Designation: D 1140 00

Standard Test Methods for

Amount of Material in Soils Finer Than the No. 200 (75-m)
Sieve1
This standard is issued under the fixed designation D 1140; the number immediately following the designation indicates the year of
original adoption or, in the case of revision, the year of last revision. A number in parentheses indicates the year of last reapproval. A
superscript epsilon (e) indicates an editorial change since the last revision or reapproval.

This standard has been approved for use by agencies of the Department of Defense.

1. Scope * Related Construction Materials for Testing4

1.1 These test methods cover determination of the amount D 6026 Practice for Using Significant Digits in Geotechni-
of material finer than a 75-m (No. 200) sieve by washing. cal Data5
1.2 Two methods for determining the amount of material E 11 Specification for Wire-Cloth Sieves for Testing Pur-
finer than the No. 200 sieve are provided. The method to be poses6
used shall be specified by the requesting authority. If no E 145 Specification for Gravity-Convection and Force-
method is specified, the choice should be based on the Ventilation Ovens6
guidance given in 4.2 and 7.3 E 177 Practice for Use of the Terms Precision and Bias in
1.2.1 Method ATest specimen is not dispersed prior to ASTM Test Methods6
wash sieving. E 691 Practice for Conducting an Interlaboratory Study to
1.2.2 Method BTest specimen is dispersed by soaking in Determine the Precision of a Test Method6
water containing a deflocculating agent prior to wash sieving 3. Summary of Test Method
1.3 The values stated in SI units are to be regarded as the
standard. 3.1 A specimen of the soil is washed over a 75-m (No. 200)
1.4 This standard does not purport to address all of the sieve. Clay and other particles that are dispersed by the wash
safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the water, as well as water-soluble materials, are removed from the
responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appro- soil during the test. The loss in mass resulting from the wash
priate safety and health practices and determine the applica- treatment is calculated as mass percent of the original sample
bility of regulatory limitations prior to use. and is reported as the percentage of material finer than a 75-m
(No. 200) sieve by washing.
2. Referenced Documents
4. Significance and Use
2.1 ASTM Standards:
C 702 Practice for Reducing Field Samples of Aggregate to 4.1 Material finer than the 75-m (No. 200) sieve can be
Testing Size2 separated from larger particles much more efficiently and
D 75 Practice for Sampling Aggregates3 completely by wet sieving than with dry sieving. Therefore,
D 422 Test Method for Particle-Size Analysis of Soils4 when accurate determinations of material finer than 75-m
D 2216 Test Method for Laboratory Determination of Water sieve in soil are desired, this test method is used on the test
(Moisture) Content of Soil and Rock by Mass4 specimen prior to dry sieving. Usually the additional amount of
D 2487 Practice for Classification of Soils for Engineering material finer than 75-m sieve obtained in the dry sieving
Purposes (Unified Soil Classification System)4 process is a small amount. If it is large, the efficiency of the
D 3740 Practice for Minimum Requirement for Agencies washing operation should be checked, as it could be an
Engaged in the Testing and/or Inspection of Soil and Rock indication of degradation of the soil.
as Used in Engineering Design and Construction4 4.2 With some soils, particularly clayey soils, in order to
D 4753 Specification for Evaluating, Selecting, and Speci- keep the finer material from adhering to the larger particles, it
fying Balances and Scales for Use in Soil, Rock, and will be necessary to soak the soil prior to washing it through
the sieve. A deflocculating agent (dispersing agent) should be
added to the soil when it is soaked.
1
This standard is under the jurisdiction of ASTM Committee D18 on Soil and
Rock and is the direct responsibility of Subcommittee D18.03 on Texture, Plasticity NOTE 1The quality of the result produced by this standard is
and Density Characteristics of Soils. dependent on the competence of the personnel performing it, and the
Current edition approved June 10, 2000. Published September 2000. Originally suitability of the equipment and facilities used. Agencies that meet the
published as D 1140 50T. Last previous edition D 1140 97.
2
Annual Book of ASTM Standards, Vol 04.02.
3 5
Annual Book of ASTM Standards, Vol 04.03. Annual Book of ASTM Standards, Vol 04.09.
4 6
Annual Book of ASTM Standards, Vol 04.08. Annual Book of ASTM Standards, Vol 14.02.

*A Summary of Changes section appears at the end of this standard.

