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SOIL BEHAVIOR - 48330

Soil Classification
PowerPoint Slides
Pre-Tutorial Videos
Soil Behavior Project
TUTORIAL 1B: Classification of Soil
 TUTORIAL 1B: Classification of Soil

The objective of this topic is to classify soils into groups with similar behavior.
 TUTORIAL 1B: Classification of Soil

Types of gradation for coarse-grained soils

Soil gradation is a classification method which ranks the soil of interest based on the different particle sizes contained in
that.

(Ungraded)

Drainage System Compaction

Well graded soils contain
particles of lots of different
sizes.
 TUTORIAL 1B: Classification of Soil

Particle Size Distribution Curve

Grading Curve
Well graded soil
Poorly graded soil – Uniformly graded
Poorly graded soil – Gap graded

Passing Percentage
Percentage Smaller
Percent Finer
 TUTORIAL 1B: Classification of Soil

Particle Size Distribution Curve

Grading Curve
Well graded
Poorly graded soils – Gap
soils gradedgraded
Uniformly
 TUTORIAL 1B: Classification of Soil

Grading Method for Coarse-Grained Soils (Soil particles having diameters above 75μm are determined by sieve analysis)
The distribution of particle sizes or average grain diameter of coarse-grained soils, i.e. gravels and sands, is obtained by
screening a known weight of the soil through a stack of sieves of progressively finer mesh size.

Prepare the sieve stack on Apply shaking to classify Unstack the sieves and
the mechanical shaker soil particle sizes weigh the retained soils
TUTORIAL 1B: Classification of Soil
 TUTORIAL 1B: Classification of Soil

Question 1
A 500g soil sample was sieved through two sieves and the mass of soil retained on each of the sieves was determined. The
mass of soil which passed through the smaller sieve was not determined.
Mass retained on the 2.36 mm sieve: 310g
Mass retained on the 75μm sieve: 95g
Atterberg limit tests were carried out on the sample giving:
Liquid limit: 62%
Plastic limit: 21%
What would be the classification of this soil based on USCS? Please provide the description.
 TUTORIAL 1B: Classification of Soil

Classification systems: There are two commonly used systems for soil engineers based on particle distribution and
Atterberg limits:

(1) American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) System (for State Highway
Department), originally developed by Hogentogler and Terzaghi in 1929.

(2) Unified Soil Classification System (USCS) (for geotechnical engineers), originally developed by Professor
Casagrande in 1948. Three main components in USCS are gravels, sands and fine-grained soils such as silts and
clays.

Arthur Casagrande
(1902 - 1981)
Karl Terzaghi
(1883 - 1963)
 TUTORIAL 1B: Classification of Soil

In the Unified System, the following symbols are used for identification:
TUTORIAL 1B: Classification of Soil
 TUTORIAL 1B: Classification of Soil

Question 1
A 500g soil sample was sieved through two sieves and the mass of soil retained on each of the sieves was determined. The
mass of soil which passed through the smaller sieve was not determined.
Mass retained on the 2.36 mm sieve: 310g
Mass retained on the 75μm sieve: 95g
Solution:

For sands, the particle

size ≤ 2.36mm (Sieve
For fine-grained soils, the particle size ≤ For gravels, the particle size
No. 7) and > 0.075mm
0.075mm or 75μm (Sieve No. 200) > 2.36mm (Sieve No. 7)
or 75μm (Sieve No.
200)
 TUTORIAL 1B: Classification of Soil

Question 1
A 500g soil sample was sieved through two sieves and the mass of soil retained on each of the sieves was determined. The
mass of soil which passed through the smaller sieve was not determined.
Mass retained on the 2.36 mm sieve: 310g
Mass retained on the 75μm sieve: 95g Soils are retained on
sieve
Solution:

For a 500g soil sample:

Gravel: 310g → 310/500 = 62%

Sand: 95g → 95/500 = 19%
Soils passes through the
Fines: 100 – (62 + 19) = 19% sieve but are retained on the
succeeding sieve
 TUTORIAL 1B: Classification of Soil

Question 1
A 500g soil sample was sieved through two sieves and the mass of soil retained on each of the sieves was determined. The
mass of soil which passed through the smaller sieve was not determined.
Mass retained on the 2.36 mm sieve: 310g
Mass retained on the 75μm sieve: 95g
Solution:

For a 500g soil sample:

Gravel: 310g → 310/500 = 62%

Sand: 95g → 95/500 = 19%
Coarse grained soil → G
Fines: 100 – (62 + 19) = 19%
 TUTORIAL 1B: Classification of Soil

Question 1
A 500g soil sample was sieved through two sieves and the mass of soil retained on each of the sieves was determined. The
mass of soil which passed through the smaller sieve was not determined.
Solution:
Fines: 19% > 𝟏𝟐% → the suffix is either M or C, follow the procedure for fine-grained classification

62% 19%
 TUTORIAL 1B: Classification of Soil

Plasticity Chart (Fine-grained soils)

Experimental results from soils tested from different parts of the world were plotted on a graph of plasticity
index (ordinate) versus liquid limit (abscissa).

