GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERING 1

SOIL CONSISTENCY
T-CEET316

ppt by Engr. Ace Daria

THE ENGINEERING BEHAVIOR OF FINES,
WHICH HAVE VERY SMALL PARTICLES, IS
SIGNIFICANTLY DIFFERENT FROM THE GROUN
BEHAVIOUR OF SANDS AND GRAVELS
WITH LARGER PARTICLES.

GWT
COHESIONLESS SOIL
✓LOW PROPORTION OF VOIDS BETWEEN
SOLID SOIL PARTICLES
✓SLIGHTLY COMPRESSIBLE
✓HIGH DEGREE OF PERMEABILITY GROUN

✓SETTLEMENT OCCURS IN VERY SHORT

TIME
✓NEGLIGIBLE COHESION BETWEEN
PARTICLES
✓LOW BULKING EFFECT (LOW VOLUME
CHANGE)
COHESIVE SOIL
✓HIGHLY COMPRESSIBLE
✓LOW DEGREE OF PERMEABILITY
✓SETTLEMENT UNDER LOAD TAKES A GROUN
LONG TIME
✓CONSIDERABLE COHESION BETWEEN
PARTICLES
✓CONSIDERABLE CHANGE IN VOLUME
WHEN WATER IS PRESENT
COHESIONLESS SOIL COHESIVE SOIL
✓PARTICLES HELD TOGETHER BY ✓STRENGTH DEPENDS ON THE
ITS WEIGHT AND WHEN LOOSE AMOUNT OF WATER IT CONTAIN
HAVE VERY LITTLE STRENGTH ✓WATER FILMS BETWEEN SOIL
PARTICLES ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR
✓EFFECT OF WATER ON ITS THE STICKINESS,
STRENGTH IS ONLY MARGINAL CALLEDCOHESIONWHICH BINDS
UNLESS IT IS FLOWING RAPIDLY THEM TOGETHER
✓STRENGTH INCREASES AS WATER
FILM THICKNESS IS REDUCED
THE SILT AND CLAY PARTICLES ARE TWO
VERY DIFFERENT KIND PARTICLES. THE
BIGGEST DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SILT
AND CLAY ARE NOT THEIR PARTICLE
SIZES BUT THEIR PHYSICAL AND GROUN

CHEMICAL STRUCTURES. THEY ARE

DISTINCT BY THE CONSISTENCY AND
PLASTICITY OF THE SOIL MASS WHERE
THEY ARE PRESENT.
CONSISTENCY
IT IS THE DEGREE OF ADHESION OF SOIL
PARTICLES AND THE RESISTANCE OF SOIL
TO SHEARING. CONSISTENCY IS THE
PROPERTY OF A MATERIAL WHICH IS GROUN
MANIFESTED BY ITS RESISTANCE TO FLOW.
IT MAY ALSO BE LOOKED UPON AS THE
DEGREE OF FIRMNESS OF A SOIL AND IS
OFTEN DIRECTLY RELATED TO STRENGTH.
THIS IS APPLICABLE SPECIFICALLY TO
CLAY SOILS AND IS GENERALLY RELATED
TO THE WATER CONTENT.
PLASTICITY
IT IS THE RESPONSE OF A SOIL TO
CHANGE IN MOISTURE CONTENT. WHEN
THE CONSISTENCY OF SOIL CHANGES
FROM HARD AND RIGID TO SOFT AND GROUN
PLIABLE BY HAVING WATER ADDED TO
IT, THE SOIL IS SAID TO BE EXHIBITING
PLASTICITY. CLAY CAN BE VERY
PLASTIC AND SILTS ONLY SLIGHTLY
PLASTIC, WHEREAS CLEAN SAND AND
GRAVEL DO NOT EXHIBIT ANY
PLASTICITY AT ALL.
SOLID STATE
IN THIS STATE, THE SOIL BREAKS
BEFORE IT WILL DEFORM. GROUN

