Soil Machanics - Lecture (2) - Soil Classification

PBWN302 CreditHours CEM/WEE/STE
Dr.AsmaaModdather
SoilMechanicsandFoundations FacultyofEngineering CairoUniversity
FALL2012
SOILCLASSIFICATION
Dr.Asmaa Moddather PBWN302 Fall2012
SoilClassification S il Cl ifi ti
Soil
classification: is the arrangement of different soils with similar
properties i t groups th t reflects soils physical and mechanical ti into that fl t il h i l d h i l properties.
The purpose of soil classification is to provide the geotechnical engineer p p p g g

with a way to predict the behavior of the soil for engineering projects.
Soils are usually classified into various types such as:

Cohesion: cohesive soils (silt, clay)/noncohesive soils (sand, gravel). g ( , y)/ g Grain size: finegrained soils (silt, clay)/coarsegrained soils (sand, gravel).
Coarsegrainedsoils C i d il
Angular
Subangular
Subrounded
Rounded
Wellrounded
Finegrainedsoils Fi i d il
Plate Clay
GrainSizeAnalysis G i Si A l i
Laboratory testing:
o Sieve analysis tests:
o Hydrometer tests: for coarsegrained soil for finegrained soil
A grain size distribution curve is obtained g ain si e dist ibution cu ve s obta ed
from these tests
SieveAnalysisTest Si A l i T t
Sieveshaker
Setofsieves f i
SoilSample w w1 w2 w3 w4 w5 Sieves w7 w8 w9 w10 w10 w11 w12 w13 Pan

SieveAnalysisTest
The
usual procedure is to use a system of sieves h i diff i having different mesh sizes, stacked on t h i t k d top of each other, with the coarsest mesh on top and the finest mesh at the bottom. After g y , y y shaking the assembly of sieves, by hand or by a shaking machine, each sieve will contain the th particles l ti l larger th than it mesh size, and its h i d smaller than the mesh size of all the sieves above it.
SieveNo. Particle size (mm)
3in 75
1in 38
in 19
3/8in 9.5
4 4.75
10 2
SieveNo. Particle size (mm)
20 0.85 5
40 0.425 4 5
60 0.25 5
100 0.15 5
140 0.106
200 0.075 75
PAN
SoilSample
Weightofsample=Wgm SieveNo. Particle size(mm) WeightRetained oneachsieve(gm) Totalweight Retained(gm) %Retained %Passing 3in
75
SoilSample W1 +W2 W3 1in

38
W1 W2 W3 140
0.106
200
0.075
w1
w2
w11
w12
w1 {}x100/W 100
w1+w2 {}x100/W 100
w1++ w11 {}x100/W 100
w1++ w12 {}x100/W 100
Siev ves
Example E l
Weightofsample=250gm SieveNo. Si N Particle size (mm) Weight Retainedon eachsieve h i (gm) Totalweight Retained (gm) %Retained %Passing 3in i 75 4 4.75 10 2.0 sieves 20 0.85 60 6 0.25 100 0.15 200 0.075 Pan P
0.0
25
48
35
51
48
30
13
0.0 0.0 100.0
25 10.0 90.0
73 29.2 70.8
108 43.2 56.8
159 63.6 36.4
207 82.8 17.2
237 94.8 5.2
250
Hydrometertest
HydrometerTest H d t T t
Hydrometer
HydrometerTest H d t T t
Indirect method of measurement. Soil

sample is mixed with water and additives in a graduated cylinder to form a soil suspension. g y p (heavier) particles settles faster than smaller (lighter) particles. density of the suspension is measured with a hydrometer at determined time intervals.
Larger The
Computations are based on Stokes formula.

