Objective

For determination of the moisture content of soil by oven drying method.

Equipment’s & Accessories

• Oven (105⁰C to 110⁰C min.)
• Metal container
• Balance (0.01 g accuracy)

Procedure

1. The number of the container is recorded, cleaned, dried and weighed.(W₁)
2. About 15-30 g of soil is placed in the container and the weight of soil with the sample is recorded.(W₂)
3. The can with the soil is placed in oven for 24hours maintained at a temperature 105⁰ to 110⁰C.
4. After drying the container is removed from the oven and allowed to cool at room temperature.
5. After cooling the soil with container is weighed.(W₃) 

Calculation

W₁=Mass of container, g

W₂=Mass of container and wet soil, g

W₃=Mass of container and dry soil, g

Report

The water content of the soil is reported to two significant figures.

Safety & Precautions

• Use hand gloves while removing containers from oven after switching off.
• The soil should be loosely placed in the bin, so as to allow easy evaporation of moisture
• Over heating should be avoided.
• Oven dry soil should not be kept open to the atmosphere (for cooling) as it may absorb moisture from atmosphere
• Ensure the identification number on the base and the lid of the bin is same