Soil Mechanics

CE-222
Soil Plasticity – Atterberg Limits

1
 Classification of fine-grained soils 2

• 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 3

• 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 4

• 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 5

Wetting

Solid Semi
Volume, v or e

Solid
State Plastic Liquid
Solid

S = 100 %

vf

SL PL LL
PI

Drying Water content, w %

 Attreberg Limits 6

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 7

• 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).
Plasticity chart 8
 Liquid Limit (LL) 9

• Liquid limit (LL) is the dividing line between the liquid

and plastic states.

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

Plastic State
Plastic Limit, PL
content

Semisolid State
Shrinkage Limit, SL
Solid State
Dry Soil
 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.

11
 Liquid Limit (Procedure) 12

• 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 13

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) 14

PI, %

16 Liquid Limit, %
 LL values ≥50 (high) 15

PI, %

Liquid Limit, % 50
 LL values <50% (Low) 16

PI, %

Liquid Limit, % 50
 Plastic Limit 17

• 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.
• Plasticity Index (PI) is the difference between the liquid limit
and plastic limit of a soil.

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

Plastic State
content

Plastic Limit, PL
Semisolid State
Shrinkage Limit, SL
Solid State
Dry Soil
Plastic Limit 18
 Plastic Limit (Procedure) 19

• 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, PI 20

• Plasticity Index is the difference between the liquid

limit and plastic limit of a soil
PI = LL – PL
• After finding LL and PI use plasticity chart to classify
the soil
 Plastic soils 21

Plastic soils A-Line

plot above the
A-Line on a
Plasticity Chart
 Non-Plastic Soils 22

A-Line
Non-plastic or
slightly plastic
soils plot below
the A-Line on a
Plasticity Chart
 U-Line significance 23

U-Line
Correct tests
never plot
above U-line
and LL values
are never < 16
A-Line

16
Plasticity Chart 24
 Plasticity Chart 25

High plasticity/compressibility

Medium plasticity/
compressibility

Low plasticity/
compressibility
 Plasticity Chart 26

Cohesionless soil

Organic clays

Silt
Activity 27
 Activity 28

Soil type Activity, A

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