Consistency is the term used to describe the ability of the soil to resist rupture and
deformation. It is commonly describe as soft, stiff or firm, and hard.
Water content greatly affects the engineering behavior of fine-grained soils. In the order
of increasing moisture content, a dry coil will exist into four distinct states: from solid
state, to semisolid state, to plastic state, and to liguid state. The water contents at the
boundary of these states are known as Atterberg limits. Between the solid and semisolid
states is shrinkage limit, between semisolid and plastic states is plastic limit, and
Detween plastic and liquid states is liquid limit.
2 Liquid State
8 — Liquid Limit, LL
& Plastic State
5 — Plastic Limit, PL
EB], Semisolid State
q —> Shrinkage Limit, SL
§ Solid State
Atterberg Limits
Atterberg limits, then, are water contents at critical stages of soil behavior. They,
together with natural water content, are essential descriptions of fine-grained soils.
Liquid Limit, LL
Liquid limit is the water content of soil in which soil grains are separated by water just
enough for the soil mass to loss shear strength. A little higher than this water content will
tend the soil to flow like viscous fluid while a little lower will cause the soil to behave as
plastic.
Plastic Limit, PL
Plastic limit is the water content in which the soil will pass from plastie state to semi-
solid state. Soil can no longer behave as plastic; any change in shape will cause the soil to
show visible cracks.
Shrinkage Limit, SL
Shrinkage limit is the water content in which the soil no longer changes in volume
regardless of further drying, Itis the lowest water content possible for the soil to be
completely saturated. Any lower than the shrinkage limit will cause the water to be
partially saturated. This is the point in which soil will pass from semi-solid to solid state.Determination of Liquid, Plastic, and Shrinkage
Limits
Casagrande Cup Method for Liquid Limit Test
The semispherical brass cup is repeatedly
Groped into a hard rubber base from a height of
10 mm bya cam-operated crank.
The dry powder of the soil is mixed with distilled
water turning it into a paste. The soil paste is
then placed into the cup to a thickness of about
12.5 mun and a groove is then cutat the center of
the paste using the standard grooving tool. The
crank operating the cam is turned at the rate of 2
revolutions per second lifting the cup and
dropped it from a height of 10 mm. The liquid Casagrande Cup
limit is the moisture content required to close 2_| Courtesy of MOHAN LAL AND SONS
distance of 12.5 mm along the bottom of the
groove after 25 blows.
‘The required closure in 25 blowsis difficult to achieve in a single test. Four or more tests
to the same soil at varying water contents are to be done for 12.5 mm closure of the
groove. The results are then plotted on a semi-logarithmic graph with moisture content
along the vertical axis (algebraic scale) and number of blows along the horizontal axis
(logarithmic scale).
‘The graph is approximated by the best fit straight line, usually called the flow line and
sometimes called liquid state line. The moisture content that corresponds to 25 blows is
the liquid limit of the soil.
20
35
&
= so
2 | rns 46.0%
Boas
3 Liquid Stato
2 Linedr Flow
40 =
as
10 22530 40 50 60 a0 100
Number of Blows, N (logarithmic scale)
Typical liquid limit results from the Casagrande Cup MethodThe slope of the flow line is called flow index and may be written as
Flow index, FJ = —“1— 2
“ Toa(W2/N)
where w, and w? are the water content corresponding to number of blows N; and Ne,
respectively.
Plastic L' Test
The plastic limit can easily be found by rolling a small soil sample into thin threads until
it crumbles, The water content at which the threads break at approximately 3 mm in
diameter is the plastic limit. Two or more tests are made and the average water content
is taken as plastic limit. In this test, soil will break at smaller diameter wien wet and
breaks in larger diameter when dry.
Fall Cone Method for Liquid and Plastic Limit
Tests
Fall cone method offers more accurate result of liquid limit
and plastic limit tests. In this method, a cone with a mass of
‘So grams and an apex angle of 30° is suspended above so that
its pointed part will justin contact with the soil sample. The
cone is permitted to fall freely under its own weight for a
period of 5 seconds. ‘The water content that allows the cone to
penetrate for 20 mm during this period defines the liquid
limit of the soil.
Like the cup method, four or more tests are required because
it is difficult to find the liquid limit in a single test. The results
are then plotted into a semi-logarithmic paper with water
content along the vertical axis (arithmetic scale) and Cone Penetrometer
penetration along the horizontal axis (logarithmic scale). The | Courtesy of SAIGON ISC
best fit straight line is then drawn and the water content that
corresponds to 20 mm penetration defines the liquid limit.240"gram eono—1—
ss 80-mram cone
a ha is 7
SZ "Liquid state ime
2 | y
¥ so
S| r= 40%
eas
g aw
2
a
"0 203040 -S 60 BO 100
Penetration (mm) — logarithmic scale
‘Typical test reaultafrom the fall cone apparatus
‘The plastie limit can be found by repeating the test with a cone of similar geometry but
with a mass of M ~ 240 grams. The liquid state line of this cone will be below the liquid
state line of the M, = 80 grams cone and parallel to it.
The plastic limit is given as
2Aw
an OIL)
Shrinkage Limit Test
‘The shrinkage limit is determined as follows. A mass of wet soil, my, is placed in a
porcelain dish 44.5 mm in diameter and 12.5 mm high and then oven dried. With oven-
dried soil still in the dish, the volume of shrinkage can be determined by filling the dish
with mercury. The volume of mercury that fills the dish is equal to the shrinkage volume.
‘The shrinkage limit is calculated from
- Vi — Ve
spa mnm iV)
mS
‘where m, = mass of wet soil, my = mass of oven-dried soil, V, = volume of wet soil, V2
volume of oven-dried soil, and py = density of water.
Other Formulas
Shrinkage ratio
oR Vw
Specific gravity of solids
1
oo SE
SR ~ 100