2.

9  Soil Classification Systems 21

Table 2.7   AASHTO Soil Classification System

Granular materials
General classification (35% or less of total sample passing No. 200 sieve)
A-1 A-2
Group classification A-1-a A-1-b A-3 A-2-4 A-2-5 A-2-6 A-2-7
Sieve analysis (% passing)
  No. 10 sieve 50 max
  No. 40 sieve 30 max 50 max 51 min
  No. 200 sieve 15 max 25 max 10 max 35 max 35 max 35 max 35 max
For fraction passing
No. 40 sieve
  Liquid limit (LL) 40 max 41 min 40 max 41 min
  Plasticity index (PI) 6 max Nonplastic 10 max 10 max 11 min 11 min
Usual type of material Stone fragments, Fine sand Silty or clayey gravel and sand
gravel, and sand
Subgrade rating Excellent to good

Silt–clay materials
General classification (More than 35% of total sample passing No. 200 sieve)
Group classification A-4 A-5 A-6 A-7
A-7-5a
A-7-6b
Sieve analysis (% passing)
    No. 10 sieve
    No. 40 sieve
    No. 200 sieve 36 min 36 min 36 min 36 min
For fraction passing
No. 40 sieve
    Liquid limit (LL) 40 max 41 min 40 max 41 min
    Plasticity index (PI) 10 max 10 max 11 min 11 min
Usual types of material Mostly silty soil Mostly clayey soil
Subgrade rating Fair to poor
a
If PI # LL 2 30, the classification is A-7-5.
b
If PI . LL 2 30, the classification is A-7-6.

where
F200 5 percent passing No. 200 sieve, expressed as a whole number
LL 5 liquid limit
PI 5 plasticity index
When calculating the group index for a soil belonging to group A-2-6 or A-2-7, use
only the partial group-index equation relating to the plasticity index:

GI 5 0.01sF200 2 15d sPI 2 10d (2.34)

The group index is rounded to the nearest whole number and written next to the soil
group in parentheses; for example, we have

A-4 (5)
h

| Group index
Soil group

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