Formula Used:
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The Specific Weight of Mixture formula calculates the weight per unit volume of a mixture containing soil particles and water. It is particularly useful in coastal engineering and sediment transport studies where understanding the density of water-sediment mixtures is crucial.
The calculator uses the formula:
Where:
Explanation: The formula calculates the weighted average of the specific weights of soil particles and water based on their volumetric concentrations in the mixture.
Details: Accurate calculation of mixture specific weight is essential for designing suction pipe systems, predicting sediment transport behavior, and analyzing stability in dredging operations and coastal engineering projects.
Tips: Enter soil concentration as a decimal value between 0 and 1, specific weight of dry sand grains, and specific weight of water. All values must be positive numbers with appropriate units.
Q1: What is the typical range for soil concentration in mixtures?
A: Soil concentration typically ranges from 0 (pure water) to about 0.6-0.7 (dense sediment mixtures), though values above 0.4 are uncommon in most natural settings.
Q2: How does specific weight differ from density?
A: Specific weight is weight per unit volume (N/m³), while density is mass per unit volume (kg/m³). They are related by gravity (γ = ρ × g).
Q3: What are typical values for specific weight of dry sand?
A: Typical values range from 15,000 to 16,000 N/m³ for most sand types, depending on mineral composition and packing density.
Q4: Why is this calculation important for suction pipes?
A: The specific weight affects pumping requirements, pipe sizing, and energy consumption in dredging and sediment transport operations.
Q5: Can this formula be used for other types of mixtures?
A: While developed for soil-water mixtures, the same principle can be applied to other two-phase mixtures with appropriate adjustments for particle characteristics.