Copyright ASTM, 100 Barr Harbor Drive, West Conshohocken, PA 19428-2959, United States.

1
 D 1140
criteria of Practice D 3740 are generally considered capable of competent 0.001 = 0.3 g. A GP-2 with a readability of 0.1 g would be
and objective testing/sampling/inspection/etc. Users of this standard are suitable. A more sensitive balance could also be used.
cautioned that compliance with Practice D 3740 does not in itself assure 7.1.2 As an alternative, select an auxiliary water content
reliable results. Reliable results depend on many factors; Practice D 3740
provides a means of evaluating some of those factors.
specimen and determine the water content (nearest 0.1 %) in
accordance with Test Method D 2216. Calculate the oven-dry
5. Apparatus mass of the test specimen from the moist mass (nearest 0.1 %
5.1 BalanceA balance or scale conforming to the require- of its mass, or better (see 5.1)) and the water content.
ments of Specification D 4753, readable (with no estimation) to 7.2 Method A:
0.1 % of the test mass, or better. To determine the balance 7.2.1 After preparing the specimen in accordance with 7.1,
needed, multiply your test mass by 0.001 and check Table 1 of place the specimen on on the uppermost (coarsest) sieve. Wash
Specification D 4753 for the class of balance readable to the the specimen (material) on the sieve(s) by means of a stream of
number observed. water from a faucet (Note 3). The material may be lightly
5.2 SievesA minimum nest of two sieves is recom- manipulated by hand, to facilitate the washing process, taking
mended, the lower must be a 75-m (No. 200) sieve and the care not to lose any of the retained material. No downward
upper may be a 425-m (No. 40) or larger sieve. Chose a sieve pressure should be exerted on the retained material or sieve to
with a diameter sufficient to handle the size of specimen avoid the forcing of particles through the sieve or damage to
required by 6.2. The 75-m sieve should have a backing to the sieve. Continue the washing until the water coming through
prevent damage. The sieves shall conform to the requirements the sieve(s) is clear (Note 4).
of Specification E 11. Stainless sieve mesh is preferred, as it is NOTE 3A spray nozzle or a piece of rubber tubing attached to a water
less prone to damage or wear. faucet may be used for the washing. The velocity of the water, which may
5.3 OvenAn oven of sufficient size, capable of maintain- be increased by pinching the tubing, shall not cause any splashing of the
ing a uniform temperature of 100 6 5C (230 6 9F) and material over the sides of the sieve. The water temperature should not
exceed 32C (90F) to avoid expanding the sieve fabric.
which meets the criteria of Specification E 145.
5.4 Deflocculating AgentA solution of Sodium Hexam- NOTE 4Care should be taken not to let water accumulate on the
etaphosphate of any concentration sufficient to cause particle 75-m (No. 200) sieve due to clogging of the screen. The clogging can
separation can be used. A common amount is 40 g per 1000 mL cause overflow of the sieve and loss of material. Lightly hand tapping the
sides of the sieve or the bottom of the screen with a fingertip(s) should
of water.
prevent clogging. Directing a stream of water up from below the screen is
6. Sampling another method to unplug the sieve without physically damaging it. Be
careful not to overload the screen by sieving too large a specimen, or
6.1 Sample the soil in accordance with Practice D 75.
portion of a specimen, at any one time.
6.2 Thoroughly mix the soil sample and reduce the quantity
to an amount suitable for testing using the applicable method 7.3 Method B:
described in Practice C 702. The test specimen shall be the end 7.3.1 As an alternative, particularly for very cohesive soils;
result of the reduction. Reduction to an exact predetermined after preparing the specimen in accordance with 7.1, place the
mass is not permitted. The mass of the test specimen, after specimen in a container, cover with water containing a defloc-
drying, shall conform with the following except as noted (6.2.1 culating agent, and soak for a minimum of 2 h (preferably
and Note 2): overnight) (Note 5). The specimen should be periodically
Recommended agitated manually or by mechanical means to facilitate the
Maximum Particle Standard Minimum Mass of complete separation of the particles.
Size (100 % Passing) Sieve Size Test Specimens
NOTE 5It will also be easier to separate the particles if the specimen
2 mm or less No. 10 20 g
4.75 mm No. 4 100 g is not dried prior to soaking. The moist mass can be adjusted to a dry mass
9.5 mm 389 500 g by using the water content determination procedure from 7.1.2.
19.0 mm 349 2.5 kg
37.5 mm 1129 10 kg 7.3.2 After the soaking period is completed, agitate the
75.0 mm 39 50 kg contents of the container vigorously and immediately pour into
6.2.1 If the same specimen is to be tested for sieve analysis the nested sieves. Wash any remaining material into the
according to Test Method D 422, comply with the applicable sieve(s) to make sure all of the material is transferred. Then
mass requirements of that Test Method. finish the washing procedure as specified in 7.2.
7.4 When the washing by Method A or B is completed, the
NOTE 2When a minimum mass is not available (split spoon sample, material retained on the 75-m (No. 200) sieve can be dried
and the like), a smaller mass can be used. The report shall indicate the either in the sieve, or by flushing (transferring) the contents of
mass used.
the sieve into another container. If the soil is transferred, excess
7. Procedure water can be removed by decanting or suctioning to speed
drying time. Take care not to lose any particles by removing
7.1 Dry the test specimen to a constant mass at a tempera-
only clear water.
ture of 110 6 5C (230 6 9F) and determine its mass to the
7.4.1 Dry the residue from each sieve to a constant mass
nearest 0.1 g. To determine the balance needed, multiply the
using a temperature of 110 6 5C (230 6 9F) and determine
mass by 0.001, check the resultant number with Table 1 of
the mass using the same balance as used in 7.1.
Specification D 4753 for the required balance.
7.1.1 For example: Minimum readability = 276 g (mass) 3 NOTE 6As mentioned in 4.1, if the sample is dry sieved after washing,

