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Lecture#3

Soil Mechanics
Instructor:

Engr Saadat Ali Khan

Department of Civil Engineering

University of Engineering and Technology, Peshawar
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Outlines of the Presentation

1