Cover page

Detached Pages from manual

Preliminary Data Sheet
Final Data Sheet
Sample Computations
Graph (if any)
Sketch of Apparatus
Answers to Questions
Discussions
Conclusion
References
DISCUSSION

During the ancient period, where the usage of concrete and other
construction materials were not yet in existence, people back then
utilize the oldest complex engineering materials ever existed,
which are soils, to construct shelters and other flood protection
structures. Soil or soil deposit may be defined as all naturally
occurring, loose/uncemented/weakly cemented/relatively
unconsolidated mineral particles, organic or inorganic in character,
lying over the bed rock which is formed by weathering
(disintegration) of rocks. In our time, soils play an important role
in building construction as all infrastructures rest above it.

With that being said, it is of great importance to analyze every

physical and mechanical characteristic of soils where the
infrastructure shall be constructed on to be able to design and
construct a stable foundation system with accordance to these soil
properties.

In this experiment, the students were required to determine the

hygroscopic water content of three soil samples, each sieved
differently, by oven drying. Hygroscopic water is defined as the
water absorbed from the atmosphere and held very tightly by the
soil particles. Since hygroscopic water is found on the soil particles
and not in the pores, certain types of soils with few pores, such as
clay, will contain a higher percentage of it. After oven drying the
samples for about an hour, the students placed it inside the
dessicator to prevent from absorbing moisture until it reached
room temperature and weighed. With this, the students acquired an
average of 5.23% water content from the soil samples.

In Geotechnical Engineering, the moisture content of the soil is

generally used to determine its bearing capacity, settlement, degree
of expansion, and various other parameters which will affect the
infrastructure to be built so that the soil may be treated, if needed,
for a sustainable and stable foundation design.
CONCLUSION

After conducting the experiment and gathered all the necessary data, the

students were able to determine the hygroscopic water content of the soil

samples. With this, the students conclude that soil particles are highly

absorbent and may contain a large amount of moisture even for a reasonably

small amount of soil samples. This proves that it really is relevant to

determine the water content of soils and include this property in the design

of the foundation system of infrastructures.

1. ROLE OF SOIL MECHANICS IN CIVIL ENGINEERING, M.N. AKHTAR, Issue 2,

Vol.6 (September 2012) , International Journal of Emerging trends in Engineering and

Development

2. https://www.soils.org/files/sssa/iys/may-soils-overview.pdf

3.https://www.encyclopedia.com/science/dictionaries-thesauruses-pictures-and-press-

releases/hygroscopic-water

4. https://www.hunker.com/13427998/different-types-of-soil-water

5. https://www.quora.com/What-is-the-importance-of-moisture-content-in-a-soil-experiment-

in-civil-engineering