SOIL MECHANICS I CEE 305

2.0 CONSISTENCY LIMIT (ATTERBERGE LIMIT)

The term consistency refers to the relative ease at which a soil mass can
be deformed and is also used to describe the degree of firmness of fine-
grained soils, consistency relates to a large extent to the water content.
The four states of consistency suggested by Atterberg are indicated below.

Fig 2.1 Four States of Consistency

The physical and mechanical behavior of fine-grained soils is linked to four

distinct states: solid, semisolid, plastic, and liquid, in order of increasing
water content. Let us consider a soil initially in a liquid state that is allowed
to dry uniformly. If we plot a diagram of volume versus water content as
shown in Figure 2.2, we can locate the original liquid state as point A. As
the soil dries, its water content reduces and, consequently, so does its
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volume.
 SOIL MECHANICS I CEE 305

Fig 2.2 Changes in Soil State as Function of Soil Volume & Water
Content

At point B, the soil becomes so stiff that it can no longer flow as a liquid.
The boundary water content at point B is called the liquid limit; it is denoted
by LL. As the soil continues to dry, there is a range of water content at
which the soil can be molded into any desired shape without rupture. The
soil at this state is said to exhibit plastic behavior: the ability to deform
continuously without rupture. But if drying is continued beyond the range of
water content for plastic behavior, the soil becomes a semisolid. The soil
cannot be molded now without visible cracks appearing. The water content
at which the soil changes from a plastic to a semisolid is known as the
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 SOIL MECHANICS I CEE 305

plastic limit, denoted by PL, point C. The range of water contents over
which the soil deforms plastically is known as the plasticity index, PI:

PI = LL−PL
As the soil continues to dry, it comes to a final state called the solid state.
At this state, no further volume change occurs because nearly all the water
in the soil has been removed. The water content at which the soil changes
from a semisolid to a solid is called the shrinkage limit, denoted by SL,
point D. The shrinkage limit is useful for the determination of the swelling
and shrinking capacity of soils. The range of water content from the plastic
limit to the shrinkage limit for which the soil behaves as a semisolid is
called the shrinkage index, SI:

SI = PL−SL

The shrinkage limit and shrinkage index are important parameters use to
evaluate the seasonable effects on fine-grained soils. For example, wet
clay slopes will shrink during drying in, say, the summer period and cracks
may develop at the top of these slopes. In subsequent rainfall, the cracks
will acts as conduits for the water to add water pressure (hydrostatic
pressure over the depth of the cracks and the soil at the top of the slope
will soften (reduce strength). This could lead to slope instability or failure.
We have changed the state of fine-grained soils by changing the water
content. Since design geo-engineers are primarily interested in the strength
and deformation of soils, we can associate specific strength characteristics
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with each of the soil states. At one extreme, the liquid state, the soil has the
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lowest strength and the largest deformation. At the other extreme, the solid
 SOIL MECHANICS I CEE 305

state, the soil has the largest strength and the lowest deformation. A
measure of soil strength using the Atterberg limits is known as the liquidity
index (LI) and is expressed as

The liquidity index is the ratio of the difference in water content between the
natural or in situ water content of a soil and its plastic limit to its plasticity
index. Table 2.1 shows a description of soil strength based on values of LI.
The plasticity index, shrinkage index and the liquidity index are called index
parameters

The index parameters from the test are called Atterberg limits and are often
simply stated as liquid limit, plastic limit, and shrinkage limit. Typical range
of values of Atterberg limits for soils are shown in Table 2.2. As a reminder,
These values in the table are for guidance. These limits depend on the type
of predominant mineral in the soil.
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Soil consistency or simply consistency is analogous to viscosity in liquids

and indicates internal resistance to forces that tend to deform the soil. The
internal resistance may come from inter-particle forces (cohesion or
adhesion), cementation, inter-particle friction, and soil suction. Terms such
as stiff, hard, firm, plastic, soft, and very soft are often used to describe
consistency. Consistency changes with water content. A measure of
consistency is provided by the consistency index defined as

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Alec Skempton (1953) showed that for soils with a particular mineralogy,
the plasticity index is linearly related to the amount of the clay fraction. He
coined a term called activity (A) to describe the importance of the clay
fractions on the plasticity index. The equation for A is

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