Sediment Bulk Density Basis Flag Tool

Description

Select wet mass or wet minus water under reportDry and divide by bulk volume.

Sediment and soil calculations distinguish mass basis, solid density, bulk volume, and grain-size conventions. Changing moisture or grain-size scale changes the denominator or coordinate, not the physical sample itself.

Select wet mass or wet minus water under reportDry and divide by bulk volume.

When to use this tool

Use Sediment Bulk Density Basis Flag when you need an explicit sediment or material-basis conversion.

How to use the tool and how it works

Enter wetMass, waterMass, bulkVolume, reportDry. Use the units and conventions below.
Run the tool. Correct any format, range, or cross-field input error before interpreting the output.
Read massBasis, density. Use the output convention below.

Require positive bulkVolume and nonnegative waterMass within wetMass. Select wet mass or wet minus water under reportDry and divide by bulk volume.^[1]

Input field	Meaning and units	Accepted input
wetMass	Wet Mass	Required. Finite number; minimum 0.
waterMass	Water Mass	Required. Finite number; minimum 0.
bulkVolume	Bulk Volume	Required. Finite number; strictly above 0.
reportDry	Report Dry	Required. Boolean.

Output field	Interpretation	Returned shape
massBasis	Mass Basis	Required. Finite number.
density	Density	Required. Finite number.

json

{
  "input": {
    "wetMass": 100,
    "waterMass": 20,
    "bulkVolume": 50,
    "reportDry": true
  },
  "output": {
    "massBasis": 80,
    "density": 1.6
  }
}

Limitations and assumptions

This dry branch uses the original supplied bulk-volume denominator, not a measured dry/shrunken volume; unit consistency, moisture measurement, and sample representativeness are not verified.
Inputs must satisfy both the field types and the cross-field conditions above. Invalid input causes an error; a successful false flag or documented placeholder is a different result.
Numeric calculations use binary floating point unless exact decimal-integer arithmetic is explicitly stated. No hidden measurement tolerance or decimal rounding is added; nonfinite or out-of-contract results are rejected. Numeric signed-zero results are exported as zero.

Alternative or Complementary methods

Use a traceable laboratory and sampling method for the required material property. Align wet/dry basis, solid versus bulk density, grain-size scale, and interval definitions before comparing samples.

References

Calculation and input contract: geomorphology/sediment-bulk-density-basis-flag — tool.io

Similar or alternative tools

Sediment Transport Porosity Volume Factor
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Sample Dry Mass Support Share
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