Soil Classification

Prof. Basuony El-Garhy

Geotechnical Engineering and Foundations
Civil Engineering Department
Faculty of Engineering

Copyright March 10, 2011 1

 Objectives
The classification of soils is mainly based on one
or two index properties of soil which are
described in detail in previous lectures.
The major objectives of soil classification are:

1. To develop a systematic way to describe and

classify soils.
2. To group soils of similar geotechnical
characteristics.
3. To assign symbols.

2
 Major Soil Groups

Fine grained soils Coarse grained soils

Cohesive soils Cohesionless soils

Clay Silt Sand Gravel Cobble Boulder

0.002 0.074 2 6 200

Grain size (mm)

Sieve No 200

3
 Soil classification systems

1. Particle size classification (MIT)

2. Textural or triangular classification

3. Unified soil classification

4
 Particle size classification
0.002 mm
or MIT Classification

2 mm
0.006

0.02

0.06

0.2

0.6
Fine Med Coarse Fine Med Coarse
Clay Gravel
Silt Sand
0.002 mm 0.06 2 mm

5
 Triangular classification

Soils in nature rarely exist separately as gravel,

sand, silt, clay or organic matter, but are usually
found as mixtures with varying proportions of these
components.

Using the grain size limits in the table below for

sand, silt and clay, a triangular classification chart
was developed for classifying mixed soils.

6
 Triangular classification

Clay Silt Sand Gravel

0.002 mm 0.05 mm 2 mm

The first step in the classification of soil is to

determine the percentages of sand, silt and clay in
a given sample by mechanical analysis.

7
Triangular classification

8
Example 1: sand = 30%, silt = 40%, clay = 30%

9
Example 2: sand = 10%, silt = 40%, clay = 50%

10
Example 3: sand = 40%, silt = 48%, clay = 12%

11
 Disadvantage of Triangular
classification
Disadvantage of this method is that the textural
name as derived from the chart does not always
correctly express the physical characteristics of
the soil. For example, since some clay size
particles are much less active than others, a soil
described as clay on the basis of this system may
have physical properties more typical of silt.

12
 Unified Soil Classification
The unified soil classification system is
considered the most popular system used in the
world to classify the soils. The system is taken
into consideration the grain size and the
consistency of the soil in the classification.

In the unified classification each soil is given a 2

letter classification (e.g. SW). The following
procedure is used.

13
 Symbols used in the Unified
Soil Classification

G = Gravel S = Sand

M = Silt C = Clay

W = Well graded L = Low plasticity

P = Poorly graded H = High plasticity

O = organic material

14
Procedures of Unified Soil Classification

Coarse grained (if < 50% Passing No. 200 sieve )

Prefix S (sand ) if > 50% Passing No. 4 sieve
Prefix G (Gravel) if < 50% Passing No. 4 sieve

Suffix depends on %fines

if %fines < 5% suffix is either W or P

if %fines > 12% suffix is either M or C

if 5% < %fines < 12% Dual symbols are used

15
Procedures of Unified Soil Classification
To determine W or P, calculate Cu and Cc

D60 D302
Cu Cc
D10 ( D60 D10 )

100

80
F ine r
Passing

60

40
%%

20

0
0.0001 0.001 0.01 D10 0.1 D30 D
1 60 10 100
Particle size (mm)

16
Procedures of Unified Soil Classification

To determine W or P, use Cu and Cc as follows:

If prefix is G then suffix is W if Cu > 4 and 1 < Cc < 3

otherwise use P .
(GW = well graded gravel; GP = Poorly graded gravel)

If prefix is S then suffix is W if Cu > 6 and and 1 < Cc < 3

otherwise use P.

(SW = well graded sand; SP = Poorly graded sand)

17
Procedures of Unified Soil Classification
Fine grained (if > 50% Passing No. 200 sieve )
prefix M and C determined from plasticity chart

18
19
20
 Example
classify the soil of the grading curve shown below
100

80
% Passing
Finer

60

40
%

20

0
0.0001 0.001 0.01 0.1 1 10 100
Particle size (mm)

21
Determination the % of fines (silt and clay)
100

80
% Finer

60
% Passing

40

20

11%
0
0.0001 0.001 0.01 0.1 1 10 100
Particle size (mm)
0.074 mm

%fines (% Passing No. 200 sieve) = 11% - Dual symbols required

22
 Determination of Cu and Cc
100

80
% Finer

60
% Passing

40

20

0
0.0001 0.001 0.01 0.1 1 10 100
Particle size (mm)
D10 = 0.06 mm, D30 = 0.25 mm, D60 = 0.75 mm
Cu = 12.5, Cc = 1.38

23
Determination the constitutes of the soil
97%100

80
% Finer

60
% Passing

40

20

11% 0
0.0001 0.001 0.01 0.1 1 10 100
Particle size (mm)
0.074 mm 4.75 mm

Gravel = 3%: Sand = 86%; Silt and Clay = 11%

24
 Sample classification

The percentage of sand in the soil sample is 86% , hence Prefix is S

For the values of Cu = 12.5 and Cc = 1.38, then the Suffix1 = W

The symbol of the soil is SW (well graded sand)

From Atterberg Tests

LL = 32; PL = 26 then PI = 32 - 26 = 6

Using the plasticity chart to classify the fine grained soil

25
 Plasticity chart

32

26
 Sample classification

From the Plasticity Chart for the values of LL = 32 and PI = 6 the

Suffix2 = M,
Then, the symbol of the soil is SM (silty sand)

Dual Symbols of the soil are SW-SM

To complete the classification the Symbols should be accompanied
by a description

27