CONSISTENCY

LIMITS OF SOILS
Module 1.3
INTENDED LEARNING OUTCOMES

1. To understand and define the Atterberg limits (liquid

limit, plastic limit, and shrinkage limit) as key indicators of soil's
plasticity and its ability to undergo volume change under
different moisture conditions.

2. To grasp the connection between Atterberg limits and

the moisture-density relationship in soil compaction, including
its impact on engineering properties.

3. To explain the concept of the shrinkage limit and

understand its relationship to the volume change that soils
experience as they transition between plastic and semi-solid
states.
Consistency
- The degree of adhesion between
soil particles and is defined as the
degree of resistance to deformation
qualitatively, it is described by such
terms as soft, medium, stiff and hard.
Atterberg Limits
 Consistency Limits / Atterberg Limits

- The boundaries between the liquid state, plastic

state, semi-solid state and solid state of soil.
1. Liquid limit – is between the liquid and plastic
states and is defined as the lowest water
content at which the mass has the capacity to
flow as liquid.
2. Plastic limit – is between the plastic and semi-
solid states and is defined as the lowest water
content at which a mass can be readily
molded without crumbling.
3. Shrinkage limit – is the water content at which
the volume change of the soil mass ceases.
 Changes in soil states as function of
soil volume and water

Volume

solid semisoli plastic liquid

d

wSL wPL wLL

Water Content
a. LIQUID LIMIT TEST
a.1) Liquid limit test – is performed by the use
of mechanical apparatus developed by A.
Casagrande (1932). This apparatus consists of
a semispherical brass cup that is repeatedly
dropped onto a hard rubber base from a
height of 10mm by a cam operated
mechanism.
🠶 The liquid limit is defined as water content
at which the groove cut into the soil will
close over a distance of 12.5mm following
25 blows.
a. LIQUID LIMIT TEST
a.1 Cup Apparatus - No. of Blows
a. LIQUID LIMIT TEST
a.1 Cup Apparatus - No. of Blows
a. LIQUID LIMIT TEST
a.2) Liquid limit test – this another method is popular
in Europe and Asia: Fall Cone Method (British
Standard—BS1377). In this test the liquid limit is
defined as the moisture content at which a
standard cone of apex angle 30° and weight of
0.78 N (80 gram) will penetrate a distance d=20 mm
in 5 seconds when allowed to drop from a position
of point contact with the soil surface.
🠶 Due to the difficulty in achieving the liquid limit
from a single test, four or more tests can be
conducted at various moisture contents to
determine the fall cone penetration, d. A semi-
logarithmic graph can then be plotted with
moisture content (w) versus cone penetration d.
The plot results in a straight line. The moisture
content corresponding to d =20 mm.
a. LIQUID LIMIT TEST
a.2 Fall Cone Apparatus – Penetration of Cone
a. LIQUID LIMIT TEST
a.2 Fall Cone Apparatus – Penetration of Cone
b. PLASTIC LIMIT TEST
🠶 Plastic limit test is performed by rolling a small clay
sample into threads and finding the water content at
which threads of approximately 3mm (3.2mm exact)
in diameter will just start to crumble.
🠶 The plastic limit is the lower limit of the plastic stage of
soil. The plastic limit test is simple and is performed by
repeated rollings of an ellipsoidal-sized soil mass by
hand on a ground glass plate. The procedure for the
plastic limit test is given by ASTM in Test Designation D-
4318.
🠶 As in the case of liquid limit determination, the fall
cone method can be used to obtain the plastic limit.
This can be achieved by using a cone of similar
geometry but with a mass of 2.35 N (240 gram). Three
to four tests at varying moisture contents of soil are
conducted, and the corresponding cone
penetrations (d) are determined. The moisture
content corresponding to a cone penetration of d
20 mm is the plastic limit.
b. PLASTIC LIMIT TEST
b. PLASTIC LIMIT TEST
c. SHRINKAGE LIMIT TEST
🠶 Shrinkage limit tests [ASTM (2007)—Test
Designation D-427] are performed in the
laboratory with a porcelain dish about 44
mm (1.75 in.) in diameter and about 12.7
mm (0.5 in.) high. The inside of the dish is
coated with petroleum jelly and is then
filled completely with wet soil. Excess soil
standing above the edge of the dish is
struck off with a straightedge. The mass of
the wet soil inside the dish is recorded. The
soil pat in the dish is then oven-dried. The
volume of the oven-dried soil pat is
determined by the displacement of
mercury.
c. SHRINKAGE LIMIT TEST
 c. SHRINKAGE LIMIT TEST
🠶
 c. SHRINKAGE LIMIT TEST
🠶
 c. SHRINKAGE LIMIT TEST
🠶
INDEX PROPERTIES OF
FINE-GRAINED SOILS
From Liquid Limit and Plastic Limit
Plasticity Index (PI)
- the range of water content for which the
soil behaves like a plastic material.
- The difference between the liquid limit
and the plastic limit of a soil, or
PI = LL - PL
Where:
LL = wLL (water content in Liquid Limit)
PL = wPL (water content in Plastic Limit)
Liquidity Index (LI)
🠶
 Description of Soil strength based on
Liquidity Index

Values of LI Description of soil strength

LI < 0 Semisolid state – high strength, brittle (sudden
fracture is expected)
0 < LI < 1 Plastic state – intermediate strength, soil deforms
like a plastic material

LI > 1 Liquid state – low strength, soil deforms like a

viscous fluid
Consistency Index (CI)
- The relative consistency of a cohesive soil in the natural
state can be defined by a ratio

where
w = natural water content (in situ moisture content)
LL = Liquid Limit
PI = Plasticity Index
 Flow Index (FI or If)
🠶
Group Index (GI)
🠶
Activity (A)
- An index for identifying the swelling potential of clay
soils

Where:
PI = Plasticity Index
Example 1
In a liquid limit test using cup apparatus, the following data were taken:

While in a plastic limit test, the following values were observed.

Wt. of wet soil + container = 21.19 grams
Wt. of dry soil + container = 18.78 grams
Wt. of container = 8.20 grams

Determine the following:

a. Liquid Limit
b. Plasticity Index
c. Liquidity and Consistency Index if natural water content is 38%
Example 1
Example 2
Following are the results of a shrinkage limit test:
• Initial volume of soil in a saturated state = 24.6 cm3
• Final volume of soil in a dry state = 15.9 cm3
• Initial mass in a saturated state = 44.0 g
• Final mass in a dry state = 30.1 g

Determine the following:

a. Shrinkage Limit
b. Shrinkage Ratio
c. Specific gravity of the soil solids
Example 3
Following the results of liquid limit test using fall cone method.
Determine the liquid limit and flow index using logarithmic
interpolation.

Cone Penetration, d(mm) Moisture Content (%)

12 26.5
15 29
25 34.1
35 37
 To do

Quiz 1.1 – Next Lecture Meeting (August 20)

Formula cards (1/4 index card) must be signed by

your instructor before your class schedule.