CIE 047

GEOTECHNICAL
ENGINEERING 1
SOIL CLASSIFICATION
Module 5

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SOIL CLASSIFICATION
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 SOIL CLASSIFICATION

▰ Different soils with similar properties may be classified into groups and subgroups
according to their engineering behavior. Classification systems provide a common
language to concisely express the general characteristics of soils, which are
infinitely varied.
▰ We arrange the soils into different groups such that the soils in a particular group
have similar behavior. This arranging of soils is called classification system of soils.
▰ Generally, we classify soils as cohesionless and cohesive or coarse-grained and
fine-grained. But these terms are too general and they certainly do not classify a
soil when it is a mixture of different soil grains in different proportions.
▰ Soil grain has a great influence on the behavior of soils. So, most classification
methods use particle size as basis to classify the soils in the group.

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SOIL CLASSIFICATION

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SOIL CLASSIFICATION

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 SOIL CLASSIFICATION

Three Soil Classification Systems:

▰ AASHTO – American Association of State Highway and Transportation Official
▰ USCS – Unified Soil Classification System
▰ USDA – United States Department of Agriculture Classification System

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USDA SOIL
CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM
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USDA SOIL CLASSIFICATION CHART

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 SAMPLE PROBLEM 1 (USDA)

A soil has the following particle-size distribution:

Gravel = 20%, Sand = 10%, Silt = 30%, Clay = 40%
Classify the soil according to the USDA’s Textural Classification.

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 SAMPLE PROBLEM 2 (USDA)

A soil has the following particle-size distribution:

Gravel = 20%, Sand = 8%, Silt = 48%, Clay = 24%
Classify the soil according to the USDA’s Textural Classification.

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AASHTO SOIL
CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM
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AASHTO SOIL CLASSIFICATION CHART

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AASHTO SOIL CLASSIFICATION CHART

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AASHTO SOIL CLASSIFICATION CHART

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AASHTO SOIL CLASSIFICATION CHART

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AASHTO SOIL CLASSIFICATION CHART

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 SAMPLE PROBLEM 3 (AASHTO)

Let’s classify these soils according to AASHTO’s Classification System.

Description Soil A Soil B Soil C

Percent finer than No. 10 Sieve 100 95 88

Percent finer than No. 40 Sieve 80 - 75

Percent finer than No. 200 Sieve 58 - 34

Liquid Limit 30 60 39

Plasticity Index 10 40 12

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 SAMPLE PROBLEM 3A (AASHTO)

Let’s classify these soils according to AASHTO’s Classification System.

Soil A : Sieve No. 10 = 100%, Sieve No. 40 = 80%, Sieve No. 200 = 58%, LL= 30%, PI = 10%

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 SAMPLE PROBLEM 3B (AASHTO)

Let’s classify these soils according to AASHTO’s Classification System.

Soil B : Sieve No. 10 = 95%, LL= 60%, PI = 40%

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 SAMPLE PROBLEM 3C (AASHTO)

Let’s classify these soils according to AASHTO’s Classification System.

Soil C : Sieve No. 10 = 88%, Sieve No. 40 = 75%, Sieve No. 200 = 34%, LL= 39%, PI = 12%

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USCS SOIL
CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM
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 USCS SOIL CLASSIFICATION CHART

This system classifies soils into two broad categories:

▰ Coarse-grained soils - gravelly and sandy in nature; less than 50% passing through
the No. 200 Sieve
▰ Fine-grained soils - soils with 50% or more passing through the No. 200 Sieve

Other symbols are used for this classification:

W – well graded
P – poorly graded
L – low plasticity (LL<50)
H – high plasticity (LL>50)

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USCS SOIL CLASSIFICATION CHART

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USCS SOIL CLASSIFICATION CHART

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USCS SOIL CLASSIFICATION CHART

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USCS SOIL CLASSIFICATION CHART

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USCS SOIL CLASSIFICATION CHART

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 SAMPLE PROBLEM 4 (USCS)

Classify the soil according to the USCS.

▰ Percent passing No. 10 Sieve = 100
▰ Percent passing No. 40 Sieve = 80
▰ Percent passing No. 200 Sieve = 58
▰ Liquid Limit = 30
▰ Plasticity Index = 10

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SAMPLE PROBLEM 4 (USCS)

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SAMPLE PROBLEM 4 (USCS)

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SAMPLE PROBLEM 4 (USCS)

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 SAMPLE PROBLEM 5 (USCS)

Classify the soil according to the USCS.

▰ Percent passing No. 4 Sieve = 70
▰ Percent passing No. 200 Sieve = 30
▰ Liquid Limit = 33
▰ Plasticity Index = 12

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SAMPLE PROBLEM 5 (USCS)

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SAMPLE PROBLEM 5 (USCS)

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THANK YOU!!!
See you next class!!!

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