PAVEMENT MATERIALS

ENGINEERING
(CE-862)
Fall Semester 2019
Lec-04

Dr. Arshad Hussain

drarshad@nit.nust.edu.pk, Office Room#107, Tel:
05190854163, Cell: 03419756251

School of Civil & Environmental Engineering (SCEE)

National University of Science and Technology (NUST)
NUST Campus, Sector H-12, Islamabad
 ROADBED SOILS – C

GRAIN SIZE ANALYSIS &

ATTERBERG’S LIMITS

3
 Outline
1. Soil Texture
2. Grain Size and Grain Size Distribution
3. Particle Shape
4. Atterberg Limits

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1. Soil Texture

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 Soil Texture
The texture of a soil is its appearance or
“feel” and it depends on the relative sizes
and shapes of the particles as well as the
range or distribution of those sizes.

Coarse-grained soils: Fine-grained soils:

Gravel Sand Silt Clay
0.075 mm (USCS)

Sieve analysis Hydrometer analysis

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Characteristics
(Holtz and Kovacs, 1981)

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2. Grain Size and Grain Size
Distribution

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 Grain Size
Clay-size particles
A small quartz
particle may have the
similar size of clay
minerals

Clay minerals.
For example:
Kaolinite, Illite, etc
.

(Holtz and Kovacs, 1981)

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Sieve size

Rectangular opening
4” (101.6 mm) to # 400
(.038mm)
Below #200 is not practical
Least dimension passing
Sieve numbering? 10
Grain Size Distribution

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 Particle Shape

Coarse- Rounded Subrounded

grained
soils

Subangular Angular

 Important for granular soils (Holtz and Kovacs, 1981)

 Angular soil particle  higher friction

 Round soil particle  lower friction

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 Particle Size Definition

System based only on particles smaller than

3-inches
Cobbles are 3”to 12”
Boulders are > 12”

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 Gravel / Sand / Fines

Gravels are between # 4 sieve and 3”

Sands are between # 200 sieve and
# 4 sieve
Fines are smaller than # 200 sieve

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 Experiment

Coarse-grained soils: Fine-grained soils:

Gravel Sand Silt Clay
0.075 mm (USCS)

(Head, 1992)

Sieve analysis Hydrometer analysis

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Commonly used
larger size sieves
◦ 3 inch ◦ 1 inch
◦ 2 inch ◦ 3/4 inch
◦ 1-1/2 inch ◦ 1/2 inch
◦ 3/8 inch
Smaller sieves are
numbered
according to the
number of openings 10
per inch 1- openings
inch per inch

# 10 sieve
Commonly used smaller
size sieves
◦#4 ◦ # 60
◦ # 10 ◦ # 140
◦ # 20 ◦ # 200
◦ # 40
Finer

Log scale
Effective size D10: 0.02 mm
D30: D60: (Holtz and Kovacs, 1981)

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Describe the shape Criteria
Example: well graded

D10  0.02 mm (effective size)

Well  graded soil
D 30  0.6 mm 1  C c  3 and C u  4
D 60  9 mm (for gravels)
Coefficient of uniformity 1  C c  3 and C u  6
D 60 9
Cu    450 (for sands)
D10 0.02
Coefficient of curvature
2 2 Question
(D30 ) (0.6)
Cc   2 What is the Cu for a soil with
(D10 )(D 60 ) (0.02)(9)
only one grain size?

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 Answer
Question
What is the Cu for a soil with only one grain
size?
Coefficient of uniformity
Finer

D
C u  60  1
D10

D
Grain size distribution
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◦ Use of curve
 Inside gradation envelope
 Uniformly, poorly or skip grading
 Effective size D10
 Coefficient of uniformity, Cu = large value
non uniform soil, >5well graded, <2 poorly
graded
 Coefficient of curvature, Cu = D302 /(D60 x
D10) greatly differ from 1, indicate missing
sizes

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 Engineering applications
 It will help us “feel” the soil texture (what the soil is)
and it will also be used for the soil classification
 It can be used to define the grading specification of a
drainage filter.
 It can be a criterion for selecting fill materials of
embankments and earth dams, road sub-base
materials, and concrete aggregates. It can be used to
estimate the results of grouting and chemical
injection, and dynamic compaction.
 Effective Size, D10, can be correlated with the
hydraulic conductivity (describing the permeability of
soils).
Predicting soil movements
Frost susceptibility

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◦ Limitations/ salient features
 Sieve sizes
 Statically representative sample
 Sample size
 Sampling procedure
 Shape

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4. Atterberg Limits
and
Consistency Indices

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Consistency limits an Indices

◦ General
 Property of soil manifested by resistance to
flow. Cohesive and not inter granular.
Affected by moisture contents of soil.
◦ Consistency Limits. Atterberg’s six stages of
soil consistency range
◦ liquid limit
◦ Sticky limit
◦ Cohesive limit
◦ Plastic limit
◦ Shrinkage limit

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The presence of water in fine-grained soils can significantly affect
associated engineering behavior, so we need a reference index to clarify
the effects. (The reason will be discussed later in the topic of clay minerals)

In percentage

(Holtz and Kovacs, 1981) 27

 Fluid soil-water
mixture Liquid State
Liquid Limit, LL
Increasing water content

Plastic State
Plastic Limit, PL
Semisolid State
Shrinkage Limit, SL
Solid State
Dry Soil

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 Liquid Limit-LL

Casagrande Method Cone Penetrometer Method

(BS 1377: Part 2: 1990:4.3)
(ASTM D4318-95a) Thismethod is developed by the
Professor Transport and Road Research
Casagrande Laboratory, UK.
standardized the test and
developed the liquid
limit device.

