Objective To determine quantity of silt in fine aggregates in the field Theory There are two types of harmful substances preset in fine aggregates i.e. organic matter produced by decay of vegetable matter and/or clay and silt, which form coating thus preventing a good bond between cement and the aggregates. If present in large quantities, … Read more
There are mainly two methods to determine the parameters of the soil for brick making: Practical field low cost methods and complex laboratory analysis. Low cost field methods test for the soil are mainly performed to obtain a first impression of its properties to produce good quality bricks. For confirmative tests it is always recommended … Read more
Field Tests on Bricks It is necessary to check the quality of brick before using it in any construction activities.There are some field tests that we can conduct in the field in order to check the quality of bricks. These tests are as follows. Water Absorption Visual inspection Efflorescence Dimension Hardness Soundness Structure 1. Water … Read more
Aim To determine the field density of soil at a given location by sand replacement method Reference IS-2720-Part-28-Determination of dry density of soils in place, by the sand replacement method Apparatus Sand pouring cylinder Calibrating can Metal tray with a central hole Dry sand (passing through 600 micron sieve) Balance Moisture content bins Glass plate … Read more
Aim To determine the field density of soil by core cutter method Reference IS-2720-Part-29-Determination of dry density of soil in place by the core-cutter method Apparatus Cylindrical core cutter Steel rammer Steel dolly Balance Steel rule Spade or pickaxe Straight edge Knife Procedure Measure the height (h) and internal diameter (d) of the core cutter … Read more
Field Tests on Cement There are some field tests which gives some basic idea about the quality of the cement without elaborate facility of laboratory in the field. These tests are as given under Date of manufacture should be seen on the bag. It is important because the strength reduces with age. Open the bag … Read more
On Site Identification of Silt & Clay The distinction between silt & clay cannot be based on particle size because the significant physical properties of the two materials are related only indirectly to the size of particles. Furthermore, since both are microscopic, physical properties other than particle size must be used as criteria for field … Read more
Blow counts are affected by operational procedures, by the presence of gravel, or cementation. They do not reflect fractures or slickensides in clay, which may be very important to strength characteristics. The standard penetration test results (N values) are influenced by operational procedures as given in the following table. No. Procedure Its Affect 1. Inadequate … Read more
Even though plate load tests are very commonly used, they do not represent the behavior of prototype foundations totally for the following reasons: The zone of influence for prototype foundation is larger and deeper than for small size plate. Thus, in stratified soil deposits the soils at greater depths will have a significant influence on … Read more
There are many pitfalls associated with the standard penetration test. If these are not carefully avoided, the N-values collected from SPT are mere numbers rather than being useful indicators of soil parameters. Some of the precautions to be taken are: Results of standard penetration test are not reproducible in cohesion less soil below water level … Read more