Lecture 4:

Soil classification
Learning objectives
• Purpose of soil classification

• Test methods are used for soil classification

• USCS classification system

• Other classification systems

Soil Classification
In general
• grouping soils by their
• morphology,
• behaviour, or
• genesis

In Engineering
• grouping soils by their engineering properties as they relate to use for
foundation support or building material.
Sedimentary origin
Transported material (sediments):
• Gravity – colluvium
• Water – alluvial, fluviatile, coastal or marine deposits
• Wind – aolian
• Ice – glacial

Non-transported materials
• Residual soil = weathered bedrock
• Organic soil = grown in situ, peat
Soil characteristics
Physical properties Particle properties
• Mass • Grain size
• Volume • Grain shape
• Density • Texture
• Moisture content • Roughness
• Porosity
Composition
Mechanical properties • Mineralogy
• Strength • Organic content
• Stiffness • Lime content

Hydrological properties Other

• Permeability • Color
• Adsorption capacity • Taste
• Reactivity • Smell
• Thermal conductivity • Origin
• …
Soil classification systems
• USDA Soil Taxonomy developed by United States Department of
Agriculture

• AASHTO Soil Classification System developed by American

Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials

• USCS (Unified Soil Classification System) described in ASTM D2487

Standard Practice for Classification of Soils for Engineering Purposes
Soil Classification
Two parameters are used to classify soils

• Particle size distribution

• Plasticity (Atterberg) limits

Particle size distribution
Classify a soil particles based on their size ASTM Particle Size Classification

Particle Size (mm) Soil Classification

>300 Boulder
Rock Fragments
75 – 300 Cobble
19 – 75 Coarse Gravel
Gravel
4.75 – 19 Fine Gravel
2 – 4.75 Coarse Sand
0.425 - 2 Medium Sand Sand
0.075 - 0.425 Fine Sand
< 0.075 Fines (Silt or Clay) Silt and Clay
ASTM Particle Size Classification System
Particle Size (mm) Soil Classification
>300 Boulder
75 – 300 Cobble
19 – 75 Coarse Gravel
4.75 – 19 Fine Gravel
2 – 4.75 Coarse Sand
0.425 - 2 Medium Sand
0.075 - 0.425 Fine Sand
< 0.075 Fines (Silt or Clay)

Coarse grains Fines

(invisible at this scale !)

Boulders Cobbles Gravel Sand Silt and Clay

300 mm 75 mm 4.75 mm 0.075 mm

(Sieve # 4) (Sieve # 200)
Laboratory Tests (Particle size distribution)
Two laboratory tests are commonly used to prove a precise particle size data

 Sieve analysis (Coarse grains)

 Hydrometer test (Fines)

Sieve Analysis (Gravel and Sand) Hydrometer Test (Silt and Clay)
Sieve Analysis
Measurement of particle size distribution by
passing the soil through a series of sieves

Sieve Identification Opening Size (mm)

3 inch 75 (3 in.)

Gravel
1 inch 25 (1 in.)
3/8 inch 9.5 (3/8 in.)
#4 4.75
# 10 2.00 1 inch 1 inch

Sand
# 20 0.85
# 40 0.425
# 100 0.150
# 140 0.106
# 200 0.075

Pan Fines (Silt and Gravel)

send to Hydrometer test 4 openings 10 openings
(Sieve # 4) (Sieve # 10)
Hydrometer test
Measurement of particle size of fines (clay and silt) based on
the principle of sedimentation of soil particles (Stoke’s law)

Procedure:

1- Take 50 gr of soil (mostly clay or silt)

2- Mix the sample with 125 ml of a dispersing agent and allow to soak for at least 16
hours
3- Distilled water is added
4-Transfer soil-water mixture to a 1000 ml cylinder
5- shake the cylinder
6- Hydrometer is added
7- Measurement over the time
Grain Size Distribution Curve
Fines Sand Gravel
Sieve Analysis (Example)
A sieve analysis is performed for 150 gr of a soil sample. Plot the GSD curve.

Performed by sieve test

Sieve Soil Retained Cumulative Soil % Cumulative % Finer

(gr) Retained (gr) Soil Retained

#4 10.00

# 10 15.00

# 40 65.00

# 100 45.00

# 200 10.00

Pan 5.00
Sieve Analysis (Example)
A sieve analysis is performed for 150 gr of a soil sample. Plot the GSD curve.

Performed by sieve test

step1 step2 step3

Sieve Soil Retained Cumulative Soil % Cumulative % Finer

(gr) Retained (gr) Soil Retained

#4 10.00 10.00 6.67 93.33

# 10 15.00 25.00 16.67 83.33

# 40 65.00 90.00 60.00 40.00

# 100 45.00 135.00 90.00 10.00

# 200 10.00 145.00 96.67 3.33

Pan 5.00 150.00 100.00 0.00

Sieve Analysis (Example)

Grain
%
Sieve Size
Finer
(mm)
#4 4.75 93.33

# 10 2.00 83.33

# 40 0.425 40.00

# 100 0.150 10.00

# 200 0.075 3.33

Pan < 0.075 0.00

Grain Size Distribution
Soil A: Mostly fine-grained soil
(consisting mainly of silt and clay
particles)

Soil B: Poorly-graded soil

(or uniformly graded soil)

Soil C: Well-Graded soil

(contains a wide range of particle
sizes)

Soil D: Gap-graded soil (contains

missing particles in a certain size
range)

