Soil Mechanics

CVL 3413

Chapter 4
Plasticity and Structure of Soil
Dr. Sari Abusharar
Assistant Professor
Civil Engineering Department
Faculty of Applied Engineering and Urban Planning

2nd Semester 2015-2016 1

 Outline of Presentation

Introduction

Liquid Limit (LL)

Plastic Limit (PL)

Shrinkage Limit (SL)

Liquidity Index and Consistency Index

Activity

Plasticity Chart
 Introduction
When clay minerals are present in fine-grained soil, the soil can be
remolded in the presence of some moisture without crumbling. This
cohesive nature is caused by the adsorbed water surrounding the
clay particles.

In the early 1900s, a Swedish scientist named Atterberg developed a

method to describe the consistency of fine-grained soils with
varying moisture contents. At a very low moisture content, soil
behaves more like a solid. When the moisture content is very high,
the soil and water may flow like a liquid.
 Introduction
Depending on the moisture content, the behavior of soil can be
divided into four basic states—solid, semisolid, plastic, and liquid—
as shown below
 Introduction
Stickiness of Soil

Non-Sticky Slightly-Sticky Very Sticky

 Liquid Limit (LL)
In general, the liquid limit (LL) is defined as the moisture content, in
percent, at which the soil changes from a liquid to a plastic state.
In the lab, the LL is defined as the moisture content, in percent,
required to close a 2-mm wide groove in a soil pat a distance of 12.7
mm (0.5 in.) along the bottom of the groove after 25 blows.
Liquid Limit (LL)
Liquid Limit (LL)

(0.425 mm)
Liquid Limit (LL)
Liquid Limit (LL)
Liquid Limit (LL)

Flow Line
 Liquid Limit (LL)

‫مؤشر السريان‬
Liquid Limit (LL)
Liquid Limit (LL)
 Liquid Limit (LL)
Fall Cone Method BS1377

Another method of determining liquid limit that is popular in

Europe and Asia is the fall cone method (British Standard—
BS1377).

In this test the liquid limit is defined as the moisture content

at which a standard cone of apex angle 30 and weight of 0.78
N will penetrate a distance d = 20 mm in 5 seconds when
allowed to drop from a position of point contact with the soil
surface
Liquid Limit (LL)
penetrate a distance 20 mm in 5 seconds

Fall cone test

 Liquid Limit (LL)
Due to the difficulty in achieving the liquid limit from a single test,
four or more tests can be conducted at various moisture contents
to determine the fall cone penetration, d. A semilogarithmic graph
can then be plotted with moisture content (w) versus cone
penetration d. The plot results in a straight line. The moisture
content corresponding to d = 20 mm is the liquid limit.
 Liquid Limit (LL)

From Figure 4.6, the flow index can be defined as

Plastic Limit (PL)

1/8” = 3mm
Plastic Limit (PL)
Plastic Limit (PL)

(3mm)
Plastic Limit (PL)
Plastic Limit (PL)
Plastic Limit (PL)
 Plastic Limit (PL)
Burmister (1949) classified the plasticity index in a qualitative
manner as follows:
Plastic Limit (PL)
 Shrinkage Limit (SL)
In general, the shrinkage limit (SL) is defined as the moisture
content, in percent, at which the soil changes from a semi-solid
to a solid state.

Soil shrinks as moisture is gradually lost from it. With

continuing loss of moisture, a stage of equilibrium is reached at
which more loss of moisture will result in no further volume
change (Figure 4.9).

The shrinkage limit is the moisture content that defines where

the soil volume will not reduce further if the moisture content
is reduced
Shrinkage Limit (SL)
 Shrinkage Limit (SL)
Shrinkage limit Procedures
(ASTM Test Designation D-427)
Shrinkage limit tests are performed in the laboratory with a
porcelain dish about 44 mm (1.75 in.) in diameter and about 12.7
mm ( in.) high.
The inside of the dish is coated with petroleum jelly and is then
filled completely with wet soil. Excess soil standing above the edge
of the dish is struck off with a straightedge.
The mass of the wet soil inside the dish is recorded. The soil pat in
the dish is then oven-dried. The volume of the oven-dried soil pat is
determined by the displacement of mercury. Because handling
mercury may be hazardous, ASTM D-4943 describes a method of
dipping the oven-dried soil pat in a melted pot of wax. The wax-
coated soil pat is then cooled. Its volume is determined by
submerging it in water.
Shrinkage Limit (SL)
 Shrinkage Limit (SL)
By reference to Figure 4.9, the shrinkage limit can be determined as

However,
 Shrinkage Limit (SL)
Also

Finally, combining Eqs. (4.10), (4.11), and (4.12) gives

 Shrinkage Limit (SL)
Another parameter that can be determined from a shrinkage limit test
is the shrinkage ratio, which is the ratio of the volume change of soil as
a percentage of the dry volume to the corresponding change in
moisture content, or

It can also be shown that

Example 4.1
Liquidity Index and Consistency Index
Liquidity Index is defined as the relative consistency of a cohesive
soil in the natural state.

w: in situ moisture content of soil

Another index that is commonly used for engineering purposes is

the consistency index (CI), which may be defined as
Liquidity Index and Consistency Index

CI Soil Type
0 Very soft
0-0.25 Soft
0.26-0.5 Med. stiff
0.51-0.75 Stiff
0.76-1.0 Very stiff
>1.0 Extremely stiff
 Example

c. Determine the liquidity index of the soil when the in situ moisture content is
26%.
 Example
Solution
(a) The flow curve for the above number of blows and moisture content is
showing below in the figure:
 Example

(c)
 Example
A saturated soil has the following characteristics: initial volume (Vi) 24.6 cm3,
final volume (Vf) 15.9 cm3, mass of wet soil (Ml) 44 g, and mass of dry soil (M2)
30.1 g. Determine the shrinkage limit and the shrinkage ratio.

Solution
 Plasticity Chart
U-line is the upper limit of the
relationship of the plasticity Casagrande (1932)
index to the liquid limit for any studied the relationship of
currently known soil the plasticity index to the
liquid limit of a wide
variety of natural soils. On
the basis of the test
results, he proposed a
plasticity chart as shown
A-line separates the in Figure 4.16.
inorganic clays from
the inorganic silts
The information provided
in the plasticity chart is of
great value and is the
basis for the classification
of fine-grained soils in the
Unified Soil Classification
System.
 Plasticity Chart
Casagrande has suggested that the shrinkage limit of a soil can be
approximately determined if its plasticity index and liquid limit are
known.

a.Plot the plasticity index against the liquid limit of a given soil such
as point A in Figure 4.17.

b. Project the A-line and the U-line downward to meet at point B.

Point B will have the coordinates of LL=43.5 and PI=46.4.

c. Join points B and A with a straight line. This will intersect the
liquid limit axis at point C. The abscissa of point C is the estimated
shrinkage limit.
Plasticity Chart
HW # 3

Problems
4.1
4.2
4.4
4.5