CONSISTENCY OF SOIL

When clay minerals are present in fine-grained soil, the soil can be remolded in the presence of some
moisture without crumbling. This cohesive nature is caused by the adsorbed water surrounding the clay
particles. In the early 1900s, a Swedish scientist named Atterberg developed method to describe the
consistency of fined-grained soils with varying moisture contents. At very low moisture content, soil
behaves more like a solid. When the moisture content is very high, the soil and water may flow like a
liquid. Hence, on an arbitrary basis, depending on the moisture content, the behavior of soil can be
divided into four basic states:

 Solid  Semisolid  Plastic  Liquid

ATTERBERG LIMITS

 Shrinkage Limit

 the moisture content, in percent, at which the transition from solid to semisolid state takes
place

 Plastic Limit

 the moisture content at the point of transition from semisolid to plastic state

 Liquid Limit

 the moisture content at the point of transition from plastic to liquid state

LIQUID LIMIT,LL

A schematic diagram of a liquid limit device is shown. This device consists of a brass cup and a hard
rubber base. The brass cup can be dropped onto the base by a cam operated by a crank. To perform
the liquid limit test, one must place a soil paste in the cup. A groove is then cut at the center of the soil
pat with the standard grooving tool. By the used of the crank-operated cam, the cup is lifted and
dropped from a height of 10 mm. the moisture content, in percent, required to close a distance of 12.7
mm along the bottom of the groove after 25 blows is defined as the liquid limit.

It is difficult to adjust the moisture content in the soil to meet the required 12.7 mm closure of the
groove in the soil pat at 25 blows. Hence, at least three tests for the same soil is conducted at varying
moisture contents, with the number of blows, N, required to achieve closure varying between 15 and
35. The moisture content of the soil, in percent, and the corresponding number of blows are plotted on
semi logarithmic graph. The relationship between moisture content and log N is approximated as a
straight line. This line is referred to as the flow curve.

The slope of the flow line is defined as the flow index and can be written as

w1 −w2
I F=
N2
log
( )
N1

Where: IF = flow index, w1 = moisture content of soil ,in percent, corresponding to N 1 blows, w2 =
moisture content corresponding to N2 blows

PLASTIC LIMIT, PL
The plastic limit is defined as the moisture content in percent, at which the soil crumbles, when rolled
into threads of 4.2 mm (⅛ in) in diameter. The plasticity index is the difference between the liquid limit
and the plastic limit of the soil,

PI = LL - PL

SHRINKAGE LIMIT, SL

Where wi = initial moisture content when the soil is placed in the shrinkage limit dish, Δw = change in
moisture content (that is, between the initial moisture content and the moisture content at the
shrinkage limit)

However,

Where M1 = mass of the wet soil pat in the dish at the beginning of the test, M 2 = mass of dry soil pat

Also,

Another parameter that can be determined from a shrinkage limit test is the shrinkage ratio, which is
the ratio of the volume change of soil as a percentage of the dry volume to the corresponding change
in moisture content, or

It can also be shown that

Liquidity Index, LI

 the ratio of the relative consistency of a cohesive soil in the natural state
Consistency Index, CI

EXAMPLES

1. A silty clay has a plastic limit of 25 and plasticity index of 30. if the clay has a liquidity index of 0.20.
Compute the following parameters:

a. Water content of the clay

b. Degree of saturation if the specific gravity of the clay 2.70 and void ratio of 0.92.

c. The moist unit weight of the clay if the void ratio is 0.92 and specific gravity is 2.70.

2. soil weighing 22.11 kN/m 3 attains the point in which its state changes from plastic to liquid.
Minimum water content for the soil to behave as plastic was 38.22% while minimum water content for
the soil to behave as semisolid was 12.34%. Specific gravity of soil solids is 2.70 and void ratio is 0.88.
Natural moisture content of soil was 22%. Determine the following parameters:

a. Atterberg limits of the soil (LL, PL, and SL)

b. Indexes of the soil (PI, LI, and CI)

3. A soil experiment for Atterberg Limits was conducted to a soil having a specific gravity of solids of
2.27. The moisture content corresponding to a 25-number of blows was 37%. Two determinations for
plastic limit gave water contents of 18.22% and 18.68%. The natural moisture content of the soil is
28% and the soil is saturated at its liquid limit. Determine the following:

a. Plastic limit of the soil

b. Plasticity index of the soil

c. Liquidity index of the soil

d. Void ratio of the soil

e. Dry unit weight of the soil