Soil Mechanics – I

CE - 222
Lecture 6

Soil Plasticity – Atterberg Limits

INSTR SAMREEN MUSADDIQ

 Special Instructions

• No mercy on low attendance

• No Cross Talking
among students during lecture

• No Mobile Phone during Class

2
 Lec
No Sections Covered/Reading Assignment
1 Introduction to CE 222, Objectives, Outcomes and Assessment Method.  
Introduction to Geotechnical Engineering
Soil Formation & Nature of Soil Constituents
2 Index Properties of Coarse and Fine grained Soil  

3 Phase Relationships (Soil Indices) HW 1

4 Soil Classification Systems & Field Identification QUIZ 1
5 Problem Solving Activity on soil Classification  
Theory of Compaction, Introduction & Lab Tests
6 Soil Compaction: Field Density Determination QUIZ 2
7 Field Compaction Equipment & Review HW 2
OHT-1
8 Problem Solving Activity on Field Compaction  
Ground Water Flow through Soil -Basics
9 Permeability of Soil & lab determination QUIZ 3
10 Seepage and Flow Nets HW 3
11 Seepage Examples and introduction to SEEPW  
12 Concept of Effective Stress and in-situ Stresses  
13 Problem Solving Activity on Seepage forces effect in Underground Construction & Review  
OHT 2
14 Soil Exploration Techniques QUIZ 4
15 Main In-Situ Test Types & Their interpretation HW4
16 Problem Solving Activity on Site Exploration  
17 Course Review  

18-19 ESE  
 Classification of fine-grained soils 4

• The Unified Soil Classification System uses the term

“fines” to describe everything that passes through a
No. 200 sieve (<0.075 mm).
• No attempt to distinguish between silts and clays in
terms of particles sizes since the biggest difference
between silt and clay is not their particle sizes, but
their physical and chemical structures.
• The soil consistency is used as a practical and an
inexpensive way to distinguish between silts and clays.
• Plasticity property is important because it describes
the response of a soil to change in moisture content.
 Plasticity 5

• Water Content significantly affects properties of Silty

and Clayey soils (unlike sand and gravel).
– Strength decreases as water content increases
– Soils swell-up when water content increases
– Fine-grained soils at very high water content possess
properties similar to liquids
– As the water content is reduced, the volume of the soil
decreases and the soils become plastic
– If the water content is further reduced, the soil becomes
semi-solid when the volume does not change
 Attreberg Limits 6

• Atterberg limits are important to describe the

consistency of fine-grained soils.
• The knowledge of the soil consistency is important in
defining or classifying a soil type or predicting soil
performance when used as a construction material.
• A fine-grained soil usually exists with its particles
surrounded by water.
• The amount of water in the soil determines its state or
consistency.
• Four states are used to describe the soil consistency;
solid, semi-solid, plastic and liquid.
 Attreberg Limits 7

Wetting

Solid
Solid Semi Plastic Liquid
Volume, v or e

State
Solid

S = 100 %

vf

SL PL LL
PI

Drying Water content, w %

 Attreberg Limits 8

Consistency Limits of Soil

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

Plastic State
content

Plastic Limit, PL
Semisolid State
Shrinkage Limit, SL
Dry Soil
Solid State
 Atterberg Limits 9

• Shrinkage Limit (SL) is defined as the moisture content at

which no further volume change occurs with further
reduction in moisture content (SL represents the amount of
water required to fully saturate the soil, i.e., S = 100%).

• Plastic Limit (PL) is defined as the moisture content at

which soil begins to behave as a plastic material.

• Liquid Limit (LL) is defined as the moisture content at

which soil begins to behave as a liquid material and begins
to flow (LL of a fine-grained soil gives the moisture content
at which the shear strength of the soil is approximately
2.5kN/m2).
 Liquid Limit (LL) 10

• In the lab, the LL is defined as the moisture content

(%) required to close a 2-mm wide groove in a soil
pat a distance of 0.5 in along the bottom of the
groove after 25 blows.

• Standard: ASTM D 4318.

• Soil sample size: 150g passing No. 40 sieve.

• Equipment: Casagrande liquid limit device.

 Casagrande Apparatus 11

Before Test After Test

12
 Liquid Limit (Procedure) 13

• 150g air dry soil passing No. 40 sieve.

• Add 20% of water - mix thoroughly.
• Place a small sample of soil in LL device (deepest part about 8-
10 mm).
• Cut a groove (2mm at the base).
• Run the device, count the number of blows, N.
• Stop when the groove in the soil close through a distance of
0.5 inch.
• Take a sample and find the moisture content.
• Run the test three times [N~(10-20), N~(20-30) and N~(35-
45)] and Plot number of blows vs moisture content and
determine the liquid limit (LL) (moisture content at 25 blows)
 Liquid Limit 14

Flow Curve
50
Water content (%)

48
y = -7.55Ln(x) + 70.69

46.39
46

25
44
1 10 100
Number of drops
 LL values <16% (not realistic) 15

PI, %

Liquid Limit,
16 %
 LL values ≥50 (high) 16

PI, %

Liquid Limit, % 50
 LL values <50% (Low) 17

PI, %

Liquid Limit, % 50
 Plastic Limit 18

• The moisture content (%) at which the soil when rolled into
threads of 3.2mm (1/8 in) in diameter, will crumble.
• Plastic limit is the lower limit of the plastic stage of soil. It is
the dividing line between the plastic and semisolid states.

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
Plastic Limit 19
 Plastic Limit (Procedure) 20

• Take 20g of soil passing No. 40 sieve into a dish.

• Add water and mix thoroughly.
• Prepare several ellipsoidal-shaped soil masses by
quizzing the soil with your hand.
• Put the soil in rolling device, and roll the soil until the
thread reaches 1/8 inch.
• Continue rolling until the thread crumbles into
several pieces.
• Determine the moisture content of about 6g of the
crumbled soil.
 Plasticity Index & Consistency Index 21

• Plasticity Index is the difference between the liquid

limit and plastic limit of a soil
PI = LL – PL

• Consistency Index (CI)

CI = LL - w
LL – PI

• Conditions for Maximum and Minimum CI ????

 Activity 22

Soil type Activity, A

Inactive clays A < 0.75
Normal clays 0.75 < A < 1.25
Active clays A >1.25

Properties of Active Clays

• When Wet = Large Volume Change
• When Dry = Large Shrinkage
• Very Reactive (Chemically)
Activity Values of different Soils 23
 Plasticity Chart 24

9( e
)
0. Lin
-8
LL
PI U –
e 20)

=
i n -
– L 3(LL
A .7
Plasticity Index

I =0
P

Liquid Limit
 Plastic soils 25

Plastic soils A-Line

plot above the
A-Line on a
Plasticity Chart
oi ls
c S
sti
Pla
 Non-Plastic Soils 26

A-Line
Non-plastic or
slightly plastic
soils plot below
the A-Line on a
Plasticity Chart ils
c s o
a sti
-pl
n
No
 U-Line significance 27

U-Line
Correct tests
never plot
above U-line li sti c
ea
and LL values Un
r
are never < 16
A-Line

16
 Plasticity Chart 29

High plasticity/compressibility

Medium plasticity/
compressibility

Low plasticity/
compressibility
 Plasticity Chart 30

Cohesionless soil

ay
c Cl
n i
a
o rg Organic clays
In

Silt
Shrinkage Limit Calculations 31