SOIL

CLASSIFICATION
FOR ENGINEERING
PURPOSE

CHAPTER 2
1) Explains methods of soil classification, (C3,
PLO1).
2) Analyzes Grain size of soil, (C3, PLO1) MISS SITI NOORAIIN MOHD RAZALI

3) Relate the plasticity and Atterberg limit, (C1,

PLO2)
 Type of Soil
Soil can be identified physically from their grain size:

SOIL GRAIN SIZE

 Cohesive Soil: Non-Cohesive Soil: Categorized
Fine Grain Soil Coarse grain soil as rock

Soil Category:
1)Cohesive Soil
2)Non-Cohesive Soil
3)Organic Soil : very soft and highly compressible
 SOIL GRAIN SIZE

o Clay
- Formed by chemical reaction by nature
- Expand by water absorption
-Performance influenced by moisture content and surface criteria
- Pores between soil particles are too fine
- Very low permeability and at minimal drainage rate
 SOIL GRAIN SIZE

o Sand
- non-cohesive soil
- Almost has the same criteria with gravel
- Form fine sand with angular shape
- with existence of water membrane that protect grains from abrasion agents
- Sand particles can be seen
- Stability depend on the friction between particles
- Not influenced by the consolidation phenomena
- Structure : open shape, permeable, good drainage
 SOIL GRAIN SIZE

o Gravel
- generally in the form of smaller rock chippings
- Water often transport gravel from their natural source of parent rock
- A more rounded physical shape of gravel are due to action of water
- Main mineral component is quartz
- Has angular shape with erosion marks
 SOIL PARTICLES SIZE AND SHAPE

Shape of soil particle

Clay Silt Gravel Sand

Fine soil Coarse soil

determined by means visible to the naked eye

of an electron microscope.

Rounded Irregular Angular

Scanning Electron Flaky Elongated Flaky &

Microscope (SEM) Elongated
 Soil Classification
The purpose of soil classification is to categorize non uniform soil
into several group based on the soil material criteria only.

1)Casagrande – as a pioneer to the soil classification system, uses

plasticity criteria as the base of soil classification beside soil
grading.
2)Plasticity – main criteria of clayey soil
3)*Classification systems – BS 5930, AASHTO and USCS are the
three most used classification system used.

*BS / BSCS - British Soil Classification System

*AASHTO Classification System
*USCS- The Unified Soil Classification System
BS 5930:
Table 2.3 British Soil Classification
System for Engineering Purposes
 SOIL GRAIN SIZE

Fine Grain Soil Coarse Grain Soil

Contain 65% - 100% of silt and clay Contain less than 35% of fine grain and
size soil grain (fine grain) and up to more than 65% coarse grain
35% coarse grain (gravel and sand)

Silt and clay : 0-35% coarse grain with

the size of gravel and sand Gravel – more gravel than sand

Silty sand and gravelly silt : 35-65% of Sand – more sand component than gravel
coarse grain
Grain Size Analysis
 Two methods are generally used to determine particles size
distribution of soils:
1. Hydrometer analysis
- for particles sizes smaller than 0.075mm in diameter.
2. Sieve analysis
- for particles sizes larger than 0.075mm in diameter.

Soil Type Method

Coarse grained Sieve analysis
Fine grained Sedimentation analysis
-Hydrometer analysis
-Pipette analysis
1) Hydrometer Analysis
– This method is generally used to determine the particle-size
distribution for soils with small grain sizes < 0.075 mm (No.
200)
– The lower limit of the particle size determined by this
procedure is about 0.001mm
– This method is based on Stoke’s law “The larger the grain
size, the greater its settling velocity in a fluid”
( s   w ) 2
v D ;  : vis cos ity of water
18

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L =30
2) Sieve Analysis
– ASTM D 421
– Applicable for soils that are mostly granular with some or
no fines
– The U.S. No. 200 sieve (0.074mm or 0.0029in) is the
smallest sieve size typically used in practice
 Grain Size Distribution Curves
20