EQUIVALENT CONSISTENCY:
HARD CANDY
SEMI-SOLID STATE
IN THIS STATE, THE SOIL DEFORMS
PERMANENTLY AND CRACKS. GROUN

EQUIVALENT CONSISTENCY:
CHEESE
PLASTIC STATE
IN THIS STATE, THE SOIL DEFORMS
WITHOUT CRACKING. GROUN

EQUIVALENT CONSISTENCY:
SOFT BUTTER
LIQUID STATE
IN THIS STATE, THE SOIL DEFORMS
EASILY. GROUN

EQUIVALENT CONSISTENCY:
PEA SOUP
STATE OF SOIL
SL PL LL
INCREASE IN WATER CONTENT

SOLID SEMI-SOLID PLASTIC LIQUID

STATE STATE STATE STATE

DRYING OPERATION
ATTERBERG LIMIT
ALBERT ATTERBEG DEVELOPED A SERIES
OF TESTS TO EVALUATE THE
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN MOISTURE GROUN
CONTENT AND SOIL CONSISTENCY IN
1911. THIS SERIES INCLUDES THREE
SEPARATE LABORATORY TESTS: THE
SHRINKAGE LIMIT TEST, THE PLASTIC
LIMIT TEST AND THE LIQUID LIMIT TEST.
LIQUID LIMIT
‘LIQUID LIMIT’ (LL) IS DEFINED AS THE
ARBITRARY LIMIT OF WATER CONTENT
AT WHICH THE SOIL IS JUST ABOUT TO
PASS FROM THE PLASTIC STATE INTO
THE LIQUID STATE. AT THIS LIMIT, THE GROUN

SOIL POSSESSES A SMALL VALUE OF

SHEAR STRENGTH, LOSING ITS ABILITY
TO RESIST SHEAR AND FLOW AS A
LIQUID. IN OTHER WORDS, THE LIQUID
LIMIT IS THE MINIMUM MOISTURE
CONTENT AT WHICH THE SOIL TENDS TO
FLOW AS A LIQUID.
PLASTIC LIMIT
‘PLASTIC LIMIT’ (PL) IS THE ARBITRARY
LIMIT OF WATER CONTENT AT WHICH
THE SOIL TENDS TO PASS FROM THE
PLASTIC STATE TO THE SEMI-SOLID GROUN
STATE OF CONSISTENCY. THUS, THIS IS
THE MINIMUM WATER CONTENT AT
WHICH THE CHANGE IN SHAPE OF THE
SOIL IS ACCOMPANIED BY VISIBLE
CRACKS, I.E., WHEN WORKED UPON, THE
SOIL CRUMBLES.
 SL

SHRINKAGE LIMIT m

‘SHRINKAGE LIMIT’ (SL) IS THE ARBITRARY

LIMIT OF WATER CONTENT AT WHICH THE
SOIL TENDS TO PASS FROM THE SEMI- V
SOLID TO THE SOLID STATE. IT IS THAT
WATER CONTENT AT WHICH A SOIL,
REGARDLESS, OF FURTHER DRYING, GROUN Drying
REMAINS CONSTANT IN VOLUME. IN OTHER
WORDS, IT IS THE MAXIMUM WATER
CONTENT AT WHICH FURTHER REDUCTION
IN WATER CONTENT WILL NOT CAUSE A
DECREASE IN VOLUME OF THE SOIL MASS,
THE LOSS IN MOISTURE BEING MOSTLY
COMPENSATED BY ENTRY OF AIR INTO THE
VOID SPACE.
ATTERBERG LIMIT
SOLID SEMI-SOLID PLASTIC LIQUID
VOLUME

STATE STATE STATE STATE

AIR WATER

SOLID
SL PL LL WATER CONTENT
LIQUID LIMIT TEST
BY CASAGRANDE LIQUID LIMIT DEVICE

THE LIQUID LIMIT IS DETERMINED IN THE

LABORATORY WITH THE AID OF THE
GROUN
STANDARD MECHANICAL LIQUID LIMIT
DEVICE, DESIGNED BY ARTHUR
CASAGRANDE. IN THIS TEST, A SOIL
SAMPLE IS PLACED IN A CUP AND A
GROOVE IS CUT IN THE SOIL USING A
STANDARD TOOL.
LIQUID LIMIT TEST
BY CASAGRANDE LIQUID LIMIT DEVICE
THE CUPPED IS REPEATEDLY DROPPED
ONTO A HARD RUBBER PAD, AND THE
NUMBER OF DROPS REQUIRED TO CLOSE GROUN

THE BOTTOM OF THE GROOVE ALONG A

LONGITUDINAL DISTANCE OF ½” IS
RECORDED. THE SOIL IS THEN REMOVED
AND ITS MOISTURE CONTENT
DETERMINED.
LIQUID LIMIT TEST
BY CASAGRANDE LIQUID LIMIT DEVICE
THIS TEST IS THEN REPEATED AT
VARIOUS MOISTURE CONTENTS,
PRODUCING A SEMI-LOG PLOT OF THE GROUN

