METHODS OF ESTIMATING APPARENT DENSITY OF DISCRETE SOIL GRAINS AND AGGREGATES

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Abstract
3 methods of estimating the apparent density of erodible soil fractions were developed and compared: (1) The bulk density method, (2) the elutriation method, and (3) the horizontal threshold velocity method. Method (1) is the simplest and appears to be the only one of the 3 applicable to measuring the actual apparent density of any size of fraction separated by sieving. Methods (2) and (3) measure the equivalent apparent density of discrete soil units. For sieve grades above 9.1 mm. in diam. all 3 methods gave virtually the same values. It was thus indicated that the noticeable variation in the shape of the discrete soil units had little, if any, effect on the threshold air velocities and on the value of the equivalent apparent density obtained therefrom. Method (2) was least consistent. For the sieve grade below 0.1 mm. in diam. the 3 methods gave widely variable results. This was to be expected because the size distribution of the particles in this grade was not the same in all of the soils compared. Method (4), based on weighing a definite number of quartz sand soil grains, was found impractical.

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