Republic of the Philippines

MARIKINA POLYTECHNIC COLLEGE

2 Mayor Chanyungco St., Sta. Elena, Marikina City 1800
Tel. Nos. (02) 531-8199, (02) 369-7216

INSTITUTE OF TECHNICAL TEACHERS EDUCATION

DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL TECHNOLOGY

ASSIGNMENT # 01

PH METHOD
AND SOIL CLASSIFICATION

MALOLES, MARY CLAIRE T.

BTVTED-3 B
MS. RACHELLE ABASOLA
2/7/2024
 Republic of the Philippines
MARIKINA POLYTECHNIC COLLEGE
2 Mayor Chanyungco St., Sta. Elena, Marikina City 1800
Tel. Nos. (02) 531-8199, (02) 369-7216

2/7/2024
MALOLES, MARY CLAIRE T.
BTVTED 3-B CT
SOIL TESTING

ASSIGNMENT # 1
1. What is Ph method?
2. What is Soil Classification and the 4 methods of it?
ANSWER:
1. Soil pH is a measure of how acidic or alkaline the soil is. It's calculated using the
negative logarithm of hydrogen ion activity. The pH of the soil is crucial because it
affects various factors influencing plant growth, such as nutrient availability, toxicant
dynamics, biological processes, and soil structure. It's also important for improving
problematic soils. The pH value significantly influences soil redox processes, affecting
reactions like complexation, precipitation, and dissolution. Determining pH is essential
for understanding nutrient availability, soil physical condition, structure, and permeability.
The pH measured in water, CaCl2, or KCl systems indicates the extent of hydrogen ion
dissociation from cation exchange sites or through aluminum hydrolysis, impacting
nutrient availability and soil chemistry.
2. Soil classification is the systematic categorization of soils based on various criteria
such as texture, structure, mineral composition, organic content, and other physical and
chemical properties. This classification system helps scientists, engineers, and
agriculturalists understand and manage soil resources more effectively.
3. 4 Methods of Soil Classification:
Soil classification for construction involves categorizing soils based on their engineering
properties to assess their suitability for various construction projects. The primary purpose is to
understand how different soil types will behave under the stresses imposed by construction
activities, such as building foundations, road construction, and earthworks. Here are four
common methods of soil classification for construction:
a) Unified Soil Classification System (USCS):
The Unified Soil Classification System, developed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers,
classifies soils based on their grain-size distribution, plasticity, and organic content.
It categorizes soils into three primary groups: coarse-grained soils (e.g., gravels, sands), fine-
grained soils (e.g., silts, clays), and organic soils.
Each group is further subdivided into several categories based on specific properties such as
particle size, plasticity index, and liquid limit.
 Republic of the Philippines
MARIKINA POLYTECHNIC COLLEGE
2 Mayor Chanyungco St., Sta. Elena, Marikina City 1800
Tel. Nos. (02) 531-8199, (02) 369-7216

b) AASHTO Soil Classification System:

The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO)
classification system is commonly used for highway and road construction projects.
Similar to the USCS, it categorizes soils into groups based on particle size and plasticity
characteristics.
The AASHTO system also considers the suitability of soils for use as subgrade materials in road
construction.
c) British Standard Soil Classification System:
The British Standard soil classification system, often referred to as the BS 5930, is widely used
in the United Kingdom.
It classifies soils based on particle size distribution, plasticity, and consistency.
The classification system is commonly used in geotechnical engineering and construction
projects in the UK.
d) Engineering Group Classification:
This method classifies soils based on their engineering properties and behaviour under loading
conditions.
Soils are categorized into groups such as poorly graded gravels, well-graded gravels, silty soils,
clayey soils, and organic soils.
The classification helps engineers assess the suitability of soils for specific construction
applications and determine appropriate construction techniques and design parameters.
These classification methods provide engineers and construction professionals with valuable
information to make informed decisions regarding site preparation, foundation design, and
construction methods to ensure the safety and stability of structures.
 Republic of the Philippines
MARIKINA POLYTECHNIC COLLEGE
2 Mayor Chanyungco St., Sta. Elena, Marikina City 1800
Tel. Nos. (02) 531-8199, (02) 369-7216

The Unified Soil Classification System (USCS) is a soil classification system used
in engineering and geology to describe the texture and grain size of a soil. The classification system
can be applied to most unconsolidated materials, and is represented by a two-letter symbol. Each
letter is described below (with the exception of Pt):

First and/or second letters Second letter

Letter Definition Letter Definition

G gravel P poorly graded (many particle of about the same size[1])

S sand W well-graded (many different particle sizes[1])

M silt H high liquid limit[2]

C clay L low liquid limit[2]

O organic

If the soil has 5–12% by weight of fines passing a #200 sieve (5% < P#200 < 12%), both grain size
distribution and plasticity have a significant effect on the engineering properties of the soil, and dual
notation may be used for the group symbol. For example, GW-GM corresponds to "well-graded
gravel with silt."

