Soil composition - phase

relationships
Bahareh Kaveh

Soil composition - phase

relationships
Soil consists of a skeleton formed from solid particles
with voids between the particles filled with air and/or
water.
Soil is, therefore, a multiphase material with a solid
phase and a fluid phase.
As soil is composed of solids, liquid and gas, it can
be regarded as a three-phase material:
Saturated: Where the pores are entirely filled with
water
Partially saturated: where the pores contain both air
and water (the term unsaturated is also used).
The water may contain dissolved minerals.

Composition of soil

Three phase models

Unit solid volume: 1 volume unit

Unit solid mass: 1 mass unit
Unit total volume: 1 volume unit of all 3
phases
Unit solid volume is the most convenient.
A given soil is depicted as a fixed volume of
solid material together with varying
amounts of water and air.

Three phase models

a) Unit solid volume

b) Unit solid mass

c) Unit total volume

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Basic properties

Void volume: Amount of volume not occupied by

solids.
Void Ratio, e is ratio of void volume to solid volume.
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Basic properties
Porosity, n is ratio of void
volume to the total volume.
n = e / (1+e)
Specific Volume, v is the
total volume of the soil
model.
v=1+e

Basic properties
Degree of Saturation, ST is quantity
of water expressed as a fraction of
the void volume.
ST = Vw / Vv

Vw = ST Vv [Transpose for Vw ]
Vw = ST e
For a perfectly dry soil, ST = 0
For a saturated soil, ST = 1
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Basic properties
Air-void volume: It is that
part of the void volume which
is not occupied by water.
Va = Vv Vw
Va = e STe

Va = e (1 ST)

Basic properties
Air-void Ratio AV:
It is ratio of the air-void volume
to the specific volume
Av = {e (1 ST)} / (1+e)
Av = n (1 ST)

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Basic properties Example 1

For a soil having a void ratio of 0.750 and
percentage saturation of 85%,
determine the porosity and air-void ratio.

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Grain specific gravity (GS)

The ratio of the mass of a given volume of material to

the mass of the same volume of water.

The mass of one unit of solid volume in the soil

model will therefore be:

M s = G s w

w is the density of water which can be taken as 1000

kg / m3 or 1 Mg/ m3 (mega gram)

The mass of water in the soil model will be:

Mw = ST e w (Vw= ST e)
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Moisture content, m

The ratio of mass of water to the mass of solids.

m = Mass of water / Mass of solids

m = M w / Ms

m = (ST e w) / (Gs w )

m = (ST e) / (Gs)

m Gs = ST e

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Air-void Ratio AV re-visited

Air-void Ratio AV: It is ratio of the air-void
volume to the specific volume

Av = {e (1 ST)} / (1+e)
Av = n (1 ST)

m Gs = ST e
ST = m Gs / e
Av = (e m Gs ) / (1+e)

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Basic properties Example 2

An oven tin containing a sample of moist soil
was weighed and had a mass of 37.82 g;
the empty tin had a mass of 16.15 g. After
drying, the tin and soil were weighed again
and had a mass of 34.68 g. (GS = 2.70)
Determine the void ratio of the soil if the airvoid ratio is:
Zero
5%

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Soil Densities

Density relates to quantity of a material

related to the amount of space it occupies.

Units: Mg / m3, kg / m3 or g / ml.

Dry density = Mass of solids/Total volume

We know that:

Ms = Gs w

v=1+e

Therefore

d = Gs w / 1 + e
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Soil Densities
Bulk density = Total mass / Total volume
b = (MS + MW) / Total volume
We know that:
Ms = Gs w

Mw = ST e w
v=1+e

b = (Gs w + ST e w) / (1 + e)

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Soil densities

Saturated density (sat) is bulk

density when ST=1

Submerged density (sub) is the

difference between saturated density

and density of water.

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Unit weight
Unit weight is obtained by multiplying
density with g.
d = d g
b = b g
sat = sat g

Unit: KN / m3

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Soil Densities- example 3

Determine the relationship between Dry
Density and Bulk Density as a ratio of
the two OR b / d

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Soil densities-example 4
In its natural condition, a soil sample has a
mass of 2290g and a volume of 1.15x10-3m3.
After being completely dried in an oven, the
mass of the sample is 2035g. The volume of
Gs for the soil is 2.68. Determine the bulk
density, unit weight, water content, void ratio,
porosity, degree of saturation and air content.

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Soil densities-example 5
In a sample of moist clay soil, the void
ratio is 0.788 and the degree of
saturation is 0.93. Assuming GS =
2.70, determine the dry density, the
bulk density and the moisture content.

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Soil densities-example 6

The bulk density of sand in drained

condition above the water table was found
to be 2.06 Mg/m3 and its water content was
18%. Assume GS = 2.70 and calculate:

The drained unit weight

The submerged unit weight and moisture

content of the same sand below the water
table.

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Soil densities-example 7

A specimen of clay was tested in the laboratory and

the following data collected:
Mass of wet specimen = 148.8 g,
Mass of dry specimen = 106.2 g
Volume of wet specimen = 86.2 cm3, Specific gravity
of particles = 2.70
Determine:
The moisture content
The bulk and dry densities
The void ratio
The degree of saturation
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