6: Consistency of Soils

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

When describing rupture resistance

When describing rupture resistance,
we attempt to describe it using:
Moist Consistency
Dry Consistency
Wet Consistency

- 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.

Field Tests for Stickiness

(0) Non-sticky No soil or practically
no soil sticks to fingers

Field Tests for Stickiness

(1) Slightly sticky soil begins to
stick to fingers but comes off one or
the other cleanly; does not stretch
when the fingers are opened.

Field Tests for Stickiness

(2) Sticky soil sticks to both thumb
and forefinger and tends to stretch a
little and pull apart rather than
pulling free from your fingers

Field Tests for Stickiness

(3) Very sticky soil sticks firmly to
both thumb and forefinger and
stretches when the fingers are
opened

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.

Liquid Limit (LL) Test

Liquid Limit Test

In the lab, cup apparatus or
Casagrande cup is used.

Liquid Limit Test

Liquid Limit Test

The moisture content (%) required to
close a distance of 12.7 mm along
the bottom of the groove after 25
blows is the liquid limit.

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

index is the slope of the flow

curve.

Fall cone test method

Liquid limit is the moisture content at
which a standard cone of apex angle
30 degrees and weight of 0.78 N will
penetrate a distance 20 mm in 5
seconds when allowed to drop from a
position of point contact with the soil
surface.

Fall cone test method

Plastic Limit (PL) Test

Plastic Limit Test

Plastic limit is the moisture content
(%) at which the soil, when rolled
into threads of 3.2 mm (1/8 inch),
crumbles (ASTM D-4318).
The sample is remolded and the test
is repeated until the thread begins to
break at large diameters.

Plastic Limit Test

Plastic Limit Test

Plastic Limit Test

Another method for determining PL is
the fall cone test method by using a
cone of similar geometry but with a
mass of 2.35 N.
The PL is the moisture content
corresponding to a cone penetration
of 20 mm.

Shrinkage Limit (SL) Test

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).

From the figure,

Where:

is the initial moisture content

when the soil is placed in the
shrinkage limit dish

Where:

is the change in moisture

content = initial moisture
content moisture content at
the shrinkage limit

is the mass of the wet soil at the beginning of the

test (g)
is mass of the dry soil (g)
Where:

is the initial volume of the wet soil (g)

is the final volume (oven-dried soil) (g)
is the density of water (1 g/cm2)

Shrinkage Limit
Substituting to original equation,

Derived Limits

Plasticity Index (PI)

Plasticity

index is the measure of

plasticity of the soil. Plasticity index
is also the range of moisture
contents by which the soil exhibits
plastic properties.

Plasticity Index (PI)

Plasticity Index

Description

Non-plastic

15

Slightly plastic

5 10

Low plasticity

10 20

Medium plasticity

20 40

High plasticity

Greater than 40

Very high plasticity

Liquidity Index (LI)

Liquidity
index provides the relative

consistency of a cohesive soil with

respect to the Atterberg limits. It is also
the measure of current state of the soil.
Note: is the in-situ moisture content of the
soil.

Liquidity Index (LI)

Liquidity Index

Description

LI is less than 0

Semi-solid or semi-plastic solid

state
- High strength, brittle (sudden
fracture is expected)

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

is an index for identifying the

swelling potential of clay soils.
Note: is the percent finer than 0.002
mm (clay size particles)

Activity (A)
Activity

Classification

Activity is less than 0.7

Inactive clay

Activity is between 0.7 and 1.2

Normal clay

Activity is greater than 1.2

Active clay

Activity controls how much wetting is

required to move a soil from one
phase to another (plastic to liquid
state)

Shrinkage Ratio (SR)

Shrinkage
ratio indicates how much

volume change is possible as changes

above water content above the shrinkage
limit occur.
Where and are the masses and volumes
of oven-dried soil, respectively.

Shrinkage Ratio (SR)

Shrinkage
ratio is also equal to: (verify at

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

Number of blows (logarithmic scale)

Example 1
1.
2.
3.
4.

What
What
What
What

is
is
is
is

the
the
the
the

liquid limit of this clay?

plasticity index of this clay?
liquidity index of this clay?
flow index?

Answers: 40%, 19%, 0.895

Example 2

(1.45)

60
50
40
Water content (%) 30
20
10
0

10

100

Number of blows (logarithmic scale)

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

Determine (a) shrinkage limit of the soil, (b) the

shrinkage ratio and the (c) specific gravity of the
solids.
Answers: (a) 17.28%, (b) 1.893, (c) G = 2.813

NEXT WEEK
August 9, 2014
More example of soil consistency
computations
Lab Experiment #3 Plastic Limit Test