Which test uses a device to replace soil with a measured volume of sand to determine in-situ density?

Which test uses a device to replace soil with a measured volume of sand to determine in-situ density?

• A. Nuclear Gauge
• B. Proctor Test
• C. Sand Cone Test
• D. CBR Test

Answer: (C)

The Sand Cone Test determines in-situ density by replacing a known volume of soil with sand. In this method, you remove a small, precisely measured amount of soil to create a test hole with a known volume. A calibrated sand cone filled with dry sand is then placed over the hole and opened, allowing the sand to flow into the hole until it is full. Because you know the exact volume of the hole from the cone’s calibration and you weigh the sand used to fill it, you can calculate the soil’s density from the mass of sand that occupied that volume. This directly gives an in-situ density measurement, and with proper moisture considerations, the dry or moist density can be obtained. This approach is specific to in-field density determination via a displacement of soil with a known volume of sand, unlike the other methods: a nuclear gauge uses gamma rays to estimate density in place, a Proctor test is a lab determination of maximum dry density with a given moisture content, and the CBR test measures bearing strength, not density.

The Sand Cone Test determines in-situ density by replacing a known volume of soil with sand. In this method, you remove a small, precisely measured amount of soil to create a test hole with a known volume. A calibrated sand cone filled with dry sand is then placed over the hole and opened, allowing the sand to flow into the hole until it is full. Because you know the exact volume of the hole from the cone’s calibration and you weigh the sand used to fill it, you can calculate the soil’s density from the mass of sand that occupied that volume. This directly gives an in-situ density measurement, and with proper moisture considerations, the dry or moist density can be obtained.

This approach is specific to in-field density determination via a displacement of soil with a known volume of sand, unlike the other methods: a nuclear gauge uses gamma rays to estimate density in place, a Proctor test is a lab determination of maximum dry density with a given moisture content, and the CBR test measures bearing strength, not density.