2
 D 1140
some material will pass the 75-m (No. 200) sieve that did not pass during TABLE 2 Summary of Single-Test Result from Each Laboratory
washing operations. This can be a significant amount for samples with a (Percent of Fines)A
high percent of very fine sand or coarse silt. (1) (2) (3) (4) (5)
Acceptable
8. Calculation Standard Range of
Average Value Deviation Two Results
8.1 Calculate the amount of material passing the 75-m Number of Test (Percentage (Percentage (Percentage
(No. 200) sieve by washing using the following formula: Soil Type Laboratories Points) Points) Points)

A 5 @~B 2 C!/B# 3 100 (1) Multilaboratory Results (Single Test Performed by Each Laboratory):
CH 25 98.74 0.22 0.6
CL 24 88.41 0.52 1.4
where: ML 25 99.00 0.18 0.5
A = percentage of material finer than the 75-m sieve by SP 25 2.647 0.60 1.7
washing, nearest 0.1 % A
See footnotes in the Table 1.
B = original dry mass of sample, g, and
C = dry mass of specimen retained on the 75-m sieve
including the amount retained on an upper sieve after program conducted by the ASTM Reference Soils and Testing
washing, g. Program7. In this program, some laboratories performed three
9. Report replicate tests per soil type (triplicate test laboratory), while
other laboratories performed a single test per soil type (single
9.1 Report the percentage of material finer than the 75-m test laboratory). A description of the soils tested is given in
(No. 200) sieve by washing to the nearest 0.1 %. 10.1.4. The precision estimates may vary with soil type and
9.2 Indicate whether the specimen was soaked and length of method used (Method A or B). Judgment is required when
time. applying these estimates to another soil or method.
9.3 Indicate method used (A or B). 10.1.1 The data in Table 1 are based on three replicate tests
9.4 Sample identification. performed by each triplicate test laboratory on each soil type.
9.5 Size of initial dry mass used. The single operator and multilaboratory standard deviation
9.6 State whether the dry mass was determined directly or shown in Table 1, Column 4 were obtained in accordance with
using the water content of the specimen as directed in 7.1.2. If Practice E 691, which recommends each testing laboratory
so, note the water content. perform a minimum of three replicate tests. Results of two
10. Precision and Bias properly conducted tests performed by the same operator on
the same material, using the same equipment, and in the
10.1 PrecisionCriteria for judging the acceptability of test shortest practical period of time should not differ by more than
results obtained by these test methods on a range of soil types the single-operator d2s limits shown in Table 1, Column 5. For
using Method B are given in Tables 1 and 2. These estimates of definition of d2s see Footnote C in Table 2. Results of two
precision are based on the results of the interlaboratory properly conducted tests performed by different operators and
on different days should not differ by more than the multilabo-
TABLE 1 Summary of Test Results from Triplicate Test ratory d2s limits shown in Table 1, Column 5.
Laboratories (Percent of Fines)
10.1.2 In the ASTM Reference Soils and Testing Program,
(1) (2) (3) (4) (5)
Acceptable
many of the laboratories performed only a single test on each
Number of Standard Range of Two soil type. This is common practice in the design and construc-
Triplicate Average ValueA DeviationB ResultsC tion industry. The data for each soil type in Table 2 are based
Test (Percentage (Percentage (Percentage
Soil Type Laboratories Points) Points) Points)
upon the first test results from the triplicate test laboratories
and the single test results from the other laboratories. Results
Single-Operator Results (Within- Laboratory Repeatability):
