CLASSIFICATION OF SOILS

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CLASSIFICATION SYSTEMS

Classification by Structure
Indian Standard Soil Classification System
Grain-size Classification or Textural Classification

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 Classification by Structure

1. Soils of single-grained structure

characteristic of coarse grained

soils, with a particle size greater
than 0.02 mm. Gravitational forces
predominate the surface forces
and hence grain to grain contact
results

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2. Honey-comb Structure

This structure can occur only in

fine-grained soils, especially in silt.
Due to the relatively smaller size of
grains, besides gravitational forces,
inter-particle surface forces also
play an important role in the
process of settling down.

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3. Flocculent Structure

This structure is characteristic of

fine-grained soils such as clays.
Inter-particle forces play a
predominant role in the deposition.

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 Classification by Texture or Grain Size

Textural or grain-size classifications are inadequate primarily

because plasticity characteristics—consistency limits and
indices—do not find any place in these classifications.

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Classification by Texture

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Indian Standard Soil Classification System

Soils shall be broadly divided into three divisions

1. Coarse-grained Soils: More than 50% of the total material
by weight is larger than 75-μ IS Sieve size.

Subdivisions
(a) Gravels: More than 50% of coarse fraction (+ 75 μ) is
larger than 4.75 mm IS Sieve size. (Symbol – G)
(b) Sands: More than 50% of Coarse fraction (+ 75 μ) is
smaller than 4.75 mm IS Sieve size. (Symbol – S)

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 2. Fine-grained Soils: More than 50% of the total
material by weight is smaller than 75-μ IS Sieve size.
Subdivisions

(a) Silts (M) and clays (C) of low compressibility :

Liquid limit less than 35% (L). (Symbol- ML or CL)

(b) Silts and clays of medium compressibility : Liquid

limit greater than 35% and less than 50% (I).
(Symbol- MI or CI)

(c) Silts and clays of high compressibility: Liquid limit

greater than 50 (H).
(Symbol- MH or CH)

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 3. Highly Organic Soils and Other Miscellaneous Soil
Materials: These soils contain large percentages of
fibrous organic matter, such as peat, and particles of
decomposed vegetation.

Subdivisions

OL, OI or OH depending on liquid limit

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Example

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