Chapter 4

Plasticity Characteristics
of Soil

Syeda Marzia
Lecturer
Department of Civil Engineering
Daffodil International University
 Plasticity of Soils
It is the property of soil by which it undergoes deformation without cracking or fracturing.A
plastic soil can be moulded into various shape when it is wet.
Criteria:
         (i) The soil should be clay/ clay minerals
         (ii) Presence of water

Negative charges are present on the surfaces of clay particles. The water molecules are dipolar
and hence they are attracted towards the surfaces of clay particles. This process is known
as adsorption of water.

Adsorbed water in the clay particles allow the particles to slip over one another. The particles do
not return to its original position following the deformation of soil. Hence, the deformations are
plastic. As the water content of the soil is gradually reduced, this plasticity property is also
reduced. Ultimately, when the soil becomes dry, the particles are cemented together as a solid
mass.
• depending on the moisture content, the behaviour of soil can be
divided into four basic states— solid, semisolid, plastic, and liquid

Different States of Soil

 Consistency limit/ Atterberg's Limits
The consistency of a fine-grained soil is the physical state in which it exists. It is used to
denote the degree of firmness of a soil. It also known as the Atterberg’s limits.

1n 1911, A Swedish agriculture engineer Atterberg mentioned that a fine grained soil can
exist in four states, namely, liquid, plastic, semi-solid or solid. The water content at which the
soil changes from one state to other are known as Atterberg limits or Consistency limits.
There are three atterberg limits:
1. Liquid Limit
2. Plastic Limit
3. Shrinkage Limit
• The moisture content, in percent, at which the transition from solid to semisolid state takes place is
defined as the shrinkage limit.

• The moisture content at the point of transition from semisolid to plastic state is the plastic limit, and
from plastic to liquid state is the liquid limit.
 Liquid limits

• The liquid limit is the water content at which the soil changes from the liquid state to
the plastic state. Defined by Laboratory test concept developed by Atterberg in 1911.
• Denoted by LL or WL
• In other words, the liquid limit is the water content at which the soil ceases to be
liquid.
 Plastic Limit

 
 Shrinkage Limit

 
 Plasticity Index
 
 Liquidity Index
 

 
 consistency index

 
 Flow Index
 
 Toughness Index

 
Mathematical Problem
Flow curve
• See video lecture:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1UUM_lspSn5vXhUlZKiuihVPlAkANf2CT/vie
w?usp=sharing
• The moisture content (in %) required to close a distance of 12.7 mm (0.5
in.) along the bottom of a groove after 25 blows is defined as the liquid
limit.
• It is difficult to adjust the moisture content in the soil to meet the required
blows. Hence, at least three tests for the same soil are conducted at varying
moisture contents, with the number of blows, N, required to achieve
closure varying between 15 and 35.
• The moisture content of the soil, in percent, and the corresponding number
of blows are plotted on semilogarithmic graph paper
• The relationship between moisture content and log N is approximated as a
straight line. This line is referred to as the flow curve.
• The moisture content corresponding to N 25, determined from the
flow curve, gives the liquid limit of the soil.
• The slope of the flow line is defined as the flow index and may be
written as
Example
Assignment