Silt and Clay Sand Gravel

0.075 mm 4.75 mm
(Sieve # 200) (Sieve # 4)
Grain Size Distribution
D60 ,D30 and D10 : Grain size corresponding to 60%,
30% and 10% passing

 Coefficient of uniformity Cu = D60 / D10

 Coefficient of curvature Cc = D302 / (D10. D60)

USCS: For Gravel: if 1<Cc<3 & Cu>4 well-graded

For Sand: if 1<Cc<3 Cu>6 well-graded
Soil A: Cu = 1 (uniform size & Poorly graded)
Soil B: Cu = 2 or 3 (Poorly graded)
Soil A: Cu > 6 (well-graded)
Example Grain Size Distribution
 Coefficient of uniformity Cu = D60 / D10
 Coefficient of curvature Cc = D302 / (D10. D60)
D60 ,D30 and D10 : Grain size corresponding to 60%, 30% and 10% passing

Example: for the given GSD

Cu & Cc ?
Example Grain Size Distribution
 Coefficient of uniformity Cu = D60 / D10
 Coefficient of curvature Cc = D302 / (D10. D60)
D60 ,D30 and D10 : Grain size corresponding to 60%, 30% and 10% passing

Example: for the given GSD

Cu & Cc ?

D60=0.9 mm, D30=0.3 mm

D10=0.16 mm

Cu = D60 / D10 = 0.9/0.16= 5.625

Cc = D302 / (D10. D60) =
0.32/0.90×0.16= 0.625 0.16 0.3 0.9
mm mm mm
Atterberg Limits
When a clayey soil is mixed with a water, it changes behavior and forms a viscous
liquid. If the soil is gradually dried, it will behave like a plastic, semisolid or solid
material, depending on its water content.

Liquid Limit (LL): The water content at which the soil changes from liquid to plastic state
(Determined by Casagrande’s cup or the fall cone device)
Plastic Limit (PL): The water content at which the soil changes from plastic to semisolid state
(Using a roll of soil)
Shrinkage Limit (SL): The water content at which the soil changes from semisolid to solid state
(No further change in volume with loss of moisture)

Plasticity Index(PI):
The difference between LL and PL
PI = LL - PL
Soil Classification based on USCS
Procedure:
no Coarse-grained soils
1- 50% or more passes #200 Sieve
yes Fine-grained soils

2- using USCS Flowchart and Plasticity chart for classifying the soil
 Use sieve #4 for identifying Gravel or Sand
 Use Plasticity chart for identifying the type of fines (e.g. ML, CL, etc)
Unified Soil Classification System (USCS)
Symbol Description Examples:
G Gravel
GW: well-graded gravel
S Sand

M Silt SM: Silty Sand

C Clay CL: Clay with low plasticity
O Organic soils SP-SM: Poorly graded Sand with silt
Peat and highly
Pt
organic soils
H High plasticity

L Low plasticity

W Well-graded

P Poorly-graded
 Plasticity Chart

Example:

PI=20 and LL=40

USCS flow chart for coarse-grained soils
(≤50% passing #200 Sieve)
USCS flow chart for fine-grained soils
(≥50% passing #200 Sieve)
Example
Classify the soil using Unified system for the given soil

PI = 4
LL=18
Solution:
Step 1:
50% or more passes #200 Sieve?

Answer: No Coarse-Grained

Step 2:
Sand ≥ Gravel ?
Answer: Yes S (sand)

Step 3:
How much fine grains ?
Answer: <5% passes #200
#200 #4
Solution:
Step 4:
What about Cc and Cu?

Answer:
D60=0.9 mm, D30=0.3 mm
D10=0.16 mm

Cu = D60 / D10 = 0.9/0.16= 5.625

Cc = D302 / (D10. D60) =
0.32/0.90×0.16= 0.625
Cu<6 SP

Step 5:
<15% gravel?
0.16 0.3 0.9
Answer: Yes Poorly-Graded Sand mm mm mm #4
Solution:
Solution:
Example
Determine the unified soil classification for the inorganic soil with the following information:

% passing sieve #4: 100%

% passing sieve #200: 75%

PI=10
LL=40
% passing sieve #4: 100% → There is no gravel in the soil sample
% passing sieve #200: 75% → 75% is fine-grained soil (just 25% sand)

PI=10
From the plasticity chart:
LL=40

So, it is “ML” in the USCS fine-grained chart (next slide)

Solution:
 This is not correct
Solution: (PI is >7 but the soil in plasticity chart
is not above the “A” line)

This is correct
(PI is not<7 but the soil in plasticity chart
is below the “A” line)
25% sand
Example:
Determine the unified soil classification for the inorganic soil with the following information:

% passing sieve #4: 70%

% passing sieve #200: 65%

PL=20
LL=60
Example
Determine the unified soil classification for the inorganic soil with the following information:

% passing sieve #4: 70% → 30% Gravel

% passing sieve #200: 65% → 65% Fine-grained

(100% -30%gravel - 65%fines)→ 5% sand

PL=20
LL=60
Solution:
Solution:

PL=20
LL=60

Plasticity Index(PI):
The difference between LL and PL

PI = LL – PL = 60 – 20 = 40
USDA classification
• Based on grain size only:
• Sand
• Silt
• Clay
AASHTO classification
AASHTO classification
Homework assignment 2
Ch.4 # 17, 18, 28, 35
Ch.5 # 5, 15, 20, 22

Due date: Wednesday September 14 at 12:15 pm!