NUMBER OF DROPS IN LOG SCALE

VERSUS THE MOISTURE CONTENT. THE
SOIL IS SAID TO BE AT ITS LIQUID LIMIT
WHEN EXACTLY 25 DROPS ARE
REQUIRED TO CLOSE THE BOTTOM OF
THE GROOVE OF ½”.
LIQUID LIMIT TEST
BY CASAGRANDE LIQUID LIMIT DEVICE
✓CASAGRANDE LIQUID LIMIT DEVICE
✓GROOVING TOOL
✓MOISTURE CANS
✓PORCELAIN EVAPORATING DISH
✓SPATULA
✓OVEN
✓BALANCE SENSITIVE UP TO 0.01 G
✓PLASTIC SQUEEZE BOTTLE
✓PAPER TOWELS
LIQUID LIMIT TEST
BY CASAGRANDE LIQUID LIMIT DEVICE
LIQUID LIMIT TEST
BY CASAGRANDE LIQUID LIMIT DEVICE
LIQUID LIMIT TEST
BY CASAGRANDE LIQUID LIMIT DEVICE
LIQUID LIMIT TEST
BY CASAGRANDE LIQUID LIMIT DEVICE

𝑵𝟏 𝝎𝟏
𝑵𝟐 𝝎𝟐
𝑵𝟑 𝝎𝟑
𝑵𝟒 𝝎𝟒
 FLOW CURVE FLOW INDEX:
5𝟎
𝜔𝑎 − 𝜔𝑏
𝐼𝑓 =
𝝎𝟒 (𝑵𝒂 , 𝝎𝒂 ) log 𝑁𝑏 − log(𝑁𝑎 )
45
𝑵𝟏 𝝎𝟏 𝝎𝟑 𝜔𝑎 − 𝜔𝑏
𝐼𝑓 =
𝑳𝑳 log 𝑁𝑏 /𝑁𝑎
𝝎𝟐 4𝟎
𝑵𝟐 𝝎𝟐 (𝑵𝒃 , 𝝎𝒃 )
𝝎𝟏
𝑵𝟑 𝝎𝟑 35
WATER CONTENT:
𝑵𝟒 𝝎𝟒 𝝎 = 𝒄 − 𝑰𝑭 𝒍𝒐𝒈 𝑵
3𝟎

𝟏𝟎 𝑵𝟒 𝟐𝟎 𝑵𝟑 𝑵𝟑𝟎
𝟐𝟓 𝟐 𝑵𝟏 𝟒𝟎 𝟓𝟎 𝟔𝟎 𝟕𝟎 𝟖𝟎 𝟗𝟎 𝟏𝟎𝟎
LIQUID LIMIT TEST
BY ONE POINT METHOD
FOR ROUTINE LABORATORY TESTS, IT MAY
BE USED TO DETERMINE THE LIQUID LIMIT
WHEN ONLY ONE TEST IS RUN FOR A SOIL.
THIS PROCEDURE IS GENERALLY REFERRED GROUN
TO AS THE ONE-POINT METHOD AND WAS
ALSO ADOPTED BY ASTM UNDER
DESIGNATION D-4318. THE REASON THAT
THE ONE-POINT METHOD YIELDS FAIRLY
GOOD RESULTS IS THAT A SMALL RANGE OF
MOISTURE CONTENT IS INVOLVED WHEN
THE NUMBER OF BLOWS IS IN BETWEEN 20
AND 30.
LIQUID LIMIT TEST
BY ONE POINT METHOD
FROM THE ANALYSIS OF HUNDREDS OF
LIQUID LIMIT TESTS, THE U.S. ARMY CORPS
OF ENGINEERS (1949) AT THE WATERWAYS
GROUN
EXPERIMENT STATION IN VICKSBURG,
MISSISSIPPI, PROPOSED AN EMPIRICAL
EQUATION OF THE FORM

