Lab7 HANNA

Republic of the Philippines
CAMARINES SUR POLYTECHNIC COLLEGES

Nabua, Camarines Sur
College of Engineering
Laboratory No. 7
Liquid Limit, Plastic Limit, Shrinkage limit
and Plasticity Index Determination
Name: Hanna B. Paile______________________________ Course: BSCE 4A___________
Instructor: Engr. ROWEL BERMAL Date: ________________________
Group No.: 2
INTRODUCTION:
LABORATORY EQUIPMENT AND APPARATUS:

1. Plastic Limit Determination
 Glass Plate
 Mixing Bowl
 Oven with Temperature Control
 Balance
 Sieve #40
 Pan
 Drying Cans
 Pair of Tongs
 Spatula
 Distilled Water
2. Shrinkage Limit Determination
 Shrinkage Mold (45 mm ø and 13 mm deep)
 50 mm ø glass cup
 Petroleum Jelly
 Medicine Dropper
 15 mm ø Evaporating Dish
 Graduated Cylinder
 Glass Plate
 Prongs
 Spatula
 Oven
 Pair of Tongs
 Desiccators
 Balance
 Sieve #40
3. Plasticity Index Determination
 Cone Penetrometer
 50 mm ø Tin Cup
 Prongs
 Spatula
 Oven
 Pair of Tongs
 Balance
 Sieve #40
4. Liquid Limit Determination

 Liquid Limit Device With Grooving Tools
 Mixing Bowls
 Oven
 Balance
 Sieve #40
 Pans
 Drying Cans
 Metric Scale
 Pair of Tongs
 Spatula
 Distilled Water
Laboratory Procedure for Liquid Limit Determination:

1. Take representative soil sample of approximately 120 grams passing through the sieve #40
and mix thoroughly with distilled water in evaporating dish to a uniform paste.
2. The paste shall have a consistency that will require 30 to 35 of the cups to cause the
required closure of the standard groove.
3. Place a portion of the paste in the cup above the spot where the cup rest on the base,
squeeze down and spread into position with a few strokes of spatula as possible and at the
same time trim to a depth of 1 cm at a point of maximum thickness.
4. Make a clean, sharp groove by a grooving tool along the diameter through the centerline of
the cam follower.
5. Drop the cup from a height of 10±0.25 mm by turning the crank at the rate of two-
revolution/sec. until the two halves of the soil cake come into contact with the button of the
groove along a distance of about 12 mm.
6. Record the number of droops required to cause the grooved close for the length of 12 mm.
7. Collect a representative slice of sample of soil approximately the width of spatula extending
from about edge to edge of the soil cake at the right angle to the groove intoan air tight
container and keep in an oven for 24 hrs. maintained at a temperature of 105º to 110º C
and get the moisture content.
8. Repeat the operation specification specified above for at least three more additional trials
(minimum of four in all) with soil collected in evaporating dish to which enough water has
been added to bring the soil to more fluid condition.
9. In each case record the number of blows and determine the moisture content as before.
10. The specimen shall be of such consistency that the number of drops required to close the
groove shall not be less than 15 or more than 35.
Definition of Terms:
 Liquid Limit – is the moisture content at which the groove formed by a standard tool into the
sample of soil taken in the standard cup closes 12 mm on being given 25 blows in a standard
manner.
 Plastic Limit – is the moisture content at which the soil can just be rolled to threads of 3mm
diameter.
WORKSHEET (Liquid Limit)
Sample No. 1 2 3 4
Moisture Can and Lid Number
Mc= Mass of empty, clean can (grams)
Mcms= Mass of cans and moist soil (grams)
Mcds= Mass of cans and dry soil
Ms= Mass of solid (grams)
Mw= Mass of water (grams)
W= water content, ω%
No. of Drops (N)
Laboratory Procedure for Plastic Limit Determination:

