GEOTECHNICAL PROPERTIES

(CE1203)
Soil Classification
Ms Ikmalzatul
 FINE ANALYSIS:
CONSISTENCY LIMITS
With fine cohesive soils the size of the particles is not as important,
relatively speaking, as the shape of the particles. Fine cohesive soils
behave in a plastic manner (in general an increase in stress bringing
about an irrecoverable deformation with a constant or reducing volume
and no cracking) whereas course non cohesive soils do not exhibit
plasticity to any marked degree. The plasticity of a soil has a marked
effect on the engineering properties of a soil - shear strength,
compressibility etc.

In the coarse analysis (sieve tests) anything finer than 63m was recorded
as clay and silt. To obtain an indication of the engineering properties of
this clay/silt material the water content at which certain changes in the
physical properties of the soil take place are measured. As the particles
which make up the clays and silts tend to be “flaky” in nature, this together
with changes in the water content gives rise to an inherently variable
material.
 FINE ANALYSIS
CONSISTENCY LIMITS
As moisture is removed from these fine grained soils they pass through
four states, solid, semi-plastic solid, plastic, liquid, all of these states are
water content dependent.
Total Volume

Liquid

Semi Plastic
Brittle solid plastic
solid

Water content

This change from one state to another is a gradual process, however for
convenience we chose to define three water content “limits” at which the
changes occur. These limits are commonly referred to as the Consistency
Limits of the soil.
 FINE ANALYSIS
CONSISTENCY LIMITS
The three limits in question are :-

1) Liquid Limit (WL) - this is the water content at which the soil changes from
a liquid to a plastic state. It is the minimum water content at which the soil
will flow under it’s own weight.
Total Volume

WS WP WL
Water content
 FINE ANALYSIS
CONSISTENCY LIMITS
The three limits in question are :-

2) Plastic Limit (WP) - this is the water content at which the soil ceases to be
entirely plastic and becomes a semi-plastic solid.
Total Volume

WS WP WL
Water content
 FINE ANALYSIS
CONSISTENCY LIMITS
The three limits in question are :-

3) Shrinkage Limit (WS) this is the water content below which further loss of
moisture does not result in a decrease in the soil volume.
Total Volume

WS WP WL
Water content
 FINE ANALYSIS
CONSISTENCY LIMITS
Of these three limits the most important as far as we are concerned are the
liquid limit and the plastic limit.

The range of water contents over which the soil is in a plastic condition is
referred to as the Plasticity Index (IP)

I P  WL  WP
Total Volume

WS WP WL
Water content
 FINE ANALYSIS
CONSISTENCY LIMITS
The Liquidity Index (IL) expresses the natural water content of the soil in
terms of the consistency limits.
w - WP w - WP
IL  
WL  WP IP

IL < 0 soil is in a semi-plastic or solid state

0 < IL < 1 soil is plastic
IL > 1 soil is in a liquid state and will thus flow (i.e. a quick clay)

Natural Water Content, w

Total Volume

WS WP WL
Water content
 DETERMINATION OF
CONSISTENCY LIMITS
(LIQUID LIMIT - penetrometer method)

Firstly the soil is dried and then broken up

using a pestle and mortar. The sample is
then sieved and the material passing the
425 m sieve mixed with distilled water to
a paste of stiff consistency. This is then
left for 24 hours in an air tight container to
allow for the water to fully penetrate the
soil. After this time a portion of the soil is
placed in the penetrometer cup and the
soil struck off level with the top of the cup
(care must be taken not to entrap any air
in the cup when placing the soil). The cup
is then placed on the penetrometer stand
and the point of the cone lowered such
that it just touches and marks the top
surface of the soil sample in the cup.
 DETERMINATION OF
CONSISTENCY LIMITS
(LIQUID LIMIT - penetrometer method)

The dial gauge reading is then taken and

noted and then the clamp released. The
cone is allowed to penetrate the soil
sample for 5 sec. (timed with a stop
watch) after which the clamp is re-
tightened and a second dial gauge
reading taken and again noted. The
difference between the second and first
dial gauge readings gives the penetration.
The same procedure is repeated several
times on the same soil sample and an
average penetration computed. A small
sample of the soil sample is then taken
for water content determination.
 DETERMINATION OF
CONSISTENCY LIMITS
(LIQUID LIMIT - penetrometer method)

