LABORATORY EXERCISE 4

DETERMINATION OF LIQUID LIMIT, PLASTIC LIMIT, AND PLASTICITY INDEX

Objective:
This test is performed to determine the liquid limit, plastic limit, and plasticity index of
fine grained soils.

Significance:
The determination of some of the Atterberg’s Limits of a soil sample is a necessary test to
determine its index properties. Index properties indicate the physical properties of the soil. The
condition of the in situ soil is often partially determined by its water-plasticity ratio.

Equipment:
- Liquid limit Set
o Liquid limit device (Casagrande Apparatus)
o Grooving tool
o Mixing Dish
- Plastic limit set
o Glass plate

- Spatula
- Dry cans
- Oven
- Dessicator
- Balance
- Distilled water
- Falling cone penetrometer
- Sieve # 40

Procedure:
All samples to be used should have passed the #40 sieve.

A. Liquid Limit Determination

1. Place the sample on a mixing dish and add to it 15-20 ml of distilled water tehn stir
the sample, knead and chop with a spatula. An additional 1-3 ml water is added and
the same procedure is undertaken.
2. Place the sample on the liquid limit device to a depth of 10mm at the point of
maximum thickness. Make a groove at the middle of the sample with the use of a
grooving tool, allowing a maximum of 6 strokes for it.
3. Turn the crank at a rate of two revolutions per second until the two sides of the
sample come in contact along a distance of 1/2 inch. Record the number of
revolutions and take a sample for water content determination. A minimum of 10
revolutions must be made before sample comes in contact by 1/2 inch.
 4. Repeat the same operation for samples with more than 25 revolutions. This is done by
adding soil to the sample.
5. Plot the flow curve and determine the liquid limit.

B. Plastic Limit Determination

1. Place the sample on a mixing dish and add to it small amount of water then stir the
sample.
2. Roll the sample in your hands to form a thread approximately 3mm in diameter.
3. If the sample will break before you can form a thread, add additional water and repeat
step 2 until you can form a thread approximately 3mm in diameter before the sample
will break (this is a trial and error procedure).
4. Get a small sample for water content determination (this corresponds to the plastic
limit of the sample)

C. Plasticity Index Determination (British Standard Method)

1. Prepare a sample and place it in a tin cup with the top at level with the rim of the tin
cup.
2. Place it under a 80g fall cone penetrometer with the tip of the penetrometer tangent to
the rim of the tin cup.
3. Release the penetrometer and determine the depth of its penetration on the sample in
millimeters, the value of penetration must be less than 20 mm.
4. Determine the water content of the sample.
5. Repeat the procedure 1-3 using a wet sample and see to it that the penetration value is
greater than 20mm for this test.
6. Repeat procedure 1-3 using a 240g fall cone penetrometer exceeding 20mm is
obtained.
DETERMINATION OF LIQUID LIMIT, PLASTIC LIMIT, AND PLASTICITY INDEX
DATA SHEET

Date Performed: November 6, 2020

Performed By: Jacolo, Aline V.

Worksheet for Liquid Limit Determination

Mass of Mass of Mass Water
Mass of
Worksheet wet for
soil +Plastic Limit Determination
Mass of Mass of
dry soil + of Conten
Trial No. No. of blows can wet soil dry soil
Mass of wet can can water t%
Trial No (g) soil (g) Mass of dry(g)soil Mass(g)
of water
(g) Water (g)
1 16 28 (g) 58 (g) 30 (g)
49 21 content 9 42.85
1 2 1 1 100 %
2 22 25 58 33 51 26 7 33.33
2 7 3 4 133 %
3 27 25 53 28 47 22 6 27.27
 60

55

50

45

40
% WATER
CONTENT

35

30

25

20

15

10

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

Number of Blows – logarithmic scale

Liquid Limit = 31 %
Plastic Limit = 116.5 %

60

55

50
 40
% WATER
CONTENT
35

30

25

20
Remarks:
15
In this exercise, I wasn’t able to perform fall cone method due to our situation. Yet in the
10
cassagrande method. The plastic limit has really discripancies since I have only small amount of
samples tested, longer time for the sample in the oven and that resulted to over a 100% water
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
content. Therefore, The quality of the result produced by this standard is still dependent on the
Penetration (mm) – logarithmic scale
competence of the person performing it and the suitability of the equipment and facilities used.