Unit Weights and Densities of Soil

Tags:
unit weight
derivation of formula
bulk unit weight
buoyant unit weight
dry unit weight
moist unit weight
saturated unit weight
buoyant density
density
dry density
moist density
relative density
saturated density

Unit Weights of Soil

Symbols and Notations
= Unit weight, bulk unit weight
m = Moist unit weight
d = Dry unit weight
sat = Saturated unit weight
b, ' = Buoyant unit weight or effective unit weight
s = Unit weight of solids
w = Unit weight of water (equal to 9810 N/m3)
W = Total weight of soil
Ws = Weight of solid particles
Ww = Weight of water
V = Volume of soil
Vs = Volume of solid particles
Vv = Volume of voids
Vw = Volume of water
S = Degree of saturation
w = Water content or moisture content
G = Specific gravity of solid particles

Bulk Unit Weight / Moist Unit Weight

Note: Se = Gw, thus,

Moist unit weight in terms of dry density and moisture content

Dry Unit Weight (S = w = 0)

From and , S = 0 and w = 0

Saturated Unit Weight (S = 1)

From , S = 100%

Buoyant Unit Weight or Effective Unit Weight

Unit weight of water
= 9.81 kN/m3
= 9810 N/m3
= 62.4 lb/ft3

Typical Values of Unit Weight for Soils

Type of soil sat (kN/m3) d (kN/m3)

Gravel 20 - 22 15 - 17
Sand 18 - 20 13 - 16
Silt 18 - 20 14 - 18
Clay 16 - 22 14 - 21

Densities of Soil
The terms density and unit weight are used interchangeably in soil mechanics. Though not critical, it is
important that we know it. To find the formula for density, divide the formula of unit weight by gravitational
constant g (acceleration due to gravity). But instead of having g in the formula, use the density of water
replacing the unit weight of water.

Basic formula for density (note: m = W/g)

The following formulas are taken from unit weights of soil:

Where
m = mass of soil
V = volume of soil
W = weight of soil
= density of soil
d = dry density of soil
sat = saturated density of soil
' = buoyant density of soil
w = density of water
G = specific gravity of soil solids
S = degree of saturation of the soil
e = void ratio
w = water content or moisture content
Density of water and gravitational constant
w = 1000 kg/m3
w = 1 g/cc
w = 62.4 lb/ft3
g = 9.81 m/s2
g = 32.2 ft/sec2

Relative Density
Relative density is an index that quantifies the state of compactness between the loosest and densest possible
state of coarse-grained soils.

The relative density is written in the following formulas:

where:
Dr = relative density
e = current void ratio of the soil in-situ
emax = void ratio of the soil at its loosest condition
emin = void ratio of the soil at its densest condition
d = current dry unit weight of soil in-situ
(d)min = dry unit weight of the soil at its loosest condition
(d)max = dry unit weight of the soil at its densest condition

Designation of Granular Soil Based on Relative Density

Dr (%) Description
0 - 20 Very loose
20 - 40 Loose
40 - 70 Medium dense
70 - 85 Dense
85 - 100 Very dense