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CE 6: Geotechnical
Engineering 1
J.L.M. Tirao
Consistency of Soils
Describe the strength with which soil
materials are held together or the
resistance of soils to deformation and
rupture.
Consistence varies with moisture
content, and can be described as dry,
moist, and wet consistence.
Rupture Resistance
Rupture resistance is the field
measure of the ability of the soil to
withstand and applied stress or
pressure as applied using the thumb
and forefinger.
Consistency and rupture resistance
largely depends on soil minerals and
- Difficult to obtain!!!
- Not considered at all times
Wet Consistency
Water is added to soil to increase water content
Rupture resistance is best described using
stickiness and plasticity.
Stickiness the ability of soil materials to adhere to
other objects
Plasticity the ability of soil materials to change
shape (but not volume), continuously under the
influence of a constant pressure and to retain the
impressed shape when the pressure is removed.
Plasticity of Solids
The degree to which a reworked soil
can be permanently deformed
without rupturing
In other words, a plastic soil can
undergo deformation without
cracking.
Plasticity of Soils
SOLID SEMISOL PLAST
ID
IC
Shrinkage
Limit
Plastic Limit
LIQUI
D
Liquid Limit
Increasin
g
moisture
content
Plasticity of Soils
Shrinkage (SL), plastic (PL) and
liquid (LL) limits are also known
as the Atterberg limits.
Atterberg limits were observed
by Albert Mauritz Atterberg
in early 1900s but were later
refined by Arthur
Casagrande.
Why plasticity?
Water content significantly affects
properties of silty and clayey soils
(unlike sand and gravel)
Plasticity describes the response of
soil to physical change through
(increasing) moisture content
Why plasticity
Responses:
Strength decreases as water content increases
Soils swell-up when water content increases
Fine-grained soils at very high water content possess
properties similar to liquids
As the water content is reduced the volume of the soil
decreases and the soils become plastic
If the water content is further reduced the soil
becomes semi-solid when the volume does not change
Atterberg limits
Atterberg limits
Atterberg limits are basically the
limits of water content used to define
soil behavior.
Atterberg limits
Liquid Limit (LL) moisture content at which
soil begins to behave as a liquid material and
begins to flow
Plastic Limit (PL) moisture content at which
soil begins to behave as a plastic material
Shrinkage Limit (SL) moisture content at
which no further volume change occurs with
further reduction in moisture content.
Flow Curve
Liquid limit
Moisture content
along the flow
curve, at 25
blows.
Liquid limit flow
curve is a plot of
water content
(%) versus
number blows
Flow Index
Flow
Shrinkage Limit
Shrinkage limit is the moisture
content (%) at which the volume
change of the soil mass ceases (or
the volume no longer goes smaller).
Where:
Where:
Shrinkage Limit
Substituting to original equation,
Derived Limits
Description
Non-plastic
15
Slightly plastic
5 10
Low plasticity
10 20
Medium plasticity
20 40
High plasticity
Greater than 40
Description
LI is less than 0
LI is between 0 and 1
Plastic state
- Intermediate strength, soil
deforms like a plastic material
LI is greater than 1
Liquid state
- Low strength, soil deforms like a
viscous fluid
Activity (A or Ac)
Activity
Activity (A)
Activity
Classification
Inactive clay
Normal clay
Active clay
home)
If the soil has higher dry density, then
the shrinkage ratio is also higher, thus,
volume expansion is larger if water is
added to it.
Specific Gravity
Plasticity Chart
Plasticity Chart
A-line separates inorganic clays from
inorganic silts
U-line is the upper limit of the
relationship of the PI to the LL for any
soil found so far
The region between LL 30-50 and
below the A-line belongs to organic
Example 1
The following results were obtained
from a liquid limit test on a clay using
a Casagrande cup device. The natural
water content of this clay is 38% and
the
plastic
limit6 is 21%.
Number
of
12
20
28
32
blows
Water content %
52.5
47.1
42.3
38.6
37.5
Example 1
60
50
40
Water content (%) 30
20
10
0
10
100
Example 1
1.
2.
3.
4.
What
What
What
What
is
is
is
is
the
the
the
the
Example 2
(1.45)
60
50
40
Water content (%) 30
20
10
0
10
100
Example 3
From the Atterberg limit tests for a soil, it was
found that its liquid limit is 41% and its
plastic limit is 21.1%. Determine (a) plasticity
index of the soil, (b) liquidity index of the soil
is the in situ moisture content is 30%, (c) and
its nature corresponding to its liquidity index.
Answers: (a) 19.9%, (b) 0.447, (c) Plastic
Example 4
Following are the results of a shrinkage limit test:
Initial volume of soil in saturated state = 24.6 cc
Final volume of soil in dry state = 15.9 cc
Initial mass in saturated state = 44 g
Final mass in dry state = 30.1 g
NEXT WEEK
August 9, 2014
More example of soil consistency
computations
Lab Experiment #3 Plastic Limit Test