𝑳𝑳 = 𝝎𝑵 (𝑵ൗ𝟐𝟓)𝒕𝒂𝒏𝜷
NOTE! USE TAN𝛽 = 0.121 WHEN THERE IS NO
INDICATED 𝛽.
LIQUID LIMIT TEST
BY FALL CONE METHOD
THIS METHOD IS BASED ON THE PRINCIPLE
OF STATIC PENETRATION. THE BRITISH
STANDARD (BS 1377) FALL CONE METHOD
REQUIRES A STANDARD CONE THAT GROUN
WEIGHS 0.78N (80 GRAM) AND HAS APEX
ANGLE OF 30˚. A SOIL IS AT LIQUID LIMIT IF
THE FALL OF THE CONE PENETRATES THE
SOIL BY 20MM IN 5 SECONDS WHEN
ALLOWED TO FALL FREELY FROM A
POSITION WHERE THE TIP OF THE CONE IS
JUST TOUCHING THE TOP OF THE SOIL
SURFACE.
LIQUID LIMIT TEST
BY FALL CONE METHOD
THE MOISTURE CONTENT CORRESPONDING
TO THE LIQUID LIMIT MAY BE OBTAINED BY
PERFORMING SEVERAL FALL CONE TESTS GROUN
ON SOILS AT DIFFERENT MOISTURE
CONTENT TO OBTAIN A SEMI-LOG PLOT OF
THE CONE PENETRATION IN LOG SCALE
VERSUS THE MOISTURE CONTENT. THE
MOISTURE CONTENT CORRESPONDING TO A
20MM CONE PENETRATION WILL GIVE THE
LIQUID LIMIT.
LIQUID LIMIT TEST
BY FALL CONE METHOD
𝟖𝟎𝒈
𝟑𝟎°
𝒅𝟏 𝝎𝟏

𝒅𝟐 𝝎𝟐
𝒅
𝒅𝟑 𝝎𝟑
SOIL 𝟒𝟎𝒎𝒎
𝒅𝟒 𝝎𝟒

𝟓𝟓𝒎𝒎
LIQUID LIMIT TEST
BY FALL CONE METHOD
5𝟎

45
𝝎𝟏 𝝎𝟒
𝒅𝟏
𝝎𝟑
𝒅𝟐 𝝎𝟐 4𝟎
𝑳𝑳
𝝎𝟐
𝒅𝟑 𝝎𝟑 𝝎𝟏 35

𝒅𝟒 𝝎𝟒
3𝟎

𝟏𝟎 𝒅𝟏 𝒅𝟐0
𝟐𝟎
𝟐 𝒅𝟑 𝒅𝟑𝟎
𝟒 𝟒𝟎 𝟓𝟎 𝟔𝟎 𝟕𝟎 𝟖𝟎 𝟗𝟎 𝟏𝟎𝟎
PLASTIC LIMIT TEST
THE PLASTIC LIMIT TEST PROCEDURE
INVOLVES CAREFULLY ROLLING THE SOIL
SAMPLE INTO THREAD. AS THIS ROLLING
PROCESS CONTINUES, THE THREAD
BECOME DRIER AND THINNER AND
EVENTUALLY BREAKS. THE SOIL IS AT ITS GROUN
PLASTIC LIMIT WHEN IT BREAKS AT A
DIAMETER OF 1/8” (3MM) WITHOUT
CRUMBLING. THE MOISTURE CONTENT OF
THE SOIL THREAD IS DETERMINED WHICH
CORRESPOND TO THE PLASTIC LIMIT.
IN THE PROCESS OF ROLLING, IF THE SOIL
IS TOO DRY, IT WILL BREAK AT LARGER
DIAMETER AND SMALLER WHEN TOO WET.
PLASTIC LIMIT TEST
PLASTIC LIMIT TEST
PLASTIC LIMIT TEST
PLASTIC LIMIT TEST
BY FALL CONE METHOD
THE PLASTIC LIMIT CAN BE FOUND BY
REPEATING THE TEST IN THE LIQUID
LIMIT TEST WITH A CONE OF SIMILAR GROUN

GEOMETRY BUT WITH A MASS OF M2 =

240 GRAMS. THE LIQUID STATE LINE OF
THIS CONE WILL BE BELOW THE LIQUID
STATE LINE OF THE M1 = 80 GRAMS
CONE AND PARALLEL TO IT.
PLASTIC LIMIT TEST
BY FALL CONE METHOD
𝟐𝟒𝟎𝒈
𝟑𝟎°
𝒅𝟏 𝝎𝟏