The “A-line,” delineates the boundaries between clays (above the line) and silts (below the line).
 TUTORIAL 1B: Classification of Soil

Plasticity Chart (Fine-grained soils)

A second line, the U-line, defines the upper limit of the correlation between plasticity index and liquid
limit.

If the results of your soil tests fall above the U-line, you should be suspicious of your results and
repeat your tests.
 TUTORIAL 1B: Classification of Soil

Question 1
A 500g soil sample was sieved through two sieves and the mass of soil retained on each of the sieves was determined. The
mass of soil which passed through the smaller sieve was not determined.
Mass retained on the 2.36 mm sieve: 310g
Mass retained on the 75μm sieve: 95g
Atterberg limit tests were carried out on the sample giving:
Liquid limit: 62% PI = ?
Plastic limit: 21%
What would be the classification of this soil based on USCS? Please provide the description.

Given: LL = 62% and PL = 21% → PI = LL – PL = 62 – 21 = 41%

PI on A-line: ?
PI on A-line: PI = 0.73(LL – 20) = 0.73(𝟔𝟐 – 20) = 30.66% (< 41%)
→ second letter is C

Thus, USCS symbol: GC

 TUTORIAL 1B: Classification of Soil

Question 1
A 500g soil sample was sieved through two sieves and the mass of soil retained on each of the sieves was determined. The
mass of soil which passed through the smaller sieve was not determined.
Solution:

Thus, USCS symbol: GC

Since sand portion is large (19% > 𝟏𝟓%), the description is:
Clayey gravel with sand
 TUTORIAL 1B: Classification of Soil

Question 2
A particle size analysis has been carried out on a sample of soil and the following results are obtained. The soil cannot be
rolled to a thread when it is moist. What are the USCS symbol and description of this soil?
Particle size (mm) % finer
2 88
0.8 60
0.4 30
0.12 10
0.075 4

Analysis: If the soil is slightly wetter than the plastic limit and it can be rolled
to a very fine thread or a lump of it can be deformed at high pressure without
crumbling the soil is said to be tough and of high plasticity. The underlined
statement above means that this sample is of low plasticity.
 TUTORIAL 1B: Classification of Soil

Question 2
A particle size analysis has been carried out on a sample of soil and the following results are obtained. The soil cannot be
rolled to a thread when it is moist. What are the USCS symbol and description of this soil?

Solution
“Finer” in this text means “passing”.

Particle size (mm) % finer

2 88
0.8 60
0.4 30
0.12 10
0.075 4
 TUTORIAL 1B: Classification of Soil

Question 2
A particle size analysis has been carried out on a sample of soil and the following results are obtained. The soil cannot be
rolled to a thread when it is moist. What are the USCS symbol and description of this soil?

Solution Particle size (mm) % finer

2 88
“Finer” in this text means “passing”. 0.8 60
Components of soil are: 0.4 30
0.12 10
Gravel: 100 – 88 = 12% 0.075 4
Sand: 88 – 4 = 84% Coarse grained soil → S
Fines: 4% (< 5%)
 TUTORIAL 1B: Classification of Soil

Question 2
A particle size analysis has been carried out on a sample of soil and the following results are obtained. The soil cannot be
rolled to a thread when it is moist. What are the USCS symbol and description of this soil?

Solution Particle size (mm) % finer

2 88
Coarse grained soil → S 0.8 60
0.4 30
0.12 10
0.075 4

84% 12%
 TUTORIAL 1B: Classification of Soil

Grading Method for Coarse-Grained Soils

If the fine portion < 12%, for Gravels, the shape of grading curves should satisfy:

D
 Coefficient of uniformity (Cu): Cu = D60 > 𝟒
10
Well-graded
D230
 Coefficient of curvature (Cc): 1 < Cc = D <3
10 ×D60

If one of the above conditions is not satisfactory → Poorly graded

If the fine portion < 12%, for Sands, the shape of grading curves should satisfy:

D
 Coefficient of uniformity (Cu): Cu = D60 > 𝟔
10
Well-graded
D230
 Coefficient of curvature (Cc): 1 < Cc = <3
D10 ×D60

If one of the above conditions is not satisfactory → Poorly graded

 TUTORIAL 1B: Classification of Soil

D60 is the grain diameter at 60% passing.

