Level 4 Geotechnical Laboratories – Coursework
Students are required to attend two laboratory experiments and complete the following standard geotechnical tests within these sessions:
• measure the liquid and plastic limits of a material
• carry out a bulk density test and sieve analysis

The lab report comprises 15% of the module and can be submitted in pairs. It should be a single piece of work that includes two separate parts submitted together:

Part A: Liquid and plastic limits (approx. 800-1000 words)

Part B: Bulk density test and sieve analysis (approx. 800-1000 words)
Each report must contain the following:
– Title and date of the experiment
– Your name and K number

In each of Parts A and B:

Introduction – what is the test about, and why is it important

Results – table(s) of data, any relevant graphs, sample calculations

Discussion and Conclusions – state what you have found out about your material and explain what your results mean (i.e. what do they tell you about your material? – you should perhaps compare your results with some that you find elsewhere for similar materials), and discuss sources of error and how much effect these errors may have on the accuracy/reliability of your results

References in the Harvard style, with correct citations in the text and details in the list at the end (it is expected that you will have to refer to published sources for the ‘Introduction’ and ‘Discussion and Conclusions’ sections)

You do NOT need to write about what you did and how you did it (i.e. the Methodology). You DO need to show that you understand what information the tests give you and why this information may be needed.

Reports should be professionally laid out using Arial font size 11 and 1.5 spacing. Headings can be in bold with a slightly larger font size.

You should submit your report online by 18th March 2016