𝒅𝟐 𝝎𝟐
𝒅
𝒅𝟑 𝝎𝟑
SOIL 𝟒𝟎𝒎𝒎
𝒅𝟒 𝝎𝟒

𝟓𝟓𝒎𝒎
PLASTIC LIMIT TEST
BY FALL CONE METHOD
5𝟎
𝒅𝟏 𝝎𝟏
𝑴𝟏 = 𝟖𝟎𝒈
𝒅𝟐 𝝎𝟐 45

𝒅𝟑 𝝎𝟑 𝑴𝟐 = 𝟐𝟒𝟎𝒈
4𝟎
𝑳𝑳 𝝎𝟒
𝒅𝟒 𝝎𝟒 𝝎𝟑 ∆𝝎
35

𝝎𝟐 PLASTIC LIMIT:
THE LIQUID STATE LINE FOR THE 240
𝝎3𝟎 𝟐∆𝝎
GRAM CONE WILL BE PLOTTED𝟏
BELOW 𝑃𝐿 = 𝐿𝐿 −
THE LIQUID STATE LINE FOR THE 80 log 𝑀2 /𝑀1
GRAM CONE AND PARALLEL TO IT.
𝟏𝟎 𝒅𝟏 𝟐𝟎
𝟐0 𝒅𝟐 𝒅𝟑𝟑𝟎 𝒅𝟒 𝟒𝟎 𝟓𝟎 𝟔𝟎 𝟕𝟎 𝟖𝟎 𝟗𝟎 𝟏𝟎𝟎
 SL

SHRINKAGE LIMIT TEST m

SOIL SHRINKS AS MOISTURE IS

GRADUALLY LOST FROM IT. WITH V
CONTINUING LOSS OF MOISTURE, A
STAGE OF EQUILIBRIUM IS REACHED AT GROUN Drying
WHICH MORE LOSS OF MOISTURE WILL
RESULT IN NO FURTHER VOLUME
CHANGE. THE MOISTURE CONTENT AT
WHICH THE VOLUME OF THE SOIL MASS
CEASES TO CHANGE IS DEFINED AS THE
SHRINKAGE LIMIT.
SHRINKAGE LIMIT TEST
A MASS OF WET SOIL IS PLACED IN A
PORCELAIN DISH WITH KNOWN DIMENSION
(44.5MM IN DIAMETER AND 12.5MM HIGH)
AND THEN OVER DRIED. THE VOLUME OF
OVEN-DRIED SOIL IS DETERMINED BY GROUN
USING MERCURY TO OCCUPY THE VACANT
SPACES CAUSED BY SHRINKAGE. THE
MASS OF MERCURY IS DETERMINED AND
THE VOLUME DECREASE CAUSED BY
SHRINKAGE CAN BE CALCULATED FROM
THE KNOWN DENSITY OF MERCURY. THE
SHRINKAGE LIMIT IS CALCULATED FROM:
 SHRINKAGE LIMIT TEST
W1 W2 W3 W4

WATER WET SOIL WATER

DRY SOIL

WEIGHT OF EMPTY WEIGHT OF EMPTY WEIGHT OF EMPTY WEIGHT OF EMPTY

DISH DISH+WATER DISH+WET SOIL DISH+DRY SOIL
SHRINKAGE LIMIT TEST
SHRINKAGE LIMIT:
𝒎𝟏 − 𝒎𝟐 𝑽𝒊 − 𝑽𝒇
𝒎𝟏 𝑽𝟏 𝒎𝟐 𝑽𝟐 𝑺𝑳 = − (𝝆𝒘 )
𝒎𝟐 𝒎𝟐
SHRINKAGE RATIO:
WET SOIL WATER
DRY SOIL 𝑚2
𝑺𝑹 =
𝑽𝟐 𝝆𝒘
WET SOIL DRY SOIL SPECIFIC GRAVITY OF SOLIDS:
1
𝑮𝒔 =
1 𝑆𝐿
−
𝑆𝑅 100
CONSISTENCY INDEX
‘‘CONSISTENCY INDEX’ OR CONSISTENCY
INDICATION
‘RELATIVE CONSISTENCY’ (CI) INDEX

