CONCORDIA UNIVERSITY Instructor: Reza Joghataie

BCEE432-Soil Mechanics, Fall2022

Soil classification: grouping based on properties and engineering behavior (criteria).

Determine soil group (criteria), then predict its behavior.

Soil classification system: a systematic method of describing soil properties, eliminating personal factors
(non subjective)

Classification methods:

Particle size classification

Highway research board classification

US Department of Agriculture (USDA)

AASHTO system

Unified Soil Classification System (USC)

Unified Soil Classification System (USC):

Albert Mauritz Atterberg (1846-1916)- shrinkage limit, liquid limit, plasticity limit

Arthur Casagrande (1902-1981)-redefining Atterberg limits

Karl Von Terzaghi (1883-1963) (father of soil mechanics and geotechnical engineering)-

Developed USCS

Atterberg limits:

Soil has 4 states: solid, semi-solid, plastic, liquid (depending on water content)

Shrinkage limit

Plastic limit (PL)

Liquid limit (LL): Casagrande (bowl) test, fall cone test (standard cone drop, amount of penetration in

soil is used as an index for LL)

Other limits based on Atterberg limits: compressibility, permeability, strength

Plasticity Index (PI)= LL-PL = the range of water content for plastic behavior

Liquidity Index (LI)= (w-PL)/(LL-PL) =degree of liquidity w=existing water content

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CONCORDIA UNIVERSITY Instructor: Reza Joghataie
BCEE432-Soil Mechanics, Fall2022

Consistence Index (CI)= I how index of soil firmness (LL-w)/(LL-PL)

how far is the soil from its liquid state

Moisture Content Determination (State of California DOT):

Use at least 100g soil,

500g fine aggregate MSA=<3/8”

1000g coarse aggregate MSA> 3/8”

Dry the sample in 230 degrees F for 16hrs to obtain a constant weight

Weight of water=Weight of moist soil-weight of dry soil

W=moisture content=(weight of water/weight of dry soil) ×100 %

Sieve No. Opening

Size (mm)
2” 50
-
11/2” 37.5
1” 25
¾” 19
½” 12.5
3/8” 9.5
4 4.75
8 2.36
16 1.18
20 0.841
40 0.400
100 0.149
200 0.074
Hydrometer <75 μ
analysis