ABSTRACT
Laboratory soil test is to determine physical, chemical and mechanical properties of soil. This provides an important guidance for geotechnical engineering design and construction. This chapter discusses preparation of soil specimen and test procedures mainly according to Standard for Soil Test Method and relative industry standards, such as highway and water conservation. Immersion saturation method is used for coarse-grained soil. Water content of soil is the ratio of the mass of water to the mass of the solid particles in a given mass of soil. This test method is applicable for coarse-grained, fine-grained, organic and frozen soil. The density of soil generally means the bulk density of the soil. Particle size distribution test is to determine the percentage of mass of different size of particles in the soil. This test can be used to evaluate the particle composition of soil and determine the types and engineering properties of soil. The penetration test is divided into constant-head method and variable-head method.