The whole procedure is then repeated

five or six times with the successive
addition of amounts of distilled water (i.e
the soil sample will have an increasing
water content)
 DETERMINATION OF
CONSISTENCY LIMITS
(LIQUID LIMIT - penetrometer method)

Line of best fit

25
Cone penetration (mm)

x
20
x
15 x
x
10
Data points
5

0
Liquid Limit
0 (WL) Water content (%)

A graph of cone penetration against water content is then plotted with a

“best fit” straight line drawn between the points. The liquid limit is then the
water content which corresponds to a cone penetration of 20 mm.
 EXAMPLE
Penetration (mm) 15.6 18.2 21.4 23.6
Water Content (%) 34.6 40.8 48.2 53.4
30

25
Cone Penetration (mm)

20

15

10

0
0 10 20 30 40 45 50 60 70

Moisture Content (%)

 DETERMINATION OF
CONSISTENCY LIMITS
(PLASTIC LIMIT)
Take approximately 20 g of soil paste (prepared in the same way as for the
liquid limit test) and roll it into a ball in the hands until slight cracks appear in
it’s surface. Divide the ball into two halves and then one of these halves into
four equal portions. Take one of these portions, roll it into a ball and then into a
thread on a glass plate. When the diameter of the thread becomes 3 mm
knead it again into a ball, this process of handling the soil sample effectively
drying out the soil sample (i.e. decreasing the water content). Again roll the soil
ball out into a thread. Repeat the process of rolling into a ball and then into a
thread until the thread just starts to crumble at the 3 mm dia. Once this has
occurred place the thread pieces into an air tight container. The whole process
should be carried out on the remaining three portions of the first half of the 20g
sample with all thread pieces put into the same container.

The test is then repeated on the other 10g of soil sample.

The water content of the two 10g’s is then determined and the average of the
two reported as the plastic limit of the sample ( % ).
 SOIL CLASSIFICATION SYSTEMS
Using the relationship between the liquid limit and the plastic limit it is
possible to establish sub - groups for the fine soils. The most commonly used
classification in the UK is the British Soil Classification System and this is
based on the standard Plasticity Chart.
 SOIL CLASSIFICATION SYSTEMS
The liquid limit is plotted against the plasticity index of the soil and depending
where this point lies a sub - group for the soil can be determined. The ‘A’ line
on the plasticity chart gives an arbitrary division between silts and clays with
the vertical lines defining five (5) levels of plasticity:- low(L), intermediate (I),
high (H), very high (V) and extremely high (E).
 SUB-GROUP SYMBOLS FOR THE
BRITISH SOIL CLASSIFICATION
SYSTEM
Primary letter Secondary letter
Coarse grained soils G = GRAVEL W = well graded
S = SAND P = poorly graded
Pu = uniformly graded
Pg = gap graded
Fine grained soils F = FINES L = low plasticity
M = SILT I = intermediate plasticity
C = CLAY H = high plasticity
V = very high plasticity
E = extremely high plasticity
Organic soils Pt = PEAT O = organic
SUB-GROUP SYMBOLS FOR THE
BRITISH SOIL CLASSIFICATION
SYSTEM

GPu – uniformly graded GRAVEL

CV – very high plasticity CLAY

ML – low plasticity SILT

GEOTECHNICAL PROPERTIES
(CE1203)
Soil Classification
Ms Ikmalzatul
 TUTORIAL EXAMPLE 1
Determine the liquid limit, the plasticity index and classify the soil
Penetration (mm) 15.6 18.2 21.4 23.6
Water Content (%) 34.6 40.8 48.2 53.4

Wp = 33 %

Liquid Limit, WL = 45%

Plasticity Index, IP = WL – WP = 45 – 33 = 12%

 TUTORIAL EXAMPLE 1

Classification: MI (SILT of intermediate plasticity)

 TUTORIAL EXAMPLE 2
Determine the liquid limit, the plasticity index and classify the soil
Penetration (mm) 15.6 18.2 21.4 23.6
Water Content (%) 48.6 54.8 62.2 67.4
Wp = 22 %

30
Cone Penetration (mm)

25

20

15

10

0
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80

Moisture Content (%) 59

 TUTORIAL EXAMPLE 2
Liquid Limit, WL = 59%

Plasticity Index, IP = WL – WP = 59 – 22 = 37%

30
Cone Penetration (mm)

25

20

15

10

0
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80

Moisture Content (%) 59

TUTORIAL EXAMPLE 2

Classification: CH (CLAY of high plasticity)