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Lab Services: Soil testing

Lab Services: Soil testing

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Test Method Title

Standard Test Method for Capillary-Moisture Relationships for Coarse- and Medium-Textured Soils by Porous-Plate Apparatus **ASTM has discontinued this method; the new industry-accepted standard test method is now ASTM D6836

Reference Number

ASTM D2325

Material

Soil

Test Property

Capillary-Moisture Relationship

Description of Test

Saturated soil samples are placed in contact with a saturated porous plate installed within a pressure chamber. The bottom of each plate is covered by a rubber membrane, or otherwise sealed to be airtight. The bottom of each plate is maintained at atmospheric pressure by means of a small drain tube or opening through the side of the pressure chamber. A desired air pressure admitted to the pressure chamber, and consequently to the top of the porous plate creates a pressure drop across the porous plate. The saturated soil samples on the plates establish equilibrium with the water in the plate. The water, held at a tension less than the pressure drop across the porous plate, will then move out of the soil, through the plate, and out through the drain tube. When water has ceased to flow from the sample and porous plate (indicating equilibrium for that particular tension), the moisture content of each sample is determined. A series of these tests at various tensions is required to prepare a complete curve of the capillary-moisture relationship for any particular soil.

Preferred Test Sample Size

Number of Test Specimens

5 or more

Test Specimen Size

Material passing #10 sieve of approximately 25 g, either undisturbed or compacted into a 2 in diameter x 0.8 in test specimen cutter

Keywords

Capillary-moisture, porous-plate

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