ISSN: 1945-7545
CODEN: GTJODJ
Page Count: 7

Sand Density Measurements for Laboratory Studies

Trautmann, CH
Research associate, professor, and associate professormembers of ASTM, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY

Kulhawy, FH
Research associate, professor, and associate professormembers of ASTM, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY

O'Rourke, TD
Research associate, professor, and associate professormembers of ASTM, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY

Abstract

A review of laboratory density measurement techniques suggests that the density pan and the density scoop constitute a useful and complementary pair of methods. Both are described in detail and analyzed with respect to bias and random error. Of the two techniques, the density pan is most useful in loose sand and has a coefficient of variation of about 1% for dry, medium-grained sand. The density scoop is most useful in medium to dense sands and also has a coefficient of variation of about 1%. Using these two techniques and a simplified statistical procedure described in this paper, an experimenter can design a program of measurements to measure the density of a given deposit with any desired level of confidence.

Keywords:
density tests, errors, instrumentation, laboratory equipment, laboratory measurements, laboratory tests, model tests, sampling, sands, soil tests, statistical analysis, unit weight, void ratio

Paper ID: GTJ10532J
DOI: 10.1520/GTJ10532J
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