IS DEFINED AS THE RATIO OF 0

THE MOISTURE CONTENT IS EQUAL TO
THE LIQUID LIMIT. 𝜔 = LL
THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE MOISTURE CONTENT IS EQUAL TO
1
LIQUID LIMIT AND THE NATURAL THE PLASTIC LIMIT.𝜔 = PL
WATER CONTENT TO THE >1
THE SOIL IS IN SEMI-SOLID STATE AND IS
STIFF.
PLASTICITY INDEX OF A SOIL. THE NATURAL WATER CONTENT IS
𝑳𝑳 − 𝝎𝒏 <0 GREATER THAN LL, AND THE SOIL
𝑪𝑰 = BEHAVES LIKE A LIQUID.
𝑳𝑳 − 𝑷𝑳
LIQUIDITY INDEX
‘LIQUIDITY INDEX (LI OR IL)’ OR LIQUIDITY
INDICATION
‘WATER-PLASTICITY RATIO’ IS INDEX
THE RATIO OF THE DIFFERENCE THE MOISTURE CONTENT IS EQUAL TO
0
THE PLASTIC LIMIT. 𝜔 = PL
BETWEEN THE NATURAL WATER
THE MOISTURE CONTENT IS EQUAL TO
CONTENT AND THE PLASTIC 1
THE LIQUID LIMIT. 𝜔 = LL
LIMIT TO THE PLASTICITY
>1 THE SOIL IS IN LIQUID STATE.
INDEX. THE SOIL IS IN SEMI-SOLID STATE AND
𝝎𝒏 − 𝑷𝑳 <0
𝑳𝑰 = IS STIFF.
𝑳𝑳 − 𝑷𝑳
PLASTICITY INDEX
‘PLASTICITY INDEX’ (PI) IS THE
RANGE OF WATER CONTENT
WITHIN WHICH THE SOIL SOLID SEMI-SOLID PLASTIC LIQUID

VOLUME
STATE STATE STATE STATE
EXHIBITS PLASTIC PROPERTIES;
THAT IS, IT IS THE DIFFERENCE AIR WATER
BETWEEN LIQUID AND PLASTIC
LIMITS. SOLID
SL PL LL WATER CONTENT

𝑷𝑰 = 𝑳𝑳 − 𝑷𝑳
PLASTICITY INDEX
‘PLASTICITY INDEX’ (PI) IS THE Plasticity Characteristics
RANGE OF WATER CONTENT Plasticity Index Plasticity
WITHIN WHICH THE SOIL 0 Non Plastic
EXHIBITS PLASTIC PROPERTIES; 1to 5 Slight
THAT IS, IT IS THE DIFFERENCE 5 to 10 Low
BETWEEN LIQUID AND PLASTIC 10 to 20 Medium
LIMITS. 20 to 40 High
More than 40 Very High
𝑷𝑰 = 𝑳𝑳 − 𝑷𝑳 BURMISTER (1947) CLASSIFIED PLASTIC PROPERTIES OF SOILS
ACCORDING TO THEIR PLASTICITY INDICES INDICATED ON THE TABLE.
SHRINKAGE INDEX
‘SHRINKAGE INDEX’ (SI) IS
DEFINED AS THE DIFFERENCE
BETWEEN THE PLASTIC AND SOLID SEMI-SOLID PLASTIC LIQUID
SHRINKAGE LIMITS OF A SOIL; IN

VOLUME
STATE STATE STATE STATE

OTHER WORDS, IT IS THE RANGE AIR WATER

OF WATER CONTENT WITHIN
WHICH A SOIL IS IN A SEMISOLID SOLID
STATE OF CONSISTENCY. SL PL LL WATER CONTENT

𝑺𝑰 = 𝑷𝑳 − 𝑺𝑳
PLASTICITY CHART

FOR A-LINE: UNREALISTIC RESULT

𝑷𝑰 = 𝟎. 𝟕𝟑(𝑳𝑳 − 𝟐𝟎)

FOR U-LINE:
NONPLASTIC SOIL
𝑷𝑰 = 𝟎. 𝟗(𝑳𝑳 − 𝟖)
 SHRINKAGE LIMIT USING PLASTICITY CHART
FOR A-LINE:
𝑷𝑰 = 𝟎. 𝟕𝟑(𝑳𝑳 − 𝟐𝟎)

FOR U-LINE:
(𝑳𝑳, 𝑷𝑰)
𝑷𝑰 = 𝟎. 𝟗(𝑳𝑳 − 𝟖)
𝑺𝑳

GIVEN: 𝑷𝑰, 𝑳𝑳

𝟕𝟒𝟎 𝟑𝟗𝟒𝟐
− ,−
𝟏𝟕 𝟖𝟓
PROBLEM 01
GIVEN THE LABORATORY RESULTS OF THE ATTERBERG LIMIT
TEST. DETERMINE
A.) LIQUID LIMIT
B.) PLASTIC LIMIT
C.) LIQUIDITY INDEX
D.) PLASTICITY INDEX
 𝑾𝒘 𝑾𝟏 − 𝑾𝟐
𝝎= =

