Relative Density - Geotechnical Properties of Soil

In granular soils, the degree of compaction in the field can be measured according to the relative density, defined as

where

The relative density can also be expressed in terms of dry unit weight, or

The denseness of a granular soil is sometimes related to the soil’s relative density. Table 1.5 gives a general correlation of the denseness and For naturally occurring sands, the magnitudes of and [Eq. (1.23)] may vary widely. The main reasons for such wide variations are the uniformity coefficient, and the roundness of the particles.