Join 60,000+ competitive exam aspirants
or with email
Your Cart
SubtotalтВ╣0
TotalтВ╣0
Examoogle тАв User тАв info@examoogle.com тАв EE-2024-8821
Chapter 1 of 12 тАв Page 1 of 248ЁЯФТ Protected PDF тАв Watermarked
Join 60,000+ competitive exam aspirants
The unit weight of soil mass is expressed in
kg/m2
kg/m3
N/m2
N/m3
N/m3
The unit weight of soil, often denoted by ╬│, is defined as the weight of a soil mass per unit volume. In the SI system of units, weight is measured in Newtons (N) and volume is measured in cubic meters (m3), leading to the standard unit of N/m3.
The unit weight of soil, often denoted by ╬│, is defined as the weight of a soil mass per unit volume. In the SI system of units, weight is measured in Newtons (N) and volume is measured in cubic meters (m3), leading to the standard unit of N/m3.
╬│=VWтАЛ тАФ Definition of unit weight
╬│=╧БтЛЕg тАФ Relation to mass density and gravity
The unit weight of soil is the product of its bulk density (╧Б) and the acceleration due to gravity (g). Since density is defined as mass per unit volume (kg/m3), multiplying by g (m/s2) yields kgтЛЕm/(s2тЛЕm3), which simplifies to N/m3 based on Newton's Second Law (F=ma).
Unit weight is a vector quantity representing the force of gravity per unit volume.
In geotechnical engineering, ╬│satтАЛ (saturated), ╬│subтАЛ (submerged), and ╬│dтАЛ (dry) are common variants.
The range for most common soils typically falls between 16kN/m3 and 22kN/m3.
Essential for calculating overburden pressure in soil strata.
Critical parameter for determining slope stability and earth pressure.
Varies significantly with moisture content and void ratio.
Requires careful sampling to avoid disturbance which affects density measurements.
Foundation design and settlement analysis.
Slope stability assessment and earth retaining structure design.
Option B (kg/m┬│) represents 'Density', which is mass per unit volume, not weight.
Option A and C are incorrect as they represent pressure/stress (Force per unit area) or area-based weight, which are physically inconsistent with volumetric soil weight.
D is correct тАФ The unit weight is expressed as weight per unit volume, which is N/m3 in the SI system.
Always distinguish between density (kg/m3) and unit weight (N/m3); examiners frequently swap these to test fundamental understanding.