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Dry bulk density of soil

Description

Bulk density is a property of powders, granules, and other “divided” solids, especially used in reference to mineral components (soil, gravel), chemical substances, (pharmaceutical) ingredients, foodstuff, or any other masses of corpuscular or particulate matter. It is defined as the mass of many particles of the material divided by the total volume they occupy. The total volume includes particle volume, inter-particle void volume, and internal pore volume.
The bulk density of soil depends greatly on the mineral make up of soil and the degree of compaction. Bulk density of soil is usually determined from a core sample which is taken by driving a metal corer into the soil at the desired depth and horizon. This gives a soil sample of known total volume. From this sample the wet bulk density and the dry bulk density can be determined.
For the dry bulk density, the sample is oven dried and weighed, giving the mass of soil solids.

Related formulas

Variables

ρbDry bulk density (gr/cm3)
MsMass ol the soil (gr)
VtVolume as a whole (cm3)