CH 13 98.83 0.15 0.4 of two properly conducted tests performed by two different
CL 13 88.55 0.14 0.4 laboratories with different operators using different equipment
ML 14 99.00 0.12 0.3 and on different days should not vary by more than the d2s
SP 13 2.47 0.20 0.5
Multilaboratory Results (Between- Laboratory Reproducibility):: limits shown in Table 2, Column 5. The results in Table 1 and
CH 13 98.83 0.22 0.6 Table 2 are dissimilar because the data sets are different.
CL 13 88.55 0.40 1.1 10.1.3 Table 1 presents a rigorous interpretation of triplicate
ML 14 99.00 0.13 0.4
SP 13 2.47 0.36 1.0 test data in accordance with Practice E 691 from pre-qualified
A
The number of significant digits and decimal places presented are represen-
laboratories. Table 2 is derived from test data that represents
tative of the input data. In accordance with Practice D 6026, the standard deviation common practice.
and acceptable range of results can not have more decimal places than the input 10.1.4 Soil TypesBased on the multilaboratory test re-
data.
B
Standard deviation is calculated in accordance with Practice E 691 and is sults, the soils used in the program are described below in
referred to as the 1s limit. accordance with Practice D 2487. In addition, the local names
C
Acceptable range of two results is referred to as the d2s limit. It is calculated as of the soils are given.
1.960 =2 1s, as defined by Practice E 177. The difference between two properly
conducted tests should not exceed this limit. The number of significant digits/
decimal places presented is equal to that prescribed by this test method or
Practice D 6026. In addition, the value presented can have the same number of
7
decimal places as the standard deviation, even if that result has more significant Supporting data is available from ASTM Headquarters. Request RR:
digits than the standard deviation. D181010.

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 D 1140
CHFat clay, CH, 99 % fines, LL=60, PI=39, grayish brown, soil had been SPPoorly graded sand; SP, 20 % coarse sand, 48 % medium sand, 30 %
air dried and pulverized. Local nameVicksburg Buckshot Clay fine sand, 2 % fines, yellowish brown. Local nameFrederick sand
CLLean clay, CL, 89 % fines, LL=33, PI=13, gray, soil had been air dried
and pulverized. Local nameAnnapolis Clay
MLSilt, ML, 99 % fines, LL=27, PI=4, light brown, soil had been air dried
11. Keywords
and pulverized. Local nameVicksburg Silt 11.1 fines; particle sizes; sieve analysis; washing

SUMMARY OF CHANGES

In accordance with Committee D 18 policy, this section identifies the location of changes to this standard since
the last edition (1997) that may impact the use of this standard.

(1) The Summary of Changes section was added. 6.1 to 6.2.1. The two sentences following the table presenting
(2) Title change to reflect multiple methods. recommended mass of test specimens were moved to 6.2.
(3) In Scope Section, Methods A and B were defined. (7) In 7.1 reworded the mass determination to agree with 7.4.1
(4) Reference to Practice D 670 was removed and references and moved the example in 7.4.1 to this subsection. In addition,
to Practices, D 3740, D 2487, D 6026, E 177, and E 691 were moved the alternative method (given in 7.1) to a new subsec-
added. tion, 7.4.1, and reworded it so Test Method D 2216 controlled
(5) Following the Significance and Use section, Note 1 was how the water content specimen was obtained and the water
added referencing Practice D 3740 in accordance with the content determined.
policy of D18. The remaining notes were renumbered. (8) Reworded 7.4.1 to use the same balance as used in 7.1.
(6) Under Sampling: moved and reworded the 2nd sentence in (4) The precision statement in 10.1 was completely revised.

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