Moisture content of soil by oven drying method

Method of moisture content test of soil by oven drying method

The water content of soil is described as the ratio of the mass of wet soil to the dry soil. The weight of water is determined by the difference before and after drying the soil by oven dryng method. Method of Moisture content of soil :

Test standard: IS 2720-Part -2: 1973

Test Appratus :

1. Non-corrodible airtight container
2. Weighing balance
3. Hot air oven

Test appratus :

1. Clean and dry the airtight container and note its weight.
2. Take the soil sample, crumble, loose, and place it in the container. The quantity of samples depends on the size of particles as given in the below table.
3. Now note down the combined weight of the soil sample and container with lid.
4. Remove the lid and keep it in an oven for 24 hours at 110±5 ⁰C.
5. After 24 hours, take out the container from the oven and record its weight with lid.

Water content (%) = [(Weight of soil before drying– weight of soil after drying)/ (Weight of the soil after drying) ]x 100

The minimum weights of sample required for the determination of moisture content:

Material passing IS sieve by 90%	Minimum quantity of sample to be taken (gm)
425 microns	25
2 mm	50
4.75 mm	200
9.5 mm	300
19 mm	500
37.5 mm	1000

Read more :

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