Soil Mechanics

UE-305

Critical Thinking Problem for Instructional Plan No. III

Submitted to: Sir Sadaqatullah Khan

Group No:
12
ROLL NOs:

ROLL
UE-01NOs:
UE-11UE-01
UE-20UE-11
UE-37UE-20
UE-37

Task: Groups of students from UE-305 class collected soil-aggregate samples from the
chosen location for laboratory testing and following experiment are performed and
reported.
a) Perform sieve analysis and report particle size distribution curve
Brief Introduction
In practice sieves of different opening sizes are stacked, with the largest opening size at
the top and a pan at the bottom. Soil is poured in at the top, and soil particles pass
downward through the sieves until they are retained on a particular sieve. The stack of
sieves is mechanically agitated during this procedure. At the end of procedure, the soil
particles retained on each sieve can be weighed and the results presented graphically
in the form of a grain size distribution curve. This is normally a semi log plot with grain
size (diameter) along the abscissa on a logarithmic scale and percentage passing that
grain size along the ordinate on arithmetic scale

Result of the above mentioned test were obtained and found to be

Corresponding particle size distribution curve or gradation

curve

Sieve
% of
Cumulativ
Sieve Openings
Weight
Weight
e%
Percentage
No.
(mm)
Retained
Retained
Retained
Passing
4
4.75
120
12.0
12.0
88.0
10
2
194
19.4
31.4
68.6
20
0.85
308
30.8
62.2
37.8
40
0.425
260
26.0
88.2
11.8
80
0.25
104
10.4
98.6
1.4
100
0.106
8
0.8
99.4
0.6
200
0.075
6
0.6
100.0
0.0

Part (C): Find the liquid limit and plastic limit and relevant index properties
Atterberg limits:
A Swedish soil scientist, Atterberg, engaged in ceramics and agriculture work
proposed (1911) several states of soil consistency. These limits of soil
consistency are based on water content and are:
Liquid Limit:
The water content above, which the soil behaves as a viscous liquid (a soil
water mixture with no measurable shear strength) is called liquid limit. In
soils engineering the liquid limit rather arbitrary is defined as the water
content at which 25 blows of the liquid limit machine closes a standard
groove cut in the soil pat for a distance of 12.7 cm.
Plastic limit.
The water content below, which the soil no longer behaves as a plastic
material is called plastic limit. It is the moisture content in percent at which
the soil changes from a plastic to a semisolid state.
Shrinkage limit.
The minimum water content below, which the loss of moisture will occur
without further decrease in volume of soil sample, is called the shrinkage
limit. It is the moisture content at which the soil changes from a semisolid to
a solid state. At this stage further loss of moisture occurs without decrease of
volume of the soil.
Typical values for the Atterberg limits for soils are shown in Table
4.5

Soil Sample:
Soil Sample used for the Liquid limit and Plastic limit test is purely a clay soil
and is obtained from local place (Sindhi hotel, Nagan, Karachi)

Brief Introduction about Practical:

Two tests were carried out to determine the consistency of soil.
a) Liquid Limit test by Casagrande Cup Method ASTM D4318
b) The plastic limit is determined by rolling a small clay sample into threads

and finding the water content at which threads approximately 3 mm in

diameter will just start to crumble.
a) Determination of Liquid Limit of Soil Sample (Source of Sample
= Sindhi Hotel)
Can No.

Mass of the
Can, M1 (g)

1B

4.7

Mass of the
Can + wet
Soil, M2 (g)
27.32

Mass of the
Can + Soil
(M3)
22.1

Moisture
Content,
(%)
30

31

51B

4.61

27.88

22.43

30.58

21

44B

4.7

20

16.26

32.35

17

= Wwater/Wsoil
= (M2-M3)/(M3M1)
Graph:

Number Of
Blows N