Chapter 3 - Composition of Soil

Question 1

Soil is a “3-phase” material, what does this mean?

Answer 1

It is made up of solid, liquid and gas.

Question 2

What is the mass total (Mt)?

Answer 2

The mass od air + the mass of water + the mass of solids.

Question 3

What is the volume total (Vt)?

Answer 3

The volume of air + the volume of solids + the volume of liquids

Question 4

What is the void space in soli?

Answer 4

The space between the solid particles, which is filled with liquid/gas.

Question 5

What is the symbol for voids ratio?

Answer 5

e

Question 6

What is the void ratio?

Answer 6

The volume of voids / volume of solids

Question 7

What is the symbol for the specific volume?

Answer 7

v

Question 8

What is the specific volume?

Answer 8

The total volume / the volume of solids. = 1 + e

Question 9

Why is the specific volume useful?

Answer 9

It provides a way of representing how much bigger the overall body is compared to the size of the solids.

Question 10

What is the definition of the porosity of soil?

Answer 10

A representation of the volume of the void space relative to the total volume

Question 11

What is the equation of the porosity of soil?

Answer 11

Voids ratio / total volume = e / (1+e)

Question 12

What is the symbol of porosity?

Answer 12

n

Question 13

What is the symbol of specific gravity?

Answer 13

Gs

Question 14

What is the definition of specific gravity?

Answer 14

A way to represent the density of the solids within the soil mass-the density of the soil particles / the density of water

Question 15

What is the equation of specific gravity?

Answer 15

The density of soil particles / the density of water

Question 16

What is the water content?

Answer 16

The mass of water within the soil element relative to the mass of the solids.

Question 17

What is air mass in soil taken as?

Answer 17

Zero

Question 18

What is the saturation ratio?

Answer 18

How much water there is in the voids relative to the maximum possible volume which could be stored in the voids

Question 19

What is the equation of the saturation ratio?

Answer 19

Volume of water / volume of voids = wGs / e

Question 20

What is the symbol for the saturation ratio?

Answer 20

Sr

Question 21

What is the symbol for the air volume ratio?

Answer 21

A

Question 22

What is the definition of the Air Volume ratio?

Answer 22

The ratio of the volume of air to the total volume of the element

Question 23

What is the equation of the air volume ratio?

Answer 23

Vair / Vtotal = e(1-Sr) / 1+e

Question 24

What is the equation of the bulk density of soil?

Answer 24

p = ( (Gs + Sre) / 1+e ) X the density of water

Question 25

What is the equation of the dry density of soil?

Answer 25

p = ((Gs + 0e) / 1+e ) X density of water = (Gs/1+e) X density of water