Bulking Of Sand

Doctorsand26 Oct, 2021Real Estate

When water is added to sand, by the absorption effect, a thin film of water is formed around the sand particles. The film exerts surface tension on particles making them move apart. This leads to increase in volume because there is no direct contact between particles. For a moisture content percentage of 5 to 8 there will be an increase in volume up to 20 to 40 percent depending upon the sand quality. If the sand is finer there will be greater increase in volume. This is known as bulking of sand. Test for determining sand bulking The percentage of bulking of sand can be easily calculated by following this field method. Pour the sample of damp sand in a graduated glass cylinder of 250 ml capacity. Consolidate the sand by shaking. When the sample has reached to 200 ml mark, fill the cylinder with water and stir well. After stirring, the level of sand will drop below the 200 ml mark. The height of submerged sand is measured and marked as ?X? ml.