DETERMINATION

OF

I C L I M IT
S T
L A
P
- CACAPIT, MARY JOY
WHAT IS THE PLASTIC LIMIT?
PLASTIC LIMIT - is a test that
involves rolling out a thread of the fine
portion of a soil on a flat, non-porous
surface.
SIGNIFICANCE AND USE:
 The plastic limit (PL) is the water content, in
percent, at which a soil can no longer be
deformed by rolling into 3mm

 Those limit of soil are very important property

of the grained soil

 And its VALUE is used to classify fine grained

soil and calculate activity of clays and
toughness index of soil
APPARATUS:
DYRING OVEN
- is a heated chamber used to
remove water, moisture, and other
solvents from objects.

BALANCE
- to determine the weight
or mass of an object to a very
high degree of precision.
CANS
– for determination of
moisture contents in soil
and other material

SPATULA
- use for mixing, scraping,
and other tasks related to
transferring materials and samples
from one place to another
SURFACE FOR ROLLING
- a ground glass plate or
piece of smooth, unglazed
paper on which to roll the
sample.
WASH BOTTLE
- is a squeeze bottle with a
nozzle, used for holding and
dispensing fluids.
SIEVES
- can be used for testing
chemicals, powders, oils and
other fluids.
PROCEDURE/STEP:
STEP 1:
Take a quantity of soil with a mass of about 20g from
the thoroughly mixed portion of the material passing the
0.425mm (N0. 40) sieve.

The sample must be in air-dried condition (drying may

be in air or in an oven not exceeding 60 degree celsius).
STEP 2:
Place the air-dried soil (20g) in a mixing dish and
thoroughly mix with distilled, demineralized, or de-ionized
water until the mass becomes plastic enough to be easily
shaped into a bal. Take a portion of this ball with a mass
of about 10g for the best sample.

A HAND ROLLING METHOD – Roll the mass between the

palm or fingers and the ground- glass plate or unglazed
with just sufficient pressure to roll the weight into a
thread of uniform diameter throughout its length. Deform
the thread further on each stroke until its diameter
reaches 3mm.
STEP 3.
Repeat the rolling process until the soil can no longer be
rolled into a thread of 3mm and begins to crumble

Step 4:
Gather the portions of the crumbled soil together and
place in the moisture content container. Immediately
cover the container with a close-fitting lid to prevent
additional loss of moisture and record its weight as
Weight No. 1
STEP 5:
Repeat the operations until the entire 10-g specimen is
tested. Place all of the crumbled portions into the same
moisture content container, then record its weight as
Weight No. 2
SAFETY PRECAUTIONS
- Soil used for plastic limit determination
should not be oven dried prior to testing.

- Wet soil taken in the container for moisture

content determination should not be left open in the
air, the container with soil sample should either be
placed in desiccators or immediately be weighed.
THANK YOU
and
GOD BLESS!