D30 is the grain diameter at 30% passing.
D10 is the grain diameter at 10% passing.
 TUTORIAL 1B: Classification of Soil

Question 2
A particle size analysis has been carried out on a sample of soil and the following results are obtained. The soil cannot be
rolled to a thread when it is moist. What are the USCS symbol and description of this soil?

Solution Particle size (mm) % finer

2 88
0.8 60
0.4 30
0.12 10
0.075 4
D60 0.8
Coefficient of uniformity: Cu = = = 6.67 (> 6)
D10 0.12
D30 2 0.42
Coefficient of curvature: Cc = = = 1.67 (∈ 1,3 )
D10 ×D60 0.12×0.8

Thus, USCS symbol: SW

 TUTORIAL 1B: Classification of Soil

Question 2
A particle size analysis has been carried out on a sample of soil and the following results are obtained. The soil cannot be
rolled to a thread when it is moist. What are the USCS symbol and description of this soil?
Particle size (mm) % finer
Solution 2 88
0.8 60
0.4 30
0.12 10
0.075 4

12%

Description is: Well-graded sand

 TUTORIAL 1B: Classification of Soil

Let’s attempt Question 2 again, but this time the particle size of 0.4 mm is no longer D30. How would you solve it?

Particle size (mm) % finer

2 88
0.8 60
0.4 30
0.12 10
0.075 4

Particle size (mm) % finer

2 88
0.8 60
0.4 25
0.12 10
0.075 4
 TUTORIAL 1B: Classification of Soil

Let’s attempt Question 2 again, but this time the particle size of 0.4 mm is no longer D30. How would you solve it?

Particle size (mm) % finer

2 88
0.8 60
0.4 25
0.12 10
0.075 4

Answer: You can apply the interpolation method to obtain D30.

To begin with, calculate the slope between D25 and D60

Then, calculate D30:
(30−25)
D30 = 0.4 + × 0.8 − 0.4 = 0.457mm
(60−25)

Then, we can determine the grading characteristics of the soil

𝑦 − 𝑦0
𝑥 = 𝑥0 + (𝑥1 − 𝑥0 )
𝑦1 −𝑦0
 TUTORIAL 1B: Classification of Soil

Question 3
The particle size distribution for a soil is shown in the figure below. The soil has a Liquid Limit of 40% and a Plastic Limit of
10%.
(a) What are the USCS classification and description of the soil?

Gravel: 𝟑𝟎%

Fines Sand Gravel

Sand: 𝟔𝟎%

Fine: 𝟏𝟎%
 TUTORIAL 1B: Classification of Soil

Question 3
The particle size distribution for a soil is shown in the figure below. The soil has a Liquid Limit of 40% and a Plastic Limit of
10%.
(a) What are the USCS classification and description of the soil?

Components of soil are:

Fines: 10% Fines: 5% < 10% < 12%
Sand: 70 – 10 = 60% First letter is S
Gravel: 100 – 70 = 30% → dual symbol
 TUTORIAL 1B: Classification of Soil

𝐺 …− 𝐺 …
𝑆…− 𝑆…

𝑊 𝑜𝑟 𝑃

𝐶𝑢 & 𝐶𝑐
 TUTORIAL 1B: Classification of Soil

Question 3
The particle size distribution for a soil is shown in the figure below. The soil has a Liquid Limit of 40% and a Plastic Limit of
10%.
(a) What are the USCS classification and description of the soil?

Components of soil are:

Fines: 10% Fines: 5% < 10% < 12%
Sand: 70 – 10 = 60% First letter is S
Gravel: 100 – 70 = 30% → dual symbol

Gravel:

Fines Sands Gravels

Sand:

0.3mm
Fine:
0.06mm 1mm

D60 1
Coefficient of uniformity: Cu = = = 16.67 (> 6)
D10 0.06
D30 2 0.32
Coefficient of curvature: Cc = = = 1.5 (∈ 1,3 )
D10 ×D60 0.06×1
Thus, the soil is well-graded → W
TUTORIAL 1B: Classification of Soil

𝐺 …− 𝐺 …
𝑆…− 𝑆…

𝐶 𝑜𝑟 𝑀
 TUTORIAL 1B: Classification of Soil

Question 3
The particle size distribution for a soil is shown in the figure below. The soil has a Liquid Limit of 40% and a Plastic Limit of
10%.
(a) What are the USCS classification and description of the soil?

