THEORICAL LESSON FOR THE PEDAGUOGICAL EXAMINATION

LESSON 7: SOIL CLASSIFICATION: INTRODUCTION

7.1. GENERALITIES

Any construction project either road, bridge or building, must be studied with complete
data before construction work goes on, which supposes a good knowledge of the soil foundation.
The properties of soil foundation should be well known. In order to discuss or master the
properties of different types of soil it is first necessary to have some way of classifying them.

7.1.1 Definitions

Soil classification is the process that enables to range soil in group according to some of their
properties (size...).

Cohesive soils: also called fine grained soil are soils having predominantly very tiny (very small)
particles that can hardly be seen with the naked eye.

Cohesion is a force that enables different part of a body to bind together.

Non-cohesive soil: also called powdery or pulverulents soils are coarse grained soil having
predominantly large particles. (Sand and gravel sizes predominant)

Pulverulents thing that can easily be transformed into powder or which is in the state of powder

7.2. DIFFERENT METHOD OF CLASSIFICATION

Soil study required exploration of the soil in place, is thus one of the essential
preliminaries; one of the significant stages of soil exploration is soil sampling. Information is
needed in order to classify soil and some tests are advisable in order to ensure good description of
a sample that will lead to suitable soil classification.

There are several ways in which a soil may be classified:

By geological origin (igneous, By plasticity ,

metamorphic, sedimentary),
By mineral content,
By grain size analysis.
The last two are widely used by engineers. In this lesson emphasizes will be made on
classification of soil according to their grains size.

7.2.1. Classification of soil according to plasticity

This classification is mostly used for fine grained soils based on the Atterberg limits during
which it is necessary to determine: Its liquid limit and its index of plasticity. The fine grain
cohesive soils are divided into silt and clays according to their plasticity.

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 THEORICAL LESSON FOR THE PEDAGUOGICAL EXAMINATION

7.2.2. Classification based on grain size

Here the classification is based on grain size determine by the grain size analysis test which is the
distribution of grain particle per size.

7.3. CLASSIFICATION OF SOIL ACCORDING TO THEIR GRAIN SIZE

This method of classification of soil is highly used in Cameroon.

7.3.1. Principle

In this classification soils are split into coarse-grained non cohesive, fine-grained cohesive
and organic soils. They are then further subdivided into gravel, sand and silts, etc. The division of
the coarse-grained non cohesive soils into gravel, sand, silts, etc, is according to the grain size,
which is easily determined by sieving.

7.3.2. The categories of soils in term of medium sizes (D)

Solids grains are classified according to their size or dimension. Thus in considering the
medium size (D) of the material, the categories of soils are as following. In general, there exist two
categories of soil in different mechanical behavior, these are:
Non-cohesive soil or Pulverulents soils (grain sizes >20µm)
Cohesive soils (grain sizes) ≤ 20µm

Table 1: Classification of soil according to their medium size

Categories Size range Grain Size Term Grain Size(mm)

Boulders _ D>200 mm
Cobbles _ 20<D<200mm
Coarse 20<D<60mm
Gravel Medium 6<D<20mm
Fine 2<D<6mm
Coarse 0.6< D<2mm
Coarse-grained Medium 0.2< D<0.6mm
Sand
soil Fine 0.06< D< 0.2 mm
Coarse 0.02< D<0.06 mm
Medium 0.006< D <0.02mm
Silt
Fine 0.002<D <0.006mm
Fine grained soil Clay D<2µm
7.3.3. Visual identification

Soil can be identified according to their grain size by visual identification. In this case the
identification of soils always starts with a preliminary observation of the sample (color, odor,
homogeneity, presence of vegetable remains, etc.) In general, the simple visual examination makes
it possible to give a name to material: marl blue, yellow clay, fine sand, etc

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 THEORICAL LESSON FOR THE PEDAGUOGICAL EXAMINATION

7.4. CONCLUSION

In few word, soil classification enables to range soil in different groups or classes according
to their properties such as plasticity determine by Atterberg limits or grain size determine by grain
size analysis. The medium size of grain given by the gain size analysis enables us to distinguish
sand, gravel, clay, silts, cobbles and boulder.

EVALUATION

Exercise of application

1) What is soil?
2) What is the purpose of classifying soil?
3) What do you understand by classification of soil?
4) List the different methods of classification of soil?
5) List the different methods of classification mostly used by engineers?
6) Which test is needed in order to classify soil according to plasticity?
7) Which test needed in order to classify soil according to grain size?
8) List the criterion used in grain size method of classification?
9) Name the different group or class of soil denoted from grain size classification of soil?

10) Reproduce and fill the following table below replace any ? (x) by correct answer

Grain Size
Categories Size range Grain Size Term Bristish Standard
/European. Mm
Boulders _ ? (g)
Cobbles _ 20<D<200mm
Coarse 20<D<60mm
? (b) ? (h) 6<D<20mm
Fine 2<D<6mm
? (f) 0.6< D<2mm
? (a) Medium 0.2< D<0.6mm
Sand
Fine 0.06< D< 0.2 mm
Coarse 0.02< D<0.06 mm
Medium 0.006< D <0.02mm
? (c)
? (e) 0.002<D <0.006mm
Fine
grained Clay ? (d)
soil

11) Fill the following sentences by the convenient word

a) Soil classification is the process that enables to __________________________soil in
group according to some of their properties (size, plasticity, mineral content, origin...).

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 THEORICAL LESSON FOR THE PEDAGUOGICAL EXAMINATION

b) Fine grained soils having predominantly very tiny (very small) particles that can hardly be
seen with the naked eye and having grain sizes ≤ 20µm are
called_______________________________________________________________
c) A _______________________________________ or pulverulents soils are coarse grained
soil having predominantly large particles and having grain sizes >20µm.

CONSOLIDATION EXERCISES

The results of a sieving analysis of a soil were as follows:

Sieve size (mm) Mass of retained (g) Mass of Passing (g) Percentage passing
20 0
12.5 1.7
10 2.3
6.3 8.4
5.6 5.7
2.6 12.9
2 3.5
1.4 1.1
0.5 30.5
0.355 45.3
0.188 25.4
0.063 7.4

1) Reproduce and fill the above table of particle size analysis.

2) Describe the nature of the soil by listing the different class involves.
3) Plot the particle-size distribution curve and name of the soil.
4) Comment on the flat part of the curve.

[PARTICLE SIZE ANALYSIS DISTRIBUTION CHART]

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