CE 151 – Geotechnical Engineering 1
SOIL CLASSIFICATION
SOIL CLASSIFICATION
Different soils with similar properties may be classified into groups and sub-groups
according to their engineering behavior. Most of the soil classification systems that have been
developed for engineering purposes are based on simple index properties such as particle-
size distribution and plasticity. Although several classification systems are now in use, none
is totally definitive of any soil for all possible applications because of the wide diversity of
soil properties.
1. U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Textural
Classification
- based on the particle-size limits as summarized below:
sand size: 2.0 to 0.05 mm in diameter
silt size: 0.05 to 0.002 mm in diameter
clay size: smaller than 0.002 mm in diameter
- based only on particle-size distribution
- does not take plasticity into account
- not totally indicative of many important soil properties
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SOIL CLASSIFICATION
Figure 1. USDA Textural Classification
2. American Association of State Highway and Transport Officials (AASHTO)
Classification System
- developed in 1929 as the Public Road Administrative Classification System
- based on the following criteria:
1. Grain Size
– Gravel: fraction passing the 75 mm sieve and retained on the No. 10
(2 mm) U.S. sieve
– Sand: fraction passing the No. 10 (2 mm) U.S. sieve and retained
on the No. 200 (0.075 mm) U.S. sieve
– Silt and clay: fraction passing the No. 200 (0.075 mm) U.S. sieve
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SOIL CLASSIFICATION
2. Plasticity
a) If PI is 10 or less: silty
b) If PI is 11 or more: clayey
3. If cobbles and boulders (size larger than 75 mm) are encountered, they are
excluded in the portion of the soil sample from which classification is made.
However, the percentage of such material is recorded.
Group Index (GI)
– use to evaluate the quality of soil as highway material
– the quality of performance of a soil as a subgrade material is inversely proportional
to the group index
Where:
F200 = percentage passing through the No. 200 sieve
LL = liquid limit
PI = plasticity index
Rules for Determining the Group Index:
1. If the equation for GI yield a negative value, it is taken as 0.
2. The calculated GI is rounded off to the nearest whole number (for example:
GI = 3.4 is rounded off to 3; GI = 3.5 is rounded off to 4).
3. There is no upper limit for GI.
4. The GI of soils belonging to groups A-1-a, A-1-b, A-2-4, A-2-5, and A-3 is
always 0.
5. When calculating the GI for soils that belongs to groups A-2-6 and A-2-7, use
GI = 0.01 (F200 – 15) (PI – 10)
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SOIL CLASSIFICATION
Figure 2. AASHTO Classification System
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SOIL CLASSIFICATION
Figure 3. Range of Liquid Limit and Plasticity Index for Soils in Groups A-2, A-4, A-5, A-6, and A-7
3. Unified Soil Classification System (USCS)
- the original version was proposed by Cassagrande
- classifies the soil into two broad categories:
1. Coarse-grained soil
– gravelly and sandy in nature with less than 50% passing through sieve
No. 200
– S: sand and G: gravel
2. Coarse-grained soil
– soils with 50% or more passing through sieve No. 200
– M: inorganic silt, C: inorganic clay, O: organic silts and clay, P: peat
– other symbols used for classification:
W : well graded
P : poorly graded
L : low plasticity (LL < 50)
H : high plasticity (LL > 50)
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SOIL CLASSIFICATION
Figure 4. Unified Soil Classification System
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CLAY MINERALS
Figure 5. Plasticity Chart
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CLAY MINERALS
Figure 6. Unified Soil Classification System (with group name)
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