PROBLEM 01
𝑾𝒔 𝑾𝟐 − 𝑾𝟑

LIQUID LIMIT TEST (CASSAGRANDE METHOD)

Test Number 1 2 3 4
Number of Blows 38 29 20 14
W1 Weight of Wet Soil + Container 22.47 21.29 21.27 26.12
W2 Weight of Dry Soil + Container 19.44 18.78 18.75 22.10
W3 Weight of Container 12.74 13.24 13.20 13.27
Water Content(𝝎) 45.2239 45.3069 45.4054 45.5266
 LINEAR INTERPOLATION:
FLOW CURVE 45.3069 − 𝐿𝐿
=
45.3069 − 45.4054
𝟒𝟓. 𝟐𝟐𝟑𝟗
46.0 log(29/25) log(29/20)
𝟑𝟖

𝟐𝟗 𝟒𝟓. 𝟑𝟎𝟔𝟗 45.8

𝐿𝐿 = 45.3462%

𝟐𝟎 𝟒𝟓. 𝟒𝟎𝟓𝟒
45.6
𝟒𝟓. 𝟓𝟐𝟎𝟔
𝟏𝟒 45.𝟓𝟐𝟔𝟔 𝟒𝟓. 𝟒𝟎𝟓𝟒
45.4
𝟒𝟓. 𝟑𝟎𝟔𝟗
𝑳𝑳 ≈ 𝟒𝟓. 𝟑𝟒%
𝟒𝟓. 𝟐𝟐𝟑𝟗
45.2

45.0
𝟏𝟎 𝟏𝟒 𝟐𝟎 𝟐𝟓𝟐𝟗
𝟑𝟎 𝟑𝟖
𝟒𝟎 𝟓𝟎 𝟔𝟎 𝟕𝟎 𝟖𝟎 𝟗𝟎 𝟏𝟎𝟎
 𝑾𝒘 𝑾𝟏 − 𝑾𝟐
𝝎= =

PROBLEM 01
𝑾𝒔 𝑾𝟐 − 𝑾𝟑

PLASTIC LIMIT TEST (CASSAGRANDE METHOD)

PLASTIC LIMIT NATURAL WATER CONTENT

TEST NUMBER 1 2 1 2

W1 WEIGHT OF WET SOIL + CONTAINER 23.20 22.80 17.53 16.97

W2 WEIGHT OF DRY SOIL + CONTAINER 20.42 20.19 14.84 14.36

WEIGHT OF CONTAINER 12.90 12.95 9.50 9.55

W3
WATER CONTENT(𝝎) 36.9681 36.0497 50.3745 54.2620
FOR LIQUID LIMIT: FOR LIQUIDITY INDEX:
𝐿𝐿 = 45.3462% 𝜔𝑁 − 𝑃𝐿
𝐿𝐼 =
𝐿𝐿 − 𝑃𝐿
FOR PLASTIC LIMIT: 52.3183 − 36.5089
𝐿𝐼 =
36.9681 + 36.0497 45.3462 − 36.5089
𝑃𝐿 =
2 𝐿𝐼 = 1.7888 ∴THE SOIL IS IN LIQUID STATE
𝑃𝐿 = 36.5089%

FOR NATURAL MOISTURE CONTENT: FOR PLASTICITY INDEX:

50.3745 + 54.2620 𝑃𝐼 = 𝐿𝐿 − 𝑃𝐿
𝜔𝑁 =
2 𝑃𝐼 = 45.3462 − 36.5089
𝜔𝑁 = 52.3183%
𝑃𝐼 = 8.8373 ∴THE SOIL HAS LOW PLASTICITY
PROBLEM 02
LIQUID LIMIT TEST(CONE PENETRATION METHOD) – 20 mm @ 5 seconds

