AASHTO classification system

By:

Dr. Amizatulhani Abdullah

Faculty of Civil Engineering Technology
amizatulhani@ump.edu.my
Course Synopsis
01 Soil classification according to AASHTO

02 Soil classification according to USCS

TOPIC
OUTLINE
Course Learning Outcomes
At the end of the module, students should be able to:

• Use science and mathematical knowledge to

determine soil’s basic properties and the
classification.
Lesson Outcome
At the end of this notes, students should be able to:

• Classify the soil by using the AASHTO soil classification

system.
AASHTO Classification System
 American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials.

 Required parameters are grain-size analysis, LL, PI.

 Using the known parameters & the AASHTO table, the soil can be
classified into type A-1 or A-2 or … A-7.
 A soil can be further described using a group index (GI).
This index utilizes the % of soil passing No. 200 sieve, LL & PI.
Sieve number with
corresponding
opening size (mm)
AASHTO Classification Table
Group Index (GI)
 Once, the group name of the soil has been identified, the group index (GI) of the soil
can be calculated. The group index (GI) can be calculated by using the following
equation:

 There are some rules that need to be followed upon giving the group index (GI) for a soil.
• There is no negative value for GI. If it happens to be a negative value, it is taken as 0.
• The GI value must be rounded to the nearest round number.
• There is no upper limit for GI.
Example
• A sample of soil was tested in the laboratory
• Results of tests were as follows:
– LL = 42%
– PL = 16%
– Sieve analysis data Sieve number Percentage passing
No. 4 100.0
No. 10 93.2
No. 40 81.0
No. 200 60.2

Classify the soil sample by AASHTO classification system

Solution
• PI = LL – PL = 26%
• From AASHTO classification table, sample is classified as A-7
• Using the PI = 26%, the subgroup is A-7-6
• For the group chart index, with % passing the No. 200 sieve =
60.2% and LL = 42% the partial group index for LL = 5.3. With
PI = 26%, the partial group index is 7.2
– Total group index = 12.5
• The soil is A-7-6 (13)
THANK YOU