DETERMINATION OF LIQUID LIMIT

SIGNIFICANCE

The liquid limit is defined as the lowest moisture content at which the soil will flow upon the
application of a very small shearing force. The liquid limit gives a certain measure of the shearing
resistance of a soil when mixed with water. It is a measure of the potential cohesion which in turn
depends upon the total size of the contact areas, or the fineness and shape of the grains. The finer and
flatter the grains, the greater will be the total contact area between the grains, and the higher the amount
of water that could be taken into coat the grains.

APPARATUS

1. Evaporating dish
2. Spatula, having a blade about 75 mm length and 20 mm width.
3. Liquid limit device
4. Grooving tool
5. Containers
6. Oven with temperature control

7. Balance, sensitive to 0.1 g

PROCEDURE:

1. A sample weighing about 100 g shall be taken from thoroughly mixed material passing the 0.425
mm sieve which has been obtained in accordance with standard procedures in Preparation of
Disturbed Soil Sample for Test. Mix the sample with 15 to 20 ml of distilled water. Mix it
thoroughly by alternately stirring, and kneading with spatula. Further addition of water shall be
made by 1 to 3 ml increments.

2. Place a portion of the paste in the brass cup of the liquid limit device, level off the surface with a
spatula to a maximum depth of 10 mm and divide the soil pat into two segments by means of the
standard grooving tool.

3. Mount the brass cup to the carriage such that it can be raised and allowed to drop sharply on the
base through a height of 10 mm by rotating the crank at an approximate rate of two rotations per
second until the closure of the groove about 13 mm from the bottom. The closure should be by flow
of the soil and not by slippage on the cup.
 4. Take a slice of approximately the width of the spatula extending from edge to edge of the soil cake
at right angles to the groove. Place the sample in a drying can for moisture content determination.

5. Repeat Steps (2) to (4) with different moisture contents of the soil in the range of 15 to 35 blows. A
total of 4 determinations should be made.

6. Plot moisture content against log number of blows and draw the flow curve.

CALCULATION

1. Calculate the percentage moisture to the nearest whole percent.

W 1−W 2
% Moisture = x 100
W2
W 1 = weight/mass of wet sample
W 2 = weight/mass of oven-dried sample

2. Plot the percent moisture as ordinate on an arithmetic scale against the number of blows as abscissa
on a logarithmic scale. Draw a straight line connecting these points. The plot is called the "flow
curve".

3. The liquid limit is expressed as the moisture content corresponding to 25 blows.

WORK SHEET FOR LIQUID AND PLASTIC LIMIT TEST

Project
_______________________________________________________________________________________
(Number) (Name) (City / Province)
Sampled at
____________________________________________________________________________________
(Give as accurate a location as possible)
Original Source
_________________________________________________________________________________

(Pit, quarry, river, etc., and location)

Proposed Use __________________________________________ Spec’s Item No.

___________________________
Sampled by
____________________________________________________________________________________
(Name and Designation) (Office) (Date)
Tested by
_____________________________________________________________________________________
(Name and Designation) (Office) (Date)
Computed by
___________________________________________________________________________________
(Name and Designation) (Office) (Date)
_______________________________________________________________________________________
________
Lab. No. _____________

Determination Number Liquid Limit Plastic Limit

1 2 3 4 1 2
Container number I II III IV V VI
Container and wet soil, g 38.2 38.5 37.5 40.3 39.1 37.3 38.5
Container and dry soil, g 33.5 34.3 34.8 35.6 35.3 32.8 34.4
Moisture loss, g 4.7 4.2 2.7 4.7 3.8 4.5 4.1
Container, g 20.2 21.2 20.1 20.8 20.1 21.3 20.6
Dry soil, g 13.3 13.1 14.7 14.8 15.2 11.5 13.8
Moisture content, % 35 32 18 32 25 39 30
Number of blows 20 25 35 28 30 18 26
Average =
Sieve Analysis

Liquid Limit = 32
Sieve Size % Passing
Plastic Limit =
Plasticity Index =
No. 10 34.1%
Group Index =
Group Classification =
No. 40 12.%

No. 200 5.5%

DETERMINATION OF PLASTIC LIMIT AND PLASTICITY INDEX

SIGNIFICANCE

The plastic limit is defined as the minimum moisture content at which the soil can be readily
molded without breaking or crumbling. Plasticity index indicates compressibility: high P.I. means high
degree of compressibility of a soil. It is also related to permeability; the higher the P.I. the lower the
permeability; and vice-versa.

The limit tests and plasticity index are widely used to control the characteristics of soil which are to
be incorporated in roadways.

APPARATUS

1. Evaporating dish
2. Spatula, having a blade about 75 mm length and 20 mm width.
3. A ground glass plate or piece of smooth, unglazed paper on which to roll the sample.
4. Containers
5. Oven with temperature control
6. Balance sensitive to 0.1 g

SAMPLE

1. If the plastic limit only is required, mix thoroughly about 20 g of sample obtained in accordance
with standard procedure in accordance with Standard Procedure in Preparation of Disturbed Soil
Sample for Test with distilled water until the mass is plastic enough to be shaped into a ball.
Take a portion of the ball weighing about 8 g for test sample.
2. If both liquid and plastic limit is required, take a specimen sample weighing about 8 g from the
thoroughly mixed portion of the soil prepared in accordance with the Standard Method of Test
for Liquid Limit of Soils.

PROCEDURE:

1. Squeeze and form the 8 g sample into ball.

2. Roll the ball of soil between the fingers and the glass plate with just sufficient pressure into
thread of uniform diameter throughout its length.
3. When the diameter of the thread becomes 3.2 mm, break the thread into 6 or 8 pieces.
4. Squeeze the pieces together between the thumbs and fingers into a uniform mass and reroll.
Continue the alternate rolling to a thread of 3.2 mm until the thread crumbles and the soil can no
longer be rolled into a thread.

5. Take some of the crumbled soil and place in a drying can. Weigh the container and thread and
record the mass. Oven dry the soil to constant mass at 110° + 5 at constant weight. Record the
loss in mass as the mass of water.
CALCULATION

1. The plastic limit is expressed as the moisture content in percentage of the oven-dried
weight/mass of the crumbled soil thread.

Wa−Wb
Plastic Limit = x 100
Wb
Where:
W a= weight of crumbled soil thread

W b= weight of oven-dried crumbled soil thread.

2. The plasticity index is the difference between the liquid limit and plastic limit.
Plasticity Index = Liquid Limit - Plastic Limit

DATA AND RESULTS:

Wa = 8 grams
Wb = 7 grams

8 g−7 g
Plastic Limit = x 100
7g

Plastic Limit = 14.29

Plasticity Index = 32 – 14.29

Plasticity Index = 17.71