Test Number 1 2 3 4
Penetration (mm) 16 18 28 33
Weight of Wet Soil + Container 35.62 36.91 41.26 45.70
Weight of Dry Soil + Container 28.84 29.89 31.42 33.69
W3-Weight of Container 10.52 12.33 11.74 11.45
Water Content(𝝎)
PROBLEM 03
THE FOLLOWING ARE THE DATA OBTAINED IN A SHRINKAGE
LIMIT TEST:
INITIAL WEIGHT OF SATURATED SOIL 0.956N
INITIAL VOLUME OF SATURATED SOIL 68.5CM3
FINAL WEIGHT OF DRY SOIL 0.435N
FINAL VOLUME OF DRY SOIL 24.1CM3
DETERMINE THE SHRINKAGE LIMIT, SHRINKAGE RATIO AND,
SPECIFIC GRAVITY.
𝑚1 INITIAL WEIGHT OF SATURATED SOIL 0.956N FOR THE SPECIFIC GRAVITY:
𝑉𝑖 INITIAL VOLUME OF SATURATED SOIL 68.5CM3 𝐺𝑠 =
1
1 𝑆𝐿
𝑚2 FINAL WEIGHT OF DRY SOIL 0.435N −
𝑆𝑅 100
𝑉𝑓 FINAL VOLUME OF DRY SOIL 24.1CM3 𝐺𝑠 =
1
1 19.6405
−
1.8399 100
FOR SHRINKAGE LIMIT:
𝐺𝑠 = 2.8810
𝑚1 − 𝑚2 𝑉𝑖 − 𝑉𝑓
𝑆𝐿 = − 𝜌𝑤
𝑚2 𝑚2
3
0.956𝑁 − 0.435𝑁 68.5𝑐𝑚3 − 24.1𝑐𝑚3 1000𝑘𝑔 9.81𝑚 1𝑚
𝑆𝐿 = −
0.435𝑁 0.435𝑁 𝑚3 𝑠2 100𝑐𝑚

𝑆𝐿 = 19.6405%

FOR SHRINKAGE RATIO:

𝑚2 0.435𝑁
𝑆𝑅 = = 3
𝑉2 (𝜌𝑤 ) 1000𝑘𝑔 9.81𝑚 1𝑚
24.1𝑐𝑚3
𝑚3 𝑠2 100𝑐𝑚
𝑆𝑅 = 1.8399
PROBLEM 04
THE PLASTIC LIMIT AND LIQUID LIMIT OF SOIL ARE 33% AND
45% RESPECTIVELY. THE PERCENTAGE VOLUME CHANGE FROM
THE LIQUID LIMIT TO DRY STATE IS 36% OF THE DRY VOLUME.
SIMILARLY, THE PERCENTAGE VOLUME CHANGE FROM THE
PLASTIC LIMIT TO THE DRY STATE IS 24% OF THE DRY VOLUME.
DETERMINE SHRINKAGE LIMIT.
GIVEN:
𝑃𝐿 = 33% ∆𝑉 = 0.24𝑉𝑑𝑟𝑦
SOLID SEMI-SOLID PLASTIC LIQUID

VOLUME
𝐿𝐿 = 45% ∆𝑉 = 0.36𝑉𝑑𝑟𝑦 STATE STATE STATE STATE 0. 𝟑𝟔𝑽
𝒅𝒓𝒚
𝑆𝐿 =? ∆𝑉 = 0 𝑉𝑑𝑟𝑦 0. 𝟐𝟒𝑽𝒅𝒓𝒚

AT THE DRY STATE OF SOIL: 𝑽𝒅𝒓𝒚

𝜔=0 𝑉𝑑𝑟𝑦

DRY STATE SL 33% 45% WATER CONTENT

BY SIMILAR TRIANGLE:
0.24𝑉𝑑𝑟𝑦 0.36𝑉𝑑𝑟𝑦
=
33 − 𝑆𝐿 45 − 𝑆𝐿

𝑆𝐿 = 9%
PROBLEM 05
FOR THE GIVEN ATTERBERG LIMIT TEST, DETERMINE THE
SHRINKAGE LIMIT IF:
PI=20
LL=70
𝑦 − 𝑦1 =
𝑦2 − 𝑦1
(𝑥 − 𝑥1 ) MODE 3-2:
𝑥2 − 𝑥1
X (LL) Y (PI)
3942 70 20
− − (20)
𝑦 − 20 = 85 (𝑥 − 70)
740 -740/17 -3942/85
− − (70)
17

2821 20194 AC (𝟕𝟎, 𝟐𝟎)

𝑦= 𝑥−
4825 965 SHIFT 1 – 5 - 4
2821 20194 𝑆𝐿 = 0𝑥ො
0= 𝑥− 𝑺𝑳 ≈ 𝟑𝟓%
4825 965
𝑆𝐿 = 35.7923%
𝑥 = 35.7923%

−
𝟕𝟒𝟎 𝟑𝟗𝟒𝟐
,− PI=20
𝟏𝟕 𝟖𝟓
LL=70
SR=1.97