If you select Options > Program Setup then click on Charting Options underneath Grain Size Chart in the navigation list at the dialog's left side you can change several options that affect how grain size distribution charts are drawn:
LabSuite supports five types of grain size distribution charts:
- Semi-log: Plots percent retained or passing vs. log10(grain diameter). This is the customary chart used for reporting soil grain size distribution test results.
- Log(size) vs. probability: Plots log10(grain diameter) vs. probability (i.e., the standard normal distribution). Log(size) vs. probability charts are normally used for plotting filter media test results.
- Linear: Plots percent retained or passing vs. grain diameter. This chart style is sometimes used when plotting filter media test results.
- Diameter^0.45: Plots percent retained or passing vs. grain diameter raised to the 0.45 power. Typically used for plotting pavement aggregate size distributions.
- Phi (Wentworth): Plots percent passing or retained vs. -log2(grain size diameter). Wentworth-classified materials are typically plotted using this chart style.
Curve width
Determines the width of the grain size distribution curve.
Do not plot curves for tests with two points
If selected, tests performed with only two sieves (or tests performed with a single sieve and a #200 wash) are plotted using only graph markers (e.g., circles, triangles, squares, etc.) without a line connecting the markers. Avoids having a straight line connect the two test points.
Connect test points with lines instead of curves
If selected, connects points on the grain size distribution chart with straight lines instead of spline curves.
Minimum number of specification points to plot
When given a material specification with a small number of control points such as:#40 sieve: 80%-100% finer
#200 sieve: 0%-5% finer
it isn't usually desirable to plot the resulting specification envelope on the grain size distribution chart because the small number of control points do not make for a usable "envelope". Use the Minimum number... box to select the minimum number of control points that LabSuite will use to plot specification envelopes. Specification sets with less control points will still be used to show whether the test is in or out of spec.; they just won't be shown graphically on the grain size distribution chart.
Material specifications can be plotted as either specification bars, or as an envelope:
Specification Plotted with Bars (Left) and Envelope (Right)