1. About 15g of the moist soil used for the liquid limit test was mixed thoroughly
2. The soil was rolled on a glass plate with the hand until it approximately 3mm in diameter.
3. The step (2) was repeated by changing the water content until a 3 mm diameter thread
showed sign of crumbling.
4. The crumbling material detained in step 3 was taken for water content determination.
5. Three determination was obtained which can be averaged to determine the plastic limit by
repeating step 2 to 4.
WORKSHEET (Plastic Limit)

Sample No. 1 2 3 4
Mc= Mass can (grams)
Mcms= Mass of cans and moist soil (grams)
Mcds= Mass of cans and dry soil
Ms= Mass of solid (grams)
Mw= Mass of pour water (grams)
W= water content, ω%
Laboratory Procedure for Shrinkage Limit Determination:

1. Take around 30 grams of soil passing through sieve #40
2. Mix the soil sample with distilled water such that it can be readily worked into the shrinkage
dish (No air bubble should be trapped).
3. Water content of the sample should be little over the liquid limit.
4. Coat the inside surface of the dish with Vaseline so that the soil does not stick to the dish.
5. Place the soil sample in the dish by giving gentle taps
6. Strike the surface with the straight edge.
7. Clean the outer surface of the shrinkage dish.
8. Weigh the shrinkage containing the wet soil and record it.
9. Keep the sample in an oven for 24 hours and dry it.
10. Weigh the shrinkage dish with dry soil pat.
11. To determine the volume of the shrinkage dish, place the dish in an evaporating dish and
fill it with mercury under it overflow slightly.
12. Dress it with glass plate firmly on its top to remove excess mercury.
13. Volume of the shrinkage dish is obtained by weighing the mercury which fills the shrinkage
dish and dividing it with the unit weight of mercury. This volume is equivalent to the volume
of the wet soil pat.
14. To determine the volume of the dry pat, place a glass cup in a larger one and fill the glass
with mercury such that it overflows.
15. Remove the excess mercury by covering the cup with glass plate with prongs and pressing
it.
16. Wipe the outer surface of the glass cup to remove adhering mercury.
17. Place the glass cup filled with mercury in another larger dish which is clean and empty.
18. Place the dry soil pat on the surface of the mercury in the glass cup.
19. Press it using glass plate with prongs and obtain the displace mercury.
20. Weigh the mercury displaced by the dry soil pat.
21. Volume of the dry soil pat is obtained by dividing the weight of the displaced mercury with
the unit weight of mercury.
22. Repeat the test 3 times for the given soil sample.
WORKSHEET (Shrinkage Limit)

Sample No. 1 2 3 4
Mass of container, W c
Mass of container + wet soil pat, W ws
Mass of wet soil pat W1=W ws- Wc
Mass of container + dry soil pat, W 2=W ds-Wc
Mass of water W w=W 1-W2
Moisture content (%), W=𝑾𝒘 𝑾
𝒙𝟏𝟎𝟎
Mass of mercury filling the shrinkage dish, W 3
Density of mercury, 𝝆
Volume of wet soil (V1), in cm3 (V1=𝑾𝟑
𝝆
)
Mass of mercury displaced, W 4
Volume of dry soil pat (V2) =𝑾𝟒
𝝆
Shrinkage Limit in %, SL=(W-𝑽𝟏−𝑽𝟐
𝑾𝟐
)x100
𝑾𝟐
Shrinkage Ratio, R=𝝆𝒘𝑽𝟐
DISCUSSION:
CONCLUSION:
DOCUMENTATION:

Lab7 HANNA

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Republic of the Philippines

CAMARINES SUR POLYTECHNIC COLLEGES

LABORATORY EQUIPMENT AND APPARATUS:

4. Liquid Limit Determination

Laboratory Procedure for Liquid Limit Determination:

Laboratory Procedure for Plastic Limit Determination:

WORKSHEET (Plastic Limit)

Laboratory Procedure for Shrinkage Limit Determination:

WORKSHEET (Shrinkage Limit)

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