Experiment #2

Standard Test Methods for Specific Gravity

of Soil Solids by Water Pycnometer
[ASTM D 854]
I. Apparatus and Supplies

1) Drying Oven, thermostatically-controlled and capable of maintaining a uniform of
temperature throughout the drying chamber
2) Electronic or Digital Balance, with readability or accuracy of 0.01 g
3) Container handling apparatus: gloves, tongs, or suitable holder for moving and
handling hot containers after drying
4) Miscellaneous: pans/bowls/evaporating dishes, funnel (synthetic or paper-made)
5) Source of water like faucet and squeeze bottle containing enough water for the
experiments
6) Soil: Ottawa sand and Kaolin clay
7) Volumetric flask or pycnometer (500 ml)
8) Thermometric Device, with readability of 0.1C and a maximum permissible error of
0.5C.
9) Vacuum System, a vacuum pump or water aspirator, capable of producing a partial
vacuum of 100 mm of mercury (Hg) or less absolute pressure.

II. Procedure

1) To a clean flask add deaired, distilled water up to calibration (500mL) mark.
2) Determine and record the mass of the flask plus water to 0.01g.
3) Measure and record the temperature of the water to 0.1C. Obtain the water
temperature at several depths in the flask to check the uniformity of the temperature.
Once consistent, uniform temperature is obtained, pour out roughly two-thirds (2/3)
of the water.
4) Put approximate 150 g of oven-dried soil into an evaporating dish.
5) Remove all the air that is entrapped in the soil-water mixture. This can be achieved by
one of two methods:
a) Gently boiling the flask containing the soil-water mixture for at least 10 minutes
while occasionally rolling the flask to assist in the removal of air.
b) Subjecting the contents of the flask to a partial vacuum.
6) Once all the entrapped air is removed, checked if the water level is still on the 500
mL mark. Else, fill the volumetric flask to the calibration mark with deaired, distilled
water.
7) Determine and record the mass of the flask plus its content (water and soil) to 0.01g.


8) Determine and record the mass of the evaporating dish (pan) to 0.01g. have the pan
labelled.
9) Transfer the soil-water mixture into the evaporating dish. Rinse the flask to make sure
that all of the soil has been transferred to the dish.
10) Determine and record the mass of the pan plus its content (water and soil) to 0.01g.
11) Place the dish in the drying oven. Maintain the drying oven at 1005C. The time
required to be used is a minimum of 24 hours to obtain constant mass.
12) After the material has dried, remove the container from the oven. Allow the material
and the container to cool to room temperature or until the container can be handled
comfortably with bare hands and the operation of the balance will not be affected by
convection currents or its being heated.
13) Determine and record the mass of the dish and oven-dried soil to 0.01g.
14) Do all the procedures from (1) to (13) to all the soil to be tested for determining its
specific gravity.