124 Chapter 4 | Plasticity and Structure of Soil

● The plasticity index (PI)

PI) is the difference between the liquid limit (LL) and
PI
the plastic limit (PL) [Eq. (4.9)].
● The liquidity index of soil (LI)
LI) is the ratio of the difference between the
LI
in situ moisture content (%) and the plastic limit to the plasticity index
[Eq. (4.26)], or
w 2 PL
LI 5
LL 2 PL
● Activity, A, is defined as the ratio of plasticity index to the percent of clay-size
fraction by weight in a soil [Eq. (4.28)].
● The structure of cohesionless soils can be single-grained or honeycombed.
Soils with honeycombed structure have large void ratios that may break
down under heavy load and dynamic loading.
● Dispersion, nonsalt flocculation, and salt flocculation of clay soils were dis-
cussed in Section 4.9. Also discussed in this section is the structure of fine-
grained soil as it relates to the arrangement of peds and micropore spaces and
the arrangement of domains and clusters with silt-size particles.

Problems
4.1 During Atterberg limit tests in the soil mechanics laboratory, the students
obtained the following results from a clayey soil.
Liquid limit tests:

Number of Moisture
blows, N content (%)
14 38.4
16 36.5
20 33.1
28 27.0

Plastic limit tests: Students conducted two trials and found that PL 5 17.2%
for the first trial and PL 5 17.8% for the second trial.
a. Draw the flow curve and obtain the liquid limit.
b. What is the plasticity index of the soil? Use an average value of PL from
the two plastic limit trails.
4.2 Refer to the soil in Problem 4.1. A second group of students conducted only
one test and found that the groove on the soil sample closed 12.5 mm when
N 5 21 and w 5 30.4%. Estimate the liquid limit by the one-point method.
4.3 Refer to the soil in Problem 4.1.
a. Determine the flow index.
b. Determine the liquidity index of the soil if the in situ moisture content is 21%.

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 Problems 125

4.4 Results from a liquid limit test conducted on a soil are given below.

Number of Moisture
blows, N content (%)
12 35.2
19 29.5
27 25.4
37 21

a. Determine the liquid limit of the soil.

b. If it is known that the PI 5 6.5, what would be the plastic limit of the soil?
c. Determine the liquidity index of the soil if win situ 5 23.8%
4.5 The following data were obtained by conducting liquid limit and plastic limit
tests on a soil collected from the site.
Liquid limit tests:

Number of Moisture
blows, N content (%)
15 39.5
21 37.9
29 36.4
38 35.1

Plastic limit test: PL 5 19.3%

a. Draw the flow curve and determine the liquid limit.
b. Using the Casagrande plasticity chart (Figure 4.21), determine the soil type.
4.6 Refer to the soil in Problem 4.5. Using the Casagrande plasticity chart, graph-
ically estimate the shrinkage limit of the soil as shown in Figure 4.22.
4.7 Following results are obtained for a liquid limit test using a fall cone device.
Estimate the liquid limit of the soil and the flow index.

Cone Moisture
penetration, d content
(mm) (%)
13 26.3
19 31.9
26 39.3
31 42.6

4.8 Refer to the same soil in Problem 4.7. A single test was conducted with
the fall cone device and the following results were obtained: d 5 17 mm and
w 5 28.5%. Using Eqs. (4.5), (4.6), and (4.7), estimate the liquid limit by the
one-point method.

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126 Chapter 4 | Plasticity and Structure of Soil

4.9 Refer to the liquid limit determined in Problem 4.5 using the percussion cup
method (ASTM 4318). Estimate the liquid limit for the same soil if the fall
cone method (BS 1377) were used. Use Eq. (4.8).
4.10 During a shrinkage limit test, a 19.3 cm3 saturated clay sample with a mass
of 37 g was placed in a porcelain dish and dried in the oven. The oven-dried
sample had a mass of 28 g with a final volume of 16 cm3. Determine the shrink-
age limit and the shrinkage ratio.
4.11 The following data were recorded during a shrinkage limit test on a clay soil
pat: Vi 5 20.6, Vf 5 13.8 cm3, M1 5 47.5 g, and mass of dry soil, M2 5 34.6 g.
Determine the shrinkage limit and the shrinkage ratio.
4.12 In a shrinkage limit test, a sample of saturated clay was dried in the oven.
The dry mass of the soil was 22.5 g. As shown in Figure 4.13, when the
moisture content is at the shrinkage limit, the soil reaches a constant total
volume, Vf . If Vf = 10.3 cm3, calculate the shrinkage limit of the soil. Given:
Gs 5 2.72

Critical Thinking Problems

4.C.1 The properties of seven different clayey soils are shown below (Skempton
and Northey, 1952). Investigate the relationship between the strength and
plasticity characteristics by performing the following tasks:
a. Estimate the plasticity index for each soil using Skempton’s definition of
activity [Eq. (4.28)].
b. Estimate the probable mineral composition of the clay soils based on PI
and A (use Table 4.3)
c. Sensitivity (St) refers to the loss of strength when the soil is remolded or dis-
turbed. It is defined as the ratio of the undisturbed strength (f-undisturbed) to
the remolded strength (f-remolded)) at the same moisture content [Eq. (12.49)].
From the given data, estimate f-remolded for the clay soils.
d. Plot the variations of undisturbed and remolded shear strengths with the
activity, A, and explain the observed behavior.

% Clay fraction Activity, Undisturbed shear Sensitivity,

Soil (, 2mm) A strength (kN/m2) St
Beauharnois 79 0.52 18 14
Detroit I 36 0.36 17 2.5
Horten 40 0.42 41 17
Gosport 55 0.89 29 2.2
Mexico City 90 4.5 46 5.3
Shellhaven 41 1.33 36 7.6
St. Thuribe 36 0.33 38 150

4.C.2 Liquidity index, LI, defined by Eq. (4.26), can indicate probable engineering
behavior depending on the natural or current state of moisture content. For

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