GrainSizeDistributionCurve G i Si Di t ib ti C
sieves
SieveNo. Particle size (mm) %Passing g
hydrometer
3in
75 100.0
4
4.75 90.0 9
10
2.0 70.8 7
20
0.85 56.8 5
60
0.25 36.4 3 4
100
0.15 17.2 7
200
0.075 5.2 5 0.04 3.0 3 0.02 1.8 .01 0.5 5
100 9 90 80 70 60 50 40 3 30 20 Arithmetic 10 0 scale

%Pass sing
80
60
Particlesize(mm)
40
20
sieves
SieveNo. Particle size (mm) %Passing g
hydrometer
3in
75 100.0
75;100
4
4.75 90.0 9
10
2.0 70.8 7
20
0.85 56.8 5
60
0.25 36.4 3 4
100
0.15 17.2 7
200
0.075 5.2 5 0.04 3.0 3 0.02 1.8 .01 0.5 5
Semilog scale
100 9 90 80 70 60 50 40 3 30 20 10 0 100
4.75;90
%Pass sing
2;70.8 0 85;56 8 0.85;56.8
0.25;36.4
0.15;17.2 0.075;5.2 0.04;3 0.02;1.8 0.01;0.5
10
Particlesize(mm)
0.1
0.01
0.001
Semilogscalepaper S il l
100 90 80 8 70 %Pa assing 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 100 10 1 0.1 Particlesize(mm) 0.01 0.001
GrainSizeDistribution G i Si Di t ib ti
100 90 80 70 %P Passing 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 100 10 Particlesize(mm) 1 D60 D30 0.1 D10 0.01 0.001
%Passing=30 %Passing 60 %Passing=60
%Passing=10
D60 is the diameter of the particle at 60% passing on the grain size distribution
curve. curve
D30 i th di is the diameter of th particle at 30% passing on th grain size di t ib ti t f the ti l t % i the i i distribution curve.
D10 is the diameter of the particle at 10% passing on the grain size distribution
curve. effective grain size
Coefficient of Uniformity (Cu) = D60/D10 Coefficient of Curvature (Cc) = (D30)2/(D60D10) = 1 3

Well graded sand W ll d d d Well graded gravel
100 9 90 80 70 %Passing 60 50 30 20 10 0 100 10 1 0.1 Particlesize (mm) 0.01 0.001 Dr.Asmaa Moddather PBWN302 Fall2012 40
cu > 6.0, cc = 13 6 cu > 4.0, cc = 13

Wellgraded W ll d d Poorlygraded oo y g aded Uniformly graded Gapgraded
D60 = 1.0 mm, D30 = 0.2 mm, D10 = 0.095 mm Cu = 1.0/0.095 = 10.5, Cc = (0.2)2/(1.0 x 0.095) = 0.42 100 90 80 70 %Passi ing 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 100 10 Particlesize(mm) 1 D60 D30 0.1 D10 0.01 0.001
%Passing=60
%Passing=30 %Passing 30
%Passing=10 %Passing 10
ConsistencyofCohesiveSoils C it f C h i S il
For
finegrained soils (silt, clay), the consistency is an
important property.
It determines whether the soil can easily be handled by handled,

soil moving equipment, or by hand.
The
consistency is often very much dependent on the
amount of water i the soil. Thi i expressed b the water f in h il This is d by h content w.
ConsistencyofCohesiveSoils C it f C h i S il
When the water content is very low (as in a very dry clay) the soil can be
very stiff, almost lik a stone. It i th said t b i th solid state. tiff l t like t is then id to be in the lid t t
Adding water, for instance if the clay is flooded by rain, may make the
y p , g y y clay plastic, and for higher water contents the clay may even become almost liquid.
In order to distinguish between these states (solid, plastic and liquid)

three standard tests have been agreed upon, that indicate the y y g consistency limits. They are denoted as the Atterberg limits.
Atterberg (C i t Att b (Consistency)Limits ) Li it

Volume Addingwater Liquid limit Plastic limit Drysoil A S A W S Solidstate W S Semisolidstate S Plasticstate S Shrinkage g limit W W
Watercontent Liquidstate
Atterberg (C i t Att b (Consistency)Limits ) Li it