If the soil has more than 15% by weight retained on a #4 sieve (R#4 > 15%), there is a significant
amount of gravel, and the suffix "with gravel" may be added to the group name, but the group
symbol does not change. For example, SP-SM could refer to "poorly graded SAND with silt" or
"poorly graded SAND with silt and gravel."
 Republic of the Philippines
MARIKINA POLYTECHNIC COLLEGE
2 Mayor Chanyungco St., Sta. Elena, Marikina City 1800
Tel. Nos. (02) 531-8199, (02) 369-7216

Symbol chart
Group
Major divisions Group name
symbol

well-graded
GW gravel, fine to
clean gravel coarse gravel
<5% smaller
than No.200
gravel Sieve
> 50% of coarse poorly graded
GP
fraction retained on gravel
No.4 (4.75 mm)
sieve
GM silty gravel
gravel with
>12% fines
Coarse grained soils GC clayey gravel
more than 50% retained
on or above No.200
(0.075 mm) sieve well-graded
SW sand, fine to
coarse sand
clean sand

sand poorly graded

≥ 50% of coarse SP
sand
fraction passes No.4
(4.75 mm) sieve

SM silty sand
sand with >12%
fines
SC clayey sand

ML silt
Fine grained soils
silt and clay
50% or more passing the inorganic
liquid limit < 50
No.200 (0.075 mm) sieve
CL lean clay
 Republic of the Philippines
MARIKINA POLYTECHNIC COLLEGE
2 Mayor Chanyungco St., Sta. Elena, Marikina City 1800
Tel. Nos. (02) 531-8199, (02) 369-7216

organic
organic OL
silt, organic clay

MH elastic silt

inorganic

silt and clay CH fat clay

liquid limit ≥ 50

organic clay,
organic OH
organic silt

Highly organic soils PT peat

ASTM D-2487
Soil Classification

Criteria for Assigning Group Symbols and Group Names Using

Laboratory Tests
Group Group
Symbol Name

Well-
Cu ≥ 4 and 1
Clean GW graded
≤ Cc ≤ 3
Gravels gravel

COARSE- Less than Cu < 4 and/or Poorly

Gravels
GRAINED SOILS 5% fines Cc < 1 or Cc > GP graded
More than 50% of 3 gravel
More than 50% coarse fraction on
retained on No. 4 Sieve Fines classify
Gravels with GM Silty Gravel
No.200 Sieve as ML or MH
Fines

More than Fines classify Clayey

12% fines GC
as CL or CH gravel
 Republic of the Philippines
MARIKINA POLYTECHNIC COLLEGE
2 Mayor Chanyungco St., Sta. Elena, Marikina City 1800
Tel. Nos. (02) 531-8199, (02) 369-7216

Well-
Cu ≥ 6 and 1 ≤
Clean SW graded
Cc ≤ 3
Sands sand

Less than Cu < 6 and/or Poorly

Sands
5% fines Cc < 1 or Cc > SP graded
50% or more of 3 sand
coarse fraction
passes No.4 sieve
Sands with Fines classify
SM Silty sand
Fines as ML or MH

More than Fines classify Clayey

12% fines SC
as CL or CH sand

PI > 7 and
plots on or CL Lean clay
above "A" line
Inorganic
PI < 4 and
Silts and Clays plots below "A" ML Silt
line
Liquid limit less
than 50 Liquid limit—
Organic
oven dried < OL
clay
0.75
FINE-GRAINED Organic
SOILS Liquid limit—
OL Organic silt
50% or more not dried
passes the no. 200
Sieve PI plots on or
CH Fat clay
above "A" line
Inorganic
PI plots below
MH Elastic silt
Silts and Clays "A" line

Liquid limit 50 or Liquid limit—

more Organic
oven dried < OH
clay
0.75
Organic
Liquid limit -
OH Organic silt
not dried

HIGHLY ORGANIC SOILS PT Peat