Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in
SpringerLink
Log in

Soil Laboratory Tests

  • Living reference work entry
  • First Online:
Encyclopedia of Engineering Geology

Part of the book series: Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences Series ((EESS))

Definition

Soil laboratory tests involve various experimental methods for the determination of soil properties for engineering design and evaluation. Tests are used to obtain basic soil information such as classification according to classification methods such as Unified Soil Classification System (USCS) , grain size distribution, and plasticity characteristics as well as determining parameters needed for design and evaluation of infrastructure including the coefficient of permeability, compressibility, and shear strength of the soil mass.

Introduction

The proper design and construction of new infrastructure and evaluation of existing infrastructure greatly depends on the appropriate measurements of the parameters needed in the theoretical and empirical formulations for the problem at hand. One method of determining these parameters is by conducting laboratory soil testing on representative samples obtained from the project site. The procedures for conducting laboratory soil testing...

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Ajmera B, Tiwari B, Shrestha D (2012) Effect of mineral composition and shearing rates on the undrained shear strength of expansive clays. Geotech Spec Publ 225:1185–1194

    Google Scholar 

  • Ajmera B, Brandon T, Tiwari B (2017) Influence of index properties on shape of cyclic strength curve for clay-silt mixtures. Soil Dyn Earthq Eng 102:46–55

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • ASTM D1557-12e1 (2012) Standard test methods for laboratory compaction characteristics of soil using modified effort (56,000 ft-lbf/ft3 (2700 kN-m/m3)). ASTM International

    Google Scholar 

  • ASTM D2166/D2166M-16 (2016) Standard test method for unconfined compressive strength of cohesive soil. ASTM International

    Google Scholar 

  • ASTM D2434-68 (2006) Standard test method for permeability of granular soils (constant head). ASTM International

    Google Scholar 

  • ASTM D2435/D2435M-11 (2011) Standard test methods for one-dimensional consolidation properties of soils using incremental loading. ASTM International

    Google Scholar 

  • ASTM D2850-15 (2015). Standard test method for unconsolidated-undrained triaxial compression test on cohesive soils. ASTM International

    Google Scholar 

  • ASTM D3080/D3080M-11 (2011) Standard test method for direct shear test of soils under consolidated drained conditions. ASTM International

    Google Scholar 

  • ASTM D422-63 (2007) Standard test method for particle-size analysis of soils. ASTM International

    Google Scholar 

  • ASTM D4318-17 (2017) Standard test methods for liquid limit, plastic limit, and plasticity index of soils. ASTM International

    Google Scholar 

  • ASTM D4767-11 (2011) Standard test method for consolidated undrained triaxial compression test for cohesive soils. ASTM International

    Google Scholar 

  • ASTM D4943-08 (2008) Standard test method for shrinkage factors of soils by wax method. ASTM International

    Google Scholar 

  • ASTM D5084-16a (2016) Standard test methods for measurement of hydraulic conductivity of saturated porous materials using a flexible wall permeameter. ASTM International

    Google Scholar 

  • ASTM D5311/D5311M-13 (2013) Standard test method for load controlled cyclic triaxial strength of soil. ASTM International

    Google Scholar 

  • ASTM D6467-13 (2013) Standard test method for torsional ring shear test to determine drained residual shear strength of cohesive soils. ASTM International

    Google Scholar 

  • ASTM D6528(2017) Standard test method for consolidated undrained direct simple shear testing of fine-grain soils. ASTM International

    Google Scholar 

  • ASTM D698-12e2 (2012) Standard test methods for laboratory compaction characteristics of soil using standard effort (12,400 ft-lbf/ft3 (600 kN-m/m3)). ASTM International

    Google Scholar 

  • ASTM D7181-11 (2011) Method for consolidated drained triaxial compression test for soils. ASTM International

    Google Scholar 

  • ASTM D854-14 (2014) Standard test methods for specific gravity of soil solids by water pycnometer. ASTM International

    Google Scholar 

  • Tiwari B, Ajmera B (2011a) New correlation equations for compression index of remolded clays. J Geotech Geoenviron 138(6):757–763

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tiwari B, Ajmera B (2011b) A new correlation relating the shear strength of reconstituted soil to the proportions of clay minerals and plasticity characteristics. Appl Clay Sci 53(1):48–57

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tiwari B, Principe M, Biabani M (2014) Influence of activity and mineralogy in compaction and shear strength characteristics of clay. Geotech Spec Publ 234:1357–1366

    Google Scholar 

  • Tiwari B, Pradel D, Ajmera B, Yamashiro B, Diwakar K (2018) Case study: numerical analysis of landslide movement at Lokanthali during the Mw = 7.8 2015 Gorkha (Nepal) Earthquake. J Geotech Geoenviron Eng 144(3):05018001

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. California State University, Fullerton, CA, USA

    Binod Tiwari & Beena Ajmera

Authors
  1. Binod Tiwari
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Beena Ajmera
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Binod Tiwari .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Natural Resources Canada, Geological Survey of Canada Natural Resources Canada, Sidney, Ontario, Canada

    Peter Bobrowsky

  2. London, United Kingdom

    Brian Marker

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2018 Springer International Publishing AG

About this entry

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this entry

Tiwari, B., Ajmera, B. (2018). Soil Laboratory Tests. In: Bobrowsky, P., Marker, B. (eds) Encyclopedia of Engineering Geology. Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences Series. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-12127-7_304-1

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-12127-7_304-1

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-12127-7

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-12127-7

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference Earth and Environm. ScienceReference Module Physical and Materials ScienceReference Module Earth and Environmental Sciences

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation