portable field soil sieve kit for geotechnical engineering

Wednesday May-28 2025  14:10:26

What is the portable field soil sieve kit for geotechnical engineering

The portable field soil sieve kit is a sieving tool suitable for geotechnical engineering surveys and in-situ testing.It is mainly used to quickly separate and classify soil particles, which is convenient for judging soil type, coarse and fine distribution and gravel content. These kits usually include a series of sieves and collection trays with different apertures to facilitate the preliminary classification of soil samples directly in the field. They are often used for preliminary geological surveys on site before construction, or for rapid screening of backfill materials, coarse particle content, etc.

Composition of soil sieve kits

A standard portable soil sieve kit usually includes the following parts:

Sieve: multiple stainless steel or plastic sieves, the apertures from large to small usually include: 4.75mm, 2.00mm, 1.00mm, 0.425mm, 0.25mm, 0.075mm, etc.; generally 4-6 layers (can be combined as needed); commonly 20cm or 30cm in diameter.

Sieve frame: The sieves are fixed and stacked together to form an integral structure

Chassis and cover: The chassis is used to collect the finest particles; the top cover prevents material splashing or contamination during screening.

Sieve shaker: The sieve shaker can shake in the horizontal direction and tap in the vertical direction to simulate the action of manual screening, improving screening efficiency and accuracy.

The role of portable field soil sieve kits in geotechnical engineering

The portable field soil sieve kit plays an important role in geotechnical engineering and has irreplaceable value in many practical applications. Its main functions are reflected in the following aspects:

Quick preliminary classification and evaluation: It can quickly make a preliminary evaluation of the particle size distribution of the soil, such as distinguishing whether it is sand, silt or clay, and their respective proportions.

Guide sampling and exploration: The results of on-site screening can more effectively guide subsequent detailed sampling and exploration work, such as determining which more precise indoor tests are needed to avoid blind sampling and waste of resources.

Construction quality control: In roadbed, foundation or backfill projects, there are strict requirements for the particle size grading of fillers. The portable sieve kit can quickly check whether the transported fillers meet the design specifications at the construction site, detect unqualified materials in time, and avoid quality problems.

Emergency treatment and problem investigation: In the event of sudden geological disasters such as landslides and mudslides, on-site sieve can help quickly understand the particle composition of the soil in the disaster area and provide basic data for emergency rescue and subsequent governance. When an abnormal situation occurs during construction, the relevant soil can be quickly screened to preliminarily determine whether it is related to the soil particle size characteristics.

Recommended mesh size of portable field soil sieve kits for geotechnical engineering

The selection of the mesh size of the portable field soil sieve kit is mainly based on the soil particle size analysis standard. The mesh size is inversely proportional to the sieve hole size. The larger the mesh size, the smaller the sieve hole. In geotechnical engineering, some key sieve hole sizes are used to distinguish different soil particle components.

Mesh size	sieve hole size (mm)	sieve hole size (µm)	mainly separated soil particle types	instructions
4	4.75	4750	gravel/coarse sand	used to separate large-sized gravel and coarse sand in coarse-grained soil
10	2.00	2000	coarse sand	commonly used to distinguish coarse sand from medium sand, and to remove larger impurities such as plant debris.
20	0.850	850	medium sand	used to divide sand soil more finely, which helps to evaluate the grading uniformity of sand soil.
40	0.425	425	Fine Sand	This is an important sieve number to distinguish between coarse and fine sand.
60	0.250	250	Fine Sand	Fine sand is further subdivided.
100	0.150	150	Very Fine Sand	Fine sand close to the limit of silt.
200	0.075	75	Silt/Clay	Soil passing the 200 sieve is considered fine-grained soil, which has significantly different engineering properties from coarse-grained soil.
Pan	N/A	<75	Silt/Clay	Collects all fine-grained soil passing the 200 sieve.

What can the portable field soil sieve kit for geotechnical engineering be used for?

The portable field soil sieve kit is mainly used in specific scenarios such as foundation pit investigation, roadbed fill detection and landslide on-site emergency analysis in geotechnical engineering. For example, before excavating a city foundation pit, the original soil sample can be screened by particle size through the sieve kit to preliminarily determine whether the soil is sandy or silty, and to assist in determining whether it is suitable for a standard penetration test; during highway construction, on-site technicians use sieve kits to quickly screen the content of large or fine particles in the backfill to determine whether it meets the design grading requirements; in emergencies such as landslides or dam leakage, geologists can use the screening results to quickly determine the composition of the sliding soil body and provide a basis for emergency support and disposal. This type of sieve kit is easy to operate and carry, and is particularly suitable for making preliminary judgments on the composition of soil samples and guiding on-site engineering decisions.

The portable field soil sieve kit for geotechnical engineering is a tool and equipment specially designed for on-site rapid screening and particle size analysis. It is mainly used to determine the composition and distribution of soil particles, and to assist soil classification and engineering design. This kit is often used in the preliminary investigation, material acceptance and construction quality control of highway, railway, water conservancy, construction and other projects, and is particularly suitable for rapid soil sieve and engineering judgment without laboratory conditions.