Liquid limit (L.L., ): the transition from the liquid t t Li id li it (L L wL) iis th t iti f th li id state p p to the plastic state. It represents the lowest water content at which the soil behavior is still mainly liquid.
Plastic limit (P.L., wP): is the transition from the plastic state
to the semisolid state semi solid state.
Shrinkage limit (Sh.L., wSh): is the transition from the semi

solid state to the solid state.
Pl i i iindex (PI Ip) = wL wP Plasticity d (PI, These limits are obtained using laboratory tests. g y
LiquidLimitTest Li id Li it T t
Liquidlimitdevice
Groovingtool
The liquid limit is the value of the water content for which a standard
Vshaped groove cut i th soil, will j t close ( V h d t in the il ill just l (0.5 i h) after 25 d inch) ft drops.
Water content
Water content
wL
wL
25
No.ofblows
25
LogNo.ofblows g
PlasticLimitTest Pl ti Li it T t
Plastic limit
is defined as the water content at which the clay can just be
rolled t th d of 3 mm di ll d to threads f diameter. t
Very wet clay can be rolled into very thin threads. Dry clay will break when rolling thick threads.
ShrinkageLimitTest Sh i k Li it T t
Put soil
sample in oven until it is completely dry, and get its
weight ( s) (w ).
Shrinkage
limit is the water content of this sample if it is
saturated with water at the same volume. d h h l
Measure the total volume of the ovendried sample (vT):

o S b i the sample iin water after iinsulating iit with paraffin Submerging h l f l i ih ffi
wax.
o Submerging the sample in mercury. (Gs,mercury = 13.6)

ShrinkageLimitTest Sh i k Li it T t
vs = ws/(Gsw)
Drysoil Shrinkage limit
v v = vT vs w w = v v w Sh.L. = ww/ws
vv vT A vT vw W ww
vs
ws
vs
ws
ConsistencyIndexofCohesiveSoils C it I d f C h i S il
wL w CI = wL wP
CI 0 0.5 0 0 5 0.5 0.625 0.625 0.625 0.75 0.75 1.00 1.00< .00 (w>wSh) 1.00< (w<w ( Sh) TypeofSoil Verysoft Soft Mediumstiff Stiff Verystiff Hard
Example E l
The
following table shows the parameters determined for different
cohesive soil samples for these soils determine Find the consistency samples, index and comment on its indication.
Soil A B C
CI 0 0.5 0.5 0.625 6 0.625 0.75 0.75 1.00 5 1.00< (w>wSh) 1.00< (w<wSh)
w (%) 46 12 9
wL (%) 60 45 10
wP (%) 40 15 5
wSh (%) 10 9 2
CI 0.70 1.10 0.20
indication
M. stiff V.stiff V.soft
TypeofSoil Verysoft Soft S f Mediumstiff Stiff Verystiff Hard

RelativeDensityofCoarseGrainedSoil R l ti D it f C G i d S il
Loose emax
Dense emin loosest packing
emax is the maximum possible void ratio
Achieved by A hi d b carefully pouring th soil i t a container, or b l tti f ll i the il into t i by letting th the material subside under water, avoiding all disturbance.
emin
is the minimum possible void ratio
densest packing
Obtained by strong vibration of a sample.

emax is the maximum possible void ratio. The loosest packing can be achieved by carefully pouring the soil into a
container, or by letting the material subside under water, avoiding all disturbance.
emin
is the i i i th minimum possible void ratio. ibl id ti
The densest packing of the soil can be obtained by strong vibration of a

p sample.
emax eact Dr ( ) = (%) x100 emax emin
Dr (%) 0 15 15 35 35 65 65 85 85 100 TypeofSoil Veryloose Loose Mediumdense Dense Verydense
SoilClassification S il Cl ifi ti
There are many different soil classification systems in

use: o MIT classification system system.
o Unified Soil Classification System (USCS).
MITClassificationSystem MIT Cl ifi ti S t

