ISSN: 0149-6115
Page Count: 5

Grain-Size Analysis by Buoyancy Method

Bardet, J-P
Professor and research assistant,University of Southern California,CA,

Young, J
Professor and research assistant,University of Southern California,CA,

Abstract

A new routine experiment referred to as buoyancy analysis is proposed to determine the grain-size distribution of fine-grained soils. The buoyancy analysis is based on the sedimentation principles of the hydrometer and pipette analyses. It determines the percent by weight finer than a given grain size by measuring the buoyant weight of a 2.5-cm-diameter sphere immersed in the soil suspension. The buoyancy analysis is slightly more accurate than the hydrometer analysis, has a shorter duration, and its readings can be fed directly into a computer. It yields results identical to those of the hydrometer analysis when the sphere is immersed within the depth range of the hydrometer bulb.

Keywords:
sedimentation, particle size, buoyancy, grain-size distribution, soil testing

Paper ID: GTJ10414J
DOI: 10.1520/GTJ10414J
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