Fine-grained soil analysis: LL = 40% and PL = 10% → PI = LL – PL = 40 − 10 = 30%

Clay → C
PI on A-line: PI = 0.73(LL – 20) = 0.73(40 – 20) = 14.6% (< 30%)

USCS symbol: SW-SC

 TUTORIAL 1B: Classification of Soil

Question 3
The particle size distribution for a soil is shown in the figure below. The soil has a Liquid Limit of 40% and a Plastic Limit of
10%.
(a) What are the USCS classification and description of the soil?

Description: Well-graded clayey sand with gravel

or well-graded sand with silty clay and gravel
 TUTORIAL 1B: Classification of Soil

Question 3
The particle size distribution for a soil is shown in the figure below. The soil has a Liquid Limit of 40% and a Plastic Limit of
10%.
(b) Is this soil suitable for compaction? Why? USCS symbol: SW-SC

Answer: Yes. SW-SC is suitable for compaction because:

 It has sufficient range of particle sizes;

 It has smaller void content;
 It has higher bulk density/unit weight;
 It prevents water infiltration (low permeability coefficient); and
 It requires less compaction effort, thus cost-effective.

Comment: Compaction may be achieved efficiently.

 TUTORIAL 1B: Classification of Soil

Question 3
The particle size distribution for a soil is shown in the figure below. The soil has a Liquid Limit of 40% and a Plastic Limit of
10%.
(c) Comparing this soil with another soil which is classified as GP, which one has a higher coefficient of permeability?
Why?

Answer: GP is highly permeable to water because:

 It has discontinuous grading curve (some particle sizes are missing);
 It has bigger void contents, thus absorbing water easily; and
 It has lower bulk density/unit weight
Comment: This characteristic of GP is not good to some extents. For instance, in the rainy season, heavy
rainfalls would result in huge amount of water infiltrating through a permeable soil layer. The excessive
infiltration causes built-up pore pressures and the foundation failure may occur.
 PREPARATION FOR NEXT WEEK

 The deadline for Assignment 1 is on 21st April 2019.

 Week 6: Mohr circle and stresses in a soil mass.

ADDITIONAL QUESTION – Shrinkage Limit
 ADDITIONAL QUESTION – Shrinkage Limit

Liquid Limit (LL): the (LL):

Liquid Limit minimum moisture
the minimum moisturecontent
content (w(w
LL) at )
LL at which a soil will flow under its own
which a soil will flow under its own
weight.
weight.
Plastic Limit (PL): the minimum moisture content (wPL) at which a soil still behaves plastically
(i.e., a soil can be rolled into a thread 3mm in diameter without crushing or breaking).
Plastic Limit (PL): the minimum moisture content (wPL) at which a soil still behaves plastically
(i.e., a soil can be rolled into a thread 3mm in diameter without crushing or breaking).
Shrinkage Limit (SL): the moisture content (wSL) where further loss of moisture will not result
in soil volume reduction

Shrinkage Limit (SL): the moisture content (wSL) where further loss of moisture will not result
in soil volume reduction
 SHRINKAGE LIMIT

Shrinkage Limit (wSL)

 Volume
Clay ischaracterised
Volumes fully continues
saturated
of water decreases
approaches to
duedecrease
tolimit:
zero
by shrinkage Vw = to Vevaporation
linearly
evaporation
due v thus, Va = 0 and Sr = 1
 Volume
Watercontinues
Clay isoccupies shrinks
compressed
of clay to
theshrink
remains no
entire
by the further
and
void
surface
still
constantspaces
remains
tension
within
saturated
of the
waterclay
 ADDITIONAL QUESTION – Shrinkage Limit

Additional Question for Shrinkage Limit (wSL)

Determine the shrinkage limit (wSL) knowing that the dry unit weight γdry = 19.5kN/m3 .

Solution
Let assume: Vtot = 1m3 and Gs = 2.65

Shrinkage limit conditions: 𝐒𝐫 = 𝟏 (as 𝑽𝐰 = 𝑽𝐯 )

Your target is to determine the void ratio e.

Now, the weight of solid: Ws = γdry × Vtot = 19.5 × 1 = 19.5kN

Ws 19.5
The volume of solid: Vs = G = 2.65×9.81 = 0.75m3
s ×γw

The volume of void: Vv = Vtot − Vs = 1 − 0.75 = 0.25m3

Vv 0.25
The void ratio: e= = 0.75 = 33.3%
Vs

Sr ×𝑒 1×0.333
Thus the shrinkage limit is: wSL = = = 𝟏𝟐. 𝟔%
Gs 2.65
Thanks for your attention!