTION 3

Site Soil Tests-these tests are designed to evaluate the density or shear strength of soils and
very valuable since they do not disturb the soil under test. Elaborate further, list and discuss
three (3) tests that are used to carry out this process with clearly annotated hand drawn
diagrams.
SITE SOIL TESTS
These tests are designed to evaluate the density or shear strength of soils and are very
valuable since they do not disturb the soil under test.Three such tests are the standard
penetration test, the vane test and the unconfined compression test.
STANDARD PENETRATION TEST
This test measures the resistance of a soil to the penetration of a split spoon or split barrel
sampler driven into the bottom of a bore hole.The sampler is driven into the soil a further
300 mm and the number of blows counted up to a maximum of 50 blows. This test
establishes the relative density of the soil.
TYPICAL RESULTS
Non-cohesive soils:-

No.of Blows Relative Density

0 to 4 Very loose
4 to 10 Loose
10 to 30 Medium
30 to 50 Dense
50+ Very dense

Cohesive soils:-

No. of Blows Relative Density

0 to 2 Very soft
2 to 4 Soft
4 to 8 Medium
8 to 15 Stiff
15 to 30 Very stiff
30+ Hard

VANE TEST
This test measures the shear strength of soft cohesive soils. The steel vane is pushed into
the soft clay soil and rotated by hand at a constant rate. The amount of torque necessary for
rotation is measured and the soil shear strength is calculated.
Calculation of shear strength-
 Formula:- S=M/K
Where S=shear value in Kn/m`2
M=torque required to shear soil
K=constant for vane
=
D=vane diameter
This test can be carried out within a lined bore hole where the vane is pushed into the soil
below the base of the bore hole for a distance equal to three times the vane diameter
before rotation commences.When the vane is within the protection shoe, the vane is then
jacked a further 500 mm before rotation commences.
UNCONFINED COMPRESSION TEST
This test can be used to establish the shear strength of a non-fissured cohesive soil sample
using portable apparatus either on site or in a laboratory.The 75 mm long *38 mm diameter
soil sample is placed in the apparatus and loaded in compression until failure occurs by
shearing or lateral bulging.For accurate reading a transparent viewfoil is placed over the
trace on the chat.