INTRODUCTION

Soil classification system provides a systematic

method of categorizing soils according to their
probable engineering behavior, and allows engineers to
have access to the accumulated experience of other
engineers.

A classification system must be simple to use and the

number of soil groups not too many in number.

Most commonly used properties are the GSD &

INDEX PROPERTIES.

However, a soil classification system does not

eliminate the need for detailed soil investigations
Soil Classification Systems

 Unified Soil Classification System (USCS)

(Prof. A. Casagrande, 1948)
 American Association of State Highway and Transport
Officials (AASHTO) system
 Indian Standard Soil Classification System (ISSCS)
(1959, Revised in 1970)
 Massachusets Institute of Technology (MIT)
 American Society for Testing and Materials(ASTM)
Unified Soil Classification System (USCS)
Developed by Prof. A. Casagrande (1948), for use in
airfield construction during World war II. Later modified in
1952 to make it applicable to foundations, dams and other
constructions.

The basis for the USCS is that coarse-grained soils can be

classified according to their grain size distributions, where
as the engineering behaviour of fine grained soils is
primarily related to their plasticity.

Sieve Analysis and Atterberg limits are necessary to

classify the soil

4 major divisions in USCS System are (i) coarse grained

(ii) fine grained (iii) organic soils (iv) peat
 Classification Groups

•The soil is classified into 15 groups.

•Each group is designated a symbol consisting of two
capital letters.
•The first letter is based on main soil type.
•The second letter is based on gradation and plasticity .
USCS Definitions of particle size, size ranges and symbols
Unified Soil Classification System
Coarse grained soils
Unified Soil Classification System
Coarse grained soils (cont.)
Usual symbols: Coarse grained soil
Unified Soil Classification System
Fine grained soils
Unified Soil Classification System
Fine grained soils (cont.) PLASTICITY CHART
Silt (M)
Clay (C)
Organic (O)
High Plasticity use H - wL >50
Low Plasticity use L - wL <50
Below A-line, use M (Silt) or
O (Organic)
Above A-line, use C - Clay

“The soil’s liquid limit (wL) after oven drying is less than 75 % of its liquid limit
before oven drying.” If the above statement is true, then it is Organic Soil (OL or
OH). Otherwise, it is Inorganic Soil (ML or MH)
 Plasticity Chart

When IP and wL are in the hatched portion of the plasticity chart, the soil is given
dual symbol (CL-ML).
Soil possessing properties of more than one group are termed as boundary soil
and designated by dual group symbol.
USCS at a glance

(Santamarina et al., 2001)

 Group Symbols and Group Names
Group Symbol Typical Name

GW Well-graded gravels.

GP Poorly-graded gravels.

GM Silty gravels.

GC Clayey gravels

SW Well-graded sands.

SP Poorly-graded sands.

SM Silty sands.

SC Clayey sands.
 Group Symbols and Group Names
Group Symbol Typical Name

CL Inorganic clays of low plasticity.

ML Inorganic silts with slight plasticity.

OL Organic soil of low plasticity.

CH Inorganic clays of high plasticity.

MH Inorganic silts with high plasticity.

OH Organic soil of high plasticity.

Pt Peat.
 Example

Passing No.200 sieve 30%

Passing No.4 sieve 70 %

LL= 33
PI= 12
PI= 0.73(LL-20), A-line
PI=0.73(33-20)=9.49
Soil Type= SC
Clayey sand
Highly

(Santamarina et al., 2001)

Indian Standard Classification
System (ISCS)
IS:1498-1970
Indian Standard Soil Classification System

 Based on USCS with modifications.

 The basis for the ISSCS is that coarse-grained soils can

be classified according to their grain size distributions,
where as the engineering behaviour of fine grained soils
is primarily related to their plasticity.
Division of soil fractions based on grain size

Prefixes and Suffixes of IS Soil Classification System

 Plasticity Chart

Below A-line, use M (Silt) or High Plasticity use H - wL >50

O (Organic)
Intermediate Plasticity use I – 35< wL >50
Above A-line, use C - Clay Low Plasticity use L - wL <35
Textural Classification
 Introduction
Soil classification of composite soils exclusively based
on Particle Size Distribution.
Most popular is the Triangular Classification of U.S.
Public Roads Administration.
Classification based on % of sand, silt and clay size.
More suitable for describing coarse grained soil.
Clay soil properties are less dependent on particle size
distribution.
Textural Classification Chart
Example

30% sand
30% silt
40% clay

Soil Type
Clay
Tutorial Problem 1

1. For a given soil, the following are known:

 Percentage passing No. 4 sieve = 70
 Percentage passing No. 200 sieve = 30
 Liquid limit = 33
 Plastic limit = 12
Classify the soil using the Unified Soil Classification System. Give the
group symbol and the group name.

Answer:
group symbol is SC,
clayey sand with gravel
Tutorial Problem 2

2. The following test results were obtained for a fine-grained soil:

WL= 48% ; WP = 26%
Clay content = 25%
Silt content = 35%
Sand content = 10%
In situ moisture content = 39% = w
Classify the soil, and determine its activity and liquidity index

Answer:
group symbol is CI, Clay of intermediate plasticity
Activity = 0.88
Liquidity Index = 0.59
Tutorial Problem 3

3. A sample of clay has natural water content of 48%. Its

liquid limit 64% and plastic limit 34%. Determine
plasticity index and liquidity index. How will you classify
the soil as per ISSCS.

Answer:
Soil type : OH
Example
100

80
% Finer

60

40

20

0
0.0001 0.001 0.01 0.1 1 10 100
Particle size (mm)
Example
100

80
% Finer

60

40

20

0
0.0001 0.001 0.01 0.1 1 10 100
Particle size (mm)

• %fines (% finer than 75 mm) = 11% - Dual symbols required

Example
100

80
% Finer

60

40

20

0
0.0001 0.001 0.01 0.1 1 10 100
Particle size (mm)

• %fines (% finer than 75 mm) = 11% - Dual symbols required

• D10 = 0.06 mm, D30 = 0.25 mm, D60 = 0.75 mm
Example
100

80
% Finer

60

40

20

0
0.0001 0.001 0.01 0.1 1 10 100
Particle size (mm)
Particle size fractions: Gravel 17%
Sand 73%
Silt and Clay 10%
Of the coarse fraction about 80% is sand, hence Prefix is S
Cu = 12.5, Cc = 1.38
Suffix1 = W
From Atterberg Limit Tests
LL = 32, PL = 26
Ip = 32 - 26 = 6
From Plasticity Chart point lies below A-line
Suffix2 = M
Dual Symbols are SW-SM
To complete the classification the Symbols should be accompanied by a
description