TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES

CQT Ave. Salawag, Dasmarinas City, Cavite

CT211
CONSTRUCTION TECHNOLOGY 3 LECTURE
BET-CT-NS-2B

ASSIGNMENT NO.1
SOIL INDEX PROPERTIES, CLASSIFICATION TESTS AND SYSTEMS

SUBMITTED BY:
FLORES, JAYSON T.

SUBMITTED TO:
ENGR. SHELLA MERA

DATE SUBMITTED:
9/15/2020
 1. WHAT ARE THE INDEX PROPERTIES FOR COARSE-
GRAINED SOIL?

Coarse-grained (non-cohesive) soil index properties are:

 particle-size distribution
 particle shape
 relative density
 consistency
 clay and clay minerals content

FOR FINE GRAINED SOIL TYPE?

Fine-grained (cohesive) soil index properties are:

 consistency
 clay and clay minerals content
 water content

One of soil index properties which describe non-cohesive soils is particle size
distribution. Soil that contains wide range of particle sizes is named well-graded.
The opposite type of soil, which contains narrow range of particle sizes, is
categorized as poorly graded. Well-graded soils can be more densely
packed. Particle shape also influences how closely particles can be packed
together. The density of soil (especially of coarse-grained) is the indication of
strength and stiffness. The relative density is the ratio of the actual bulk density
and the maximum possible density of the soil. Relative density is a good indicator
of potential increases in density, and thus deformations that may occur under the
different loads.
Consistency is the resistance of soils to deformation and rupture. The unconfined
compression strength is often used as an indication of consistency. In practice, the
terms soft, medium, stiff, very stiff, and hard are applied to rate consistency of soil.
This soil index property describes both cohesive and non-cohesive soils.
Consistency at non-cohesive soil depends primarily on particle shape and size
distribution, while at cohesive soils this property primarily depends on water
content.

Clay and clay minerals content is important soil index characteristic for both
coarse- and fine-grained soils. Clay minerals are fine-sized platy silicates which
are highly plastic. Therefore, depending on percentage and type of clay minerals,
clayey soils are less or more plastic.

Water content is very important soil index property of fine-grained soils since
their behaviour largely changes with water concentration variations. According to
Atterberg there are four states: liquid, plastic, semi-solid and solid. Marginal water
contents that separate these states are known as Atterberg limits and these are:
shrinkage (SL), plastic (PL) and liquid limit (LL). These limits have different
values for different types of fine-grained soils.

The Unified Soil Classification gives each soil type a two-letter designation. For

coarse grained soils, the first letter, either G for gravel or S for sand, refers to the
dominant particle size in the soil. The second letter is either W, for well graded or
P, for poorly graded. The second letter can also be M for silt or C for clay if
coarse-grained soils contain more than 12% of silt or clay. The first letter of the
designation for fine-grained soils is M or C (silt or clay). The second letter, either
H (high) or L (low), refers to the plasticity of the soil.

GRT products enable improvement of all soil types and make them suitable for
various engineering purposes. The natural soils with highest level of unconfined
compression strength (UCS) are categorized as hard soils when UCS is more than
0.4MPa. Through use of GRT stabilizers in concentration 0.5% UCS results
ranging from 2 – 5.8MPa can be achieved. GRT7000 showed outstanding results
when implemented in both highly coarse and highly plastic soils, and thus is
suitable for stabilizing of soils with wide variety of soil index properties.
Testing of type 2 gravel treatment with 1% GRT7000 showed a UCS result at 5
days 8.9MPa. Comparative UCS results in cement stabilized type 2 gravels, require
in excess of 5 and 6%, and up to 8% cement by mass for the lower sub-types.
When it comes to fine-grained highly plastic soils GRT7000 is needed in much
lower concentrations than lime and cement. In the case of soils with plasticity
index higher than 20 (for which is lime considered very efficient stabilizer),
general recommendation is 3-5% of lime or 3-7% of cement, while GRT7000 is
needed in concentration as low as 1%.

2. WHAT ARE THE THREE (3) ATTERBERG LIMITS?

The Atterberg limits consist of the following key values of moisture content:

 The Liquid Limit (LL) is the moisture content at which a fine-grained

soil no longer flows like a liquid.

 The Plastic Limit (PL) is the moisture content at which a fine-grained

soil can no longer be remolded without cracking.

 The Shrinkage Limit (SL) is the moisture content at which a fine-

grained soil no longer changes volume upon drying—any loss of
moisture is compensated by the entry of air into the pores.

3. WHAT ARE THE SOIL INDECES?

The Soil indices are a device on nutrient and trace element application rates clearly
must depend on the quantity of the element in the soil that is available to the crop.
Apart from N, this is determined by soil analysis. For most elements, the soil is
extracted with a suitable reagent and the amount extracted is deemed to be or
related to the amount available to the plant. For elements that are extracted, the
analysis unit is milligrams per liter of soil (mg/l). For elements that are digested in
strong reagents, the analysis units are mg/kg. These include cobalt, total
manganese, Sulphur and iodine.

In order to simplify advice tables, it is normal to classify soil available levels of

nutrients and trace elements into classes. The class is referred to as the Soil Index.
At Johnstown Castle, soil analysis levels are classified into Index 1 – 4. The exact
interpretation of the Soil Index varies somewhat with the element and the crop but
the definitions in Table1 apply in most circumstances.

The Soil Index System

Soil
Index Description Response to Fertilizers
Index

1 Very Low Definite

2 Low Likely

3 Medium Unlikely/Tenuous

4 Sufficient/Excess None

4. WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENT SOIL CLASSIFICATION

SYSTEM?
 AASHTO Classification System - the AASHTO system was developed
specifically for highway construction and is still widely used for that
purpose. With practice and experience, a reasonably accurate field
classification can be determined. However, it is necessary to run sieve
analyses and plasticity determinations.
 Unified Classification System - the Unified (USCS) system was developed
later, and as the name suggests, it was intended to be a more all-
encompassing system for geotechnical engineering. It is the most detailed
system but it requires laboratory analysis for application. While the system
does have limitations for uses as a field classification method, it is widely
used for many geotechnical applications.
 USDA Classification System - the USDA system was developed for
agricultural purposes. It has some engineering application in that it provides
a relatively easy method for general field classification of soils. However,
“loamy”, while descriptive, is not an engineering term and should be
avoided when discussing the engineering properties of a soil.