Abstract
To investigate the validity of an automated grain size analysis equipment for soil samples, X-ray method analyses were carried out on five soils. The JIS and laser method analyses were also performed on the three soils to evaluate the reliability of the results obtained by the X-ray method. It was found that the X-ray method showed significantly more accurate results than those which were obtained by laser and JIS methods. It was confirmed that the main advantages of the X-ray method are its simplicity, repeatability, reliability, and speedy in engineering practice. In addition, it provides added advantages of fully-automated operation for grain size analysis control and analysis data management and also ability to correct measured fine content (clay fraction) omitting human factors.
