Department of Earth Science |Northeastern Illinois University

INTRODUCTION TO GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERING
ESCI 340
Spring, 2007

Daily Objectives #7  (January 30, 2007)                                                        Dr. Sanders

By the end of today's class, you should be able to do the following:

* List the three phases of soils.

* Explain the difference between volume, mass, and weight of the three phases of soils.

* Explain what the following quantities reveal about a soil, and using a soil phase diagram, define each one:

    q moisture content (w)
 q porosity (n)
    q degree of saturation (S)
    q unit weight (g): 
                s  unit weight of the soil sample
                s  unit weight of water
                s  dry unit weight		   q density (r):
                s  density of the soil sample
                s  dry density
                s  density of water
  q specific gravity of solids (Gs) 
  q void ratio (e)
  q relative density (Dr)

* Explain how to measure moisture content in the laboratory.  You should have brought in a soil sample for today.   By Thursday, determine its moisture content using our laboratory equipment.

* Solve weight-volume problems that ask you to use the values of some soil properties to calculate the values of others.

Department of Earth Science | Northeastern Illinois University

© 2007 Laura L. Sanders.  Last updated January 30, 2007.