Soil is classified based on grain size. Th grain size iis d t i d b performing a grain size analysis. The i i determined by f i i i l i
Sieveanalysis Gravel C
20
Hydrometertest y Silt Clay y F 0.002mm
Boulders
Sand F
6
C
0.6
M
0.2
C
0.02 0 02
M
0.006 6
60mm C:Coarse M:Medium F:Fine
2mm
0.06mm
60mm 100 90 80 70 %Passi ing 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 100 10 1 0.1 Particlesize(mm) 0.01 0.001
Gravel G l
2mm
Sand S d
0.06mm
Silt
0.002mm Clay Cl
% Boulder = 100 % Passing 60mm = 100 97 = 3% B ld P i 6 % % Gravel = % Passing 60mm % Passing 2mm = 97 70.8 = 26.2 % % Sand = % Passing 2mm % Passing 0.06mm = 70.8 6.0 = 64.8 % % Silt = % Passing 0.06 mm % Passing 0.002 mm = 6.0 0.0 = 6.0 % % Clay = % Passing 0.002mm = 0.0 %
60mm Gravel G l 2mm Sand S d 0.06mm Silt Sil 0.002mm Clay Cl
100 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0
100
%Passing P
10
Particle size(mm)
0.1
0.01
0.001
MITClassificationSystem MIT Cl ifi ti S t
Soil Group Name: o 50 35 % o 35 15 % o 15 5 % o<5% : and : adjective : some : trace of
% Boulder = 3.0% % Gravel = 27.2% % Sand = 65.8% % Silt = 5.0% y % Clay = 0.0%
UnifiedSoilClassificationSystem(USCS) ifi d il l ifi i
Soil is classified based on: o Grain size o Gradation o Soil Plasticity
Information needed: o G i size di ib i curve: Grain i distribution cu, cc % Passing sieve No. 4 (4.75 mm) % Passing sieve No. 200 (0.075 mm) o Atterberg limits: L.L. P.L. P.I.

Soil is identified by a Group Symbol
o Grain size: Gravel Sand Silt Clay Cl o Gradation: Well graded Poorly graded o Plasticity L.L. < 50% (low plasticity) L.L. > 50% (high plasticity) L H
G S M C
W P

% Finegrained soil = % Passing sieve No. 200
Gravel Coarsegrai inedsoil Fine egrainedsoil
%C Coarsegrained soil = 100 % P i sieve N 200 i d il Passing i No.

or = % Retained on sieve No. 200
SieveNo.4
% Gravel = 100 % Passing sieve No. 4

SieveNo.200
% S d = % P i sieve N 4 % P i sieve N 200 Sand Passing i No. Passing i No.
S Silt&Clay
San nd
USCSSummaryTable USCS S T bl
UseplasticitycharttodetermineMorC
UseplasticitycharttodetermineMorC
UsePlasticityChart
oo
oo bbbbbbbbbbbbb

%PassingsieveNo.200 <50% Coarsegrainedsoil >50% 5 Finegrainedsoil
UsePlasticity Chart(Aline) LL&PI
CH,CL ML,MH ML MH
PlasticityChart(ALine) Pl ti it Ch t (A Li )
60 50 Plasticit Index (%) ty
CH
40
CL
30 20
Ip = 0.73(w L-20)
MH
10
CL-ML
0 0 10
ML
20 30 40
ML
50 60 70 80 90 100
( ) Liquid Limit (%)


%PassingsieveNo.200 <50% Coarsegrainedsoil %PassingsieveNo.4 Sand S d Gravel G l >50% 5 Finegrainedsoil
%Sand>%Gravel
%Gravel>%Sand
%PassingsieveNo.200 5% 12% Dualsymbol SWSC SPSM GWGM GPGC SC,SM SC SM GC,GM

<5% Careforgradation Inspectcu,cc SW,SP SW SP GW,GP
>12% Careforfines InspectL.L.,P.I.,Aline

