Abstract
One of the main problems faced by investigators working with dry sand is the inability to obtain undisturbed specimens from which fundamental soil parameters may be established. The two principal related variables in sand are density and the angle of internal shearing resistance. This paper describes a method of estimating the in-situ sand density from a small specimen of sand, the grains of which are cemented together using plaster. The method uses an unhydrated sand/plaster mixture that is deposited in pockets at strategic locations within the soil profile during its construction. The plaster is subsequently hydrated by the injection of a quantity of water through a small pipe venting at the location of the specimen. Such specimens are retrieved at the end of a test and their densities determined from which the density of the uncemented sand in the proximity of the specimen can be estimated using a relationship previously determined through calibration.
