Soil Sample Collection: Disturbed or Undisturbed?

Are the soil samples collected using standard split-spoon sampler and shelby-tube sampler disturbed or undisturbed?

Choose the correct answer:

a) Disturbed

b) Undisturbed

Answer

The soil samples collected by both the standard split-spoon sampler and shelby-tube sampler are undisturbed.

Soil samples are crucial for various studies and tests related to soil properties. It is essential to collect soil samples in an undisturbed manner to ensure the accuracy of the results obtained.

Split Spoon Sampler: The split-spoon sampler has an inside diameter of 35.05 mm and an outside diameter of 50.8 mm. The area ratio (Ar %) is calculated to determine the disturbance level of the soil sample.

The formula for area ratio (Ar %) is: Ar(%) = [(Do² - Di²) / Do²] * 100

Substituting the values into the formula, we get an area ratio of 5.15%, which is less than or equal to 10%. Therefore, the soil sample collected by the split-spoon sampler is undisturbed.

Shelby-Tube Sampler: The shelby-tube sampler has an inside diameter of 48.8 mm and an outside diameter of 50.8 mm. The area ratio is calculated similarly to the split-spoon sampler.

By substituting the values into the formula, we get an area ratio of 4.31%, indicating that the soil sample collected by the shelby-tube sampler is also undisturbed.