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 Liquid Limit Definition
The water content
at which a groove
cut in a soil paste
will close upon 25
repeated drops of a
brass cup with a
rubber base
 LL Test Procedure

Prepare paste of
soil finer than #
40 sieve
Place Soil in
Cup
 LL Test Procedure
Cut groove in
soil paste with
standard
grooving tool
 LL Test Procedure

Rotate cam
and count
number of
blows of cup
required to
close groove
by 1/2”
 LL Test Procedure
Perform on 3 to 4 specimens that bracket
25 blows to close groove
Obtain water content for each test
Plot water content versus number of
blows on semi-log paper
 LL Test Results

Interpolate LL water
content at 25 blows

Log N
25

LL= w%
water content, %
 LL Values < 16 % not realistic
PI, %

Liquid Limit,
16 %
 LL Values > 50 - HIGH
PI, %

Liquid Limit, % 50
 LL Values < 50 - LOW
PI, %

Liquid Limit, % 50
 Plastic Limit Definition
The water content at which a soil changes
from a plastic consistency to a semi-solid
consistency
Defined by Laboratory Test concept
developed by Atterberg in 1911.
 Plastic Limit Definition
The water content
at which a
1/8”thread of soil
can be rolled out
but it begins to
crack and cannot
then be re-rolled
 Plastic Limit w% procedure

Using paste from LL test, begin drying

May add dry soil or spread
on plate and air-dry
Occasionally evaluate 1/8” thread
 Plastic Limit w% procedure

When point is reached where thread is

cracking and cannot be re-rolled to 1/8”
diameter, collect at least 6 grams and
measure water content. Defined plastic
limit
 Definition of Plasticity Index
Plasticity
Index is the numerical difference
between the Liquid Limit w% and the Plastic
Limit w%

PL w% LL

PI = LL - PL
 Definition of Plasticity Index
Itrepresents the range in water contents over
which a soil behaves in a plastic manner

PL w% LL

semi- PI = LL - PL liquid
solid
plastic (remoldable)
 Liquidity index LI

For scaling the

natural water
content of a soil LI 
w  PL w  PL

sample to the PI LL  PL
w is the water content
Limits.
LI <0 (A), brittle fracture if sheared
0<LI<1 (B), plastic solid if sheared
LI >1 (C), viscous liquid if sheared
 Definition of Nonplastic
Ifthe soil has a PI of zero, or either of the
Atterberg tests cannot be performed, the
soil is said to be non-plastic
 Definition of Plasticity

“A- Line”
Plastic
soils plot ils
So
above tic
l as
the A- P
Line on a
Chart
 Definition of Plasticity

“A- Line”
Non-plastic
or slightly
plastic soils ls
i
plot below So
t ic
the A-Line pl
a s
n
on a Chart No
 U-Line Significance

“U- Line”

Correct tests
never plot t ic
i s
above U- e al
nr
line and LL U
values are
never < 16

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Criterion for Organic Designation
A liquid limit test is performed on:
◦ One sample that is only air-dried
◦ On another that is oven-dried prior to testing
◦ The liquid limit values are compared by
computing the ratio of the 2 values
 Organic Definition

If the ratio of the oven-dried soil’s LL to

the air-dry soil’s LL values is < 0.75, the
soil is organic by definition.
Ifthe air-dry LL is 50 or more, it is a
HIGH liquid limit
Ifthe air-dry LL is less than 50, the soil
has a LOW LL value
 Shrinkage Limit-SL

Definition of shrinkage
limit:
The water content at
which the soil volume
ceases to change is
defined as the
SL shrinkage limit.

(Das, 1998)

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 Shrinkage Limit-SL

Soil volume: Vi
Soil mass: M1

Soil volume: Vf
Soil mass: M2

(Das, 1998)

SL  w i (%)  w (%)
 M1  M 2   Vi  Vf 
  (100)   ( w )(100)
 M2   M2 
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 Shrinkage Limit-SL
 “Although the shrinkage limit was a popular classification test during
the 1920s, it is subject to considerable uncertainty and thus is no longer
commonly conducted.”

 “One of the biggest problems with the shrinkage limit test is that the
amount of shrinkage depends not only on the grain size but also on the
initial fabric of the soil. The standard procedure is to start with the
water content near the liquid limit. However, especially with sandy and
silty clays, this often results in a shrinkage limit greater than the plastic
limit, which is meaningless. Casagrande suggests that the initial water
content be slightly greater than the PL, if possible, but admittedly it is
difficult to avoid entrapping air bubbles.” (from Holtz and Kovacs,
1981)

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Typical Values of Atterberg
Limits

(Mitchell, 1993)

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Thanks