D60

D30

D10

0.15 mm
0.8 mm
5.3
0.15 mm
0.4 mm
0.8 mm 0.4
1.33
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0.15 0.8
Coefficient
– Cu (coefficient of uniformity)
a. Uniform if Cu < 5
D60
cu  b. Non uniform if , 5 <Cu<15
D10 c. Uniform if Cu > 15

– Cc (coefficient of curvature)
cc 
D30 2 a. Well graded if 1 ≤Cc ≤ 3
D60  D10 c. Poorly graded if Cc <1 and Cc
>3

– K (Permeability coefficient)
K  C K D10 
2 Where, Ck is between 0.01 to 0.015

D60 - Size of opening from grain size curve at 60% passing

D30 - Size of opening from grain size curve at 30% passing
D10 - Size of opening from grain size curve at 10% passing
D10 - Also known as effective size
Curve A: Consists of 100% coarse material (76% gravel, 24% sand,)
Considered well graded, very sandy gravel soil.
Grading Criteria
Curve B: Consist of 97% coarse material ( 95% sand, 2% gravel)
Considered Poorly graded soil, uniform, slightly silty medium sand.

Curve C: Consist of 66% coarse material ( 41% gravel, 25% sand)

Considered very clayey gravel, nonuniform type soil, it is a till or glacial deposit.

Curve D: Consist of 95% fine material ( 95% clay) with LL = 42

Considered soft soil above A-line.

D: Soft Soil
A: Well graded
C: Nonuniform

B: Poorly graded
Sieve analysis example 1

Plot your graph

TRY!

mass retained on each

U.S Sieve Opening sieve (g)
No. (mm) % retained % passing
4 4.75 0    
10 2 21.6    
20 0.85 49.5    
40 0.425 102.6    
60 0.25 89.1    
100 0.15 95.6    
200 0.075 60.4    
pan - 31.2    

Or
aperture Or %
size finer
Particles Size Distribution
Classification of fine grain soil

• Fine grain soil consist of two major types clay and silt.
• Plasticity – soil characteristic for fine grain soil that has close relationship with
its water content.
• Clay exist in four state of phases – solid (dry), semi-solid, plastic and liquid.
• Water content at every phase :

a) Shrinkage limit, SL or Ws
b) Plastic limit, PL or Wp
c) Liquid limit, LL or WL
 Wetting

Semi
Solid
Solid
State
Solid
Plastic Liquid
vi
Volume, v or e

S = 100 %

vf
SL PL LL
PI

Drying w%

a) Shrinkage limit, SL or Ws – is water content at which the volume of soil reach its
minimum value when drying from the saturated condition after which the volume
stays constant.
b) Plastic limit, PL or Wp – is the ability of soil to deform without being cracked or
broken; it occur when the water content lower than plastic limit.
c) Liquid limit, LL or WL – water content at the moment soil changes its condition from
plastic to liquid.
Plasticity Index, PI (also write as Ip)

PI = LL – PL

The correlation between plasticity index and liquid limit – is used in British
Classification System as :
i. Low plasticity < 35%
ii Medium plasticity 35 – 50%
iii. High plasticity 50 – 70%
iv. Very high plasticity 70 – 90%
v. Extremely high plasticity > 90%
 Determination of consistency of soft soil
Consistency – used as base for classification for soft soil
1) Liquid limit test
Cone penetrometer

Sample Add water Fill cup 5 second Measure

sieve 425 timer, penetration
μm sieve – release
300 g cone
Casagrande’s
equipment

33

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2) Plastic limit test

Sample Add water Roll ball, Begin to

sieve 425 roll into crack when
μm sieve - 3mm it reaches
20 g diameter 3mm D
TUTORIAL 2
S3) Plot your graph

Sieve mesh Percentage

Mass Percentage
size (mm) finer
retained (g) retained
(passing)
14.0 0
10.0 3.5
6.3 7.6
5.0 7.0
3.35 14.3
2.0 21.1
1.18 56.7
0.600 73.4
0.425 22.2
0.300 26.9
0.212 18.4
0.150 15.2
0.063 17.5
Pan 8.5
TOTAL 292.3