%PassingsieveNo.200 <50% Coarsegrainedsoil %PassingsieveNo.4 Sand S d Gravel G l UsePlasticityChart (Aline) LL&PI <5% Careforgradation SW,SP GW,GP GW GP 5% 12% Dualsymbol SWSC SPSM GWGM GPGC >12% Careforfines SC,SM GC,GM GC GM CH,CL ML,MH ML MH
>50% 5 Finegrainedsoil
%PassingsieveNo.200

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PBWN302 CreditHours CEM/WEE/STE

Dr.Asmaa Moddather PBWN302 Fall2012

The purpose of soil classification is to provide the geotechnical engineer p p p g g

Soils are usually classified into various types such as:

Dr.Asmaa Moddather PBWN302 Fall2012

Dr.Asmaa Moddather PBWN302 Fall2012

A grain size distribution curve is obtained g ain si e dist ibution cu ve s obta ed

from these tests

Dr.Asmaa Moddather PBWN302 Fall2012

SoilSample w w1 w2 w3 w4 w5 Sieves w7 w8 w9 w10 w10 w11 w12 w13 Pan

SieveNo. Particle size (mm)

SieveNo. Particle size (mm)

Dr.Asmaa Moddather PBWN302 Fall2012

SoilSample W1 +W2 W3 1in

w1+w2 {}x100/W 100

w1++ w11 {}x100/W 100

w1++ w12 {}x100/W 100

Dr.Asmaa Moddather PBWN302 Fall2012

0.0 0.0 100.0

108 43.2 56.8

159 63.6 36.4

207 82.8 17.2

237 94.8 5.2

Indirect method of measurement. Soil

Computations are based on Stokes formula.

100 9 90 80 70 60 50 40 3 30 20 Arithmetic 10 0 scale

Dr.Asmaa Moddather PBWN302 Fall2012

2;70.8 0 85;56 8 0.85;56.8

0.15;17.2 0.075;5.2 0.04;3 0.02;1.8 0.01;0.5

Dr.Asmaa Moddather PBWN302 Fall2012

Dr.Asmaa Moddather PBWN302 Fall2012

Dr.Asmaa Moddather PBWN302 Fall2012

Coefficient of Uniformity (Cu) = D60/D10 Coefficient of Curvature (Cc) = (D30)2/(D60D10) = 1 3

cu > 6.0, cc = 13 6 cu > 4.0, cc = 13

finegrained soils (silt, clay), the consistency is an

It determines whether the soil can easily be handled by handled,

consistency is often very much dependent on the

Dr.Asmaa Moddather PBWN302 Fall2012

In order to distinguish between these states (solid, plastic and liquid)

Atterberg (C i t Att b (Consistency)Limits ) Li it

Dr.Asmaa Moddather PBWN302 Fall2012

Atterberg (C i t Att b (Consistency)Limits ) Li it

Shrinkage limit (Sh.L., wSh): is the transition from the semi

Dr.Asmaa Moddather PBWN302 Fall2012

rolled t th d of 3 mm di ll d to threads f diameter. t

Dr.Asmaa Moddather PBWN302 Fall2012

sample in oven until it is completely dry, and get its

limit is the water content of this sample if it is

saturated with water at the same volume. d h h l

Measure the total volume of the ovendried sample (vT):

o Submerging the sample in mercury. (Gs,mercury = 13.6)

Dr.Asmaa Moddather PBWN302 Fall2012

CI 0.70 1.10 0.20

M. stiff V.stiff V.soft

TypeofSoil Verysoft Soft S f Mediumstiff Stiff Verystiff Hard

Dense emin loosest packing

emax is the maximum possible void ratio

is the minimum possible void ratio

Obtained by strong vibration of a sample.

is the i i i th minimum possible void ratio. ibl id ti

The densest packing of the soil can be obtained by strong vibration of a

Dr.Asmaa Moddather PBWN302 Fall2012

There are many different soil classification systems in