The purpose of this experiment was to determine the relationship between molding water content and dry unit weight of soils. This was done by performing the laboratory compaction test using standard effort on the same soil at different moisture contents. When the density of the soil is plotted over moisture content, a concave down curve is generated. This is because adding moisture increases density until it reaches its optimal moisture, then adding further moisture decreases density. Understanding the relationship between moisture and density is important because density is related to the strength of the soil.
Procedure:
Testing was done in Brookings, South Dakota at Crothers Engineering Hall in Room #121 with the experiment beginning at approximately 14:15 on November 8, 2016.
Approximately 2000g of a soil sample that passed a No. 4 sieve was measured. Calculations were done for how much water should be added to reach the desired moisture content. The calculated moisture was added with a spray bottle and mixed thoroughly in the sample. The sample was then placed in a cover container. These steps were done prior to the experiment.
The mold, collar, and the base plate were assembled and its weight was measured. Then enough soil was added so it would equal approximately 1/3 the height of the mold. Compaction was done using a manual rammer. A total of 25 blows were equally distributed on the surface of the sample. The top of the layer was scarified with a knife and the above
We will take 3 measurements of how deep the soil is in 3 different places to get an overall average.
On the one hand, there is the effect of water content in the soil: due to its ability to store
Wash a crucible and cover. Heat in the coolest part of the flame for 3 minutes to dry. Allow to cool, then measure and record the mass of the crucible and cover in the data table.
Expectedly, the soil and a variety of dense particles settled to the bottom of the test tube. Using a pipette we drew water from the center of the sample, but making sure not to draw up any soil. Three separate slides were prepared, each
A black sharpie was used to label the bag “3.1” which stands for test subject three (3), part one (1). The second bag was then labeled “3.2” which stands for test subject three (3), part two (2).This was then written on the outside of the bag. One (1) tablespoon of springfield tap water was measured and poured into a small, 4 ounce, plastic, rubbermaid tub. One (1) micro essential laboratory pH strip was taken and dipped half into mixture. The pH stip was dipped into the substance for one (1) second. After the pH strip was removed it was placed against the container the pH strips came in which contains a chart. This chart matches the color of pH strips to a certain acid or base value. Once the pH was lined up the pH value was measured and recorded, the mixture was taken and poured directly onto the towel. The bag was then zipped up while applying slight pressure to the bag, without touching the seeds, to let out most excess air. Finally the bags were carried with caution to the desired location that is exposed to 11 hours of sunlight including 5 direct sunlight hours. These steps were repeated once
Soil moisture measurements can help predict droughts and floods, and provide crucial information for agriculture.
A random amount of soil, 40.00 grams, was chosen to be consistent throughout each section of the entire experiment. To gauge how much water would be needed to saturate the soil to 100%, two-times as much water was added to the soil, or 80 ml, and the mixture was stirred together. After waiting 1 minute, excess water was poured off, repeating the cycle until no more water was found to be pooling on the soil. The mixture was weighed and the original mass of the soil was subtracted from the current mass, producing the mass of the water at 100% saturation, or 61.25 ml. Sixty-one and one quarter mL was then multiplied by 0.25, 0.50, and 0.75 respectively to produce the amounts of water that would represent the soil at 25%, 50%, and 75% water saturation. These percentages were chosen because the extreme percentages, 0% and 100% saturation would have been avoided by the isopods
It was hypothesized that if bean plants were planted in four different brands of soil (Jiffy, Miracle-Gro, Scotts, and Vigoro), then the bean plant in Vigoro-the most expensive soil-would grow the tallest. The experiment supported the hypothesis. The hypothesis was supported because the plant in Vigoro had a growth average of 5.74 cm at the end of week 4, the highest amount of growth out of the four brands of soil. This indicates that Vigoro was the brand that caused the best amount of plant growth in the bean plants. Vigoro Organic and Natural soil contains a 0.09% Nitrogen and 0.06% Phosphate content (“Vigoro” n.d.). Both of these components are vital in a plant’s growth. Plants require nitrogen, and phosphorus to be supplemented by soil (“Plant” n.d.).
In our density of wood lab, we were interested in learning more about densities of wood, how to measure density, the difference between softwoods and hardwoods, and how density and strength are related. In this lab, we utilized 10 different samples of wood blocks. By measuring each sample’s Volume (Length x Width x Height) and mass, we were able to determine each sample’s density (Mass + Volume). The chart below describes our findings.
There will be a control group which will get soil from the wetland and well water. There will be three more groups. One getting inoculated soil and well water. A second getting inoculated soil and well water with 672 mg/L Ca(NO3)2 and 372 mg/L K2HPO4 as used by Picard (7). These additives are common fertilizers in an agricultural setting and dissolve easily in water. The third will get wetland soil and well water with 672 mg/L Ca(NO3)2 and 372 mg/L K2HPO4. Each group will be replicated 10 times to get comparative results.
The first step of the experiment is to make sure the crucible and cover are clean by washing them off with water. To dry the equipment place on the clay triangle and leave in the hottest part of the flame for 3 mins. Once time is up, allow the crucible to cool. Once cooled, measure the mass of the crucible with the scale. The next step would be to break the 10cm magnesium ribbon into small pieces, and place these pieces in the crucible. Find the mass of the crucible and the contents. Place the cover on the crucible and lay on the clay triangle. Heat the crucible and contents gently for 2 minutes. After this time is up, tilt the cover to provide and air opening. Tilt the cover using the crucible tongs. Now, heat the crucible and contents strongly
The objective of this experiment is to obtain the grading curve for both fine and coarse aggregate.
The project objective is to determine the water retention capacity of different growing substrates and whether the substrate has an effect on the quality of runoff, under the climate conditions of Western Australia.
Soil compaction is one of the most important aspects behind many projects as it is the base of almost all structures and without a strong base failure will occur. It is known that most engineering properties improve as the density of the soil increases; also the greatest density for a given soil will occur at the optimum moisture content. This is the reason why accurate Proctor Tests are so important. Without them it would be impossible to know whether the soil on a
Beier & Rasmussen (2008) reported that addition of nutrients and water to the soil augmented the decomposition rates significantly. The clay vertosol affected the rate of decomposition due to a developed content of organic matter, as there are additional microbes in organic matter-rich soils as it is important for the daily living of microbes. As the black vertosol soil (clay soil) has a higher water holding capacity and higher CEC, it can hold onto nutrients easily which can increase the decomposition rates. Treatments involving amendments added to the soil resulted in higher