Plasticity Index and Other Index Properties.

The plasticity The in-service permanence of cement modification has been

index (PI)3 is a measure of a soil’s cohesive properties and is
indicative of the amount and nature of clay in the soil. Soils
with a high PI may be difficult to work with in construction
because of their instability and stickiness when wet.
High PI soils also have potential for detrimental volume
changes during wetting and drying, which can lead subsequently
to pavement roughness. As shown in Table 1, the PI is an
important indicator of soil expansion characteristics. While other
factors (shrinkage limit and colloid content) are also shown as
indicators, the PI alone is often taken as a simple index. Experi-
ence has shown that soils with PI’s less than about 15 to 18
usually cause no problems; highly expansive soils will have much
higher PI’s.
Table 2 gives examples of the effect of cement-modification
on three clay soils. The substantial reduction of PI’s and
increase in shrinkage limits* indicates not only an improve-
ment in the volume change characteristics but also modification
of the soils into more stable and workable materials. In many
cases, reducing the PI to a value in the range of 12 to 15 serves
as the criteria for selecting a cement content.
demonstrated by laboratory and field investigations. An
example of the effect of freezing and thawing on plasticity
properties as measured on laboratory mixtures is given in Table
3.6 After 60 cycles of freezing and thawing the properties of
the cement-modified soil showed no tendency to increase or
revert back to those of the untreated soil. In fact, the PI’s after
60 cycles of freezing and thawing were less than the values
after 7 days of moist curing. This is attributed to additional
hydration of the cement during the 60 thaw cycles. The results
of one study,7 shown in Table 4, indicate that after six years the
modification was still effective. Another study8 investigating
the properties of 11 cement-modified subgrades after 45 years
of service showed that the improvements in soil properties (PI,
shrinkage limit, and gradations) were permanent.
*The shrinkage limit indicates how much moisture (percent) the soil
can absorb without swelling; the higher the value, the less expansive
the soil is.

Table 1. Relation of Soil Index Properties and Probable Volume Changes for Highly Plastic Soils
Data from index tests1 Estimation of
probable
expansion 2 Degree of
percent total expansion
Shrinkage limit, Colloid content volume change
Plasticity Index percent (percent minus (dry to saturated
0.001 mm) condition)
(ASTM D4318) (ASTM D427) (ASTM D422)

>35 <11 >28 >30 Very high

25-41 7-12 20-31 20-30 High
15-28 10-16 13-23 10-20 Medium
<18 >15 <15 <10 Low
Adapted from Reference 4.
1
All three index tests should be considered in estimating expansive properties.
2
Based on a vertical loading of 1.0 psi. For higher loadings the amount of expansion is reduced, depending on the load and on the clay
characteristics. In service, much less expansion would occur because these extremes of moisture variation would not take place.

Table 2. Effect of Cement Treatment on Properties of Clay Soils

Cement Content, Shrinkage Limit,
Soil No. percent Plasticity Index percent

1 none 30 13
3 13 24
5 12 30

7 none 36 13
3 21 26
5 17 32

10 none 43 14
3 24 24
5 16 31
Additional data on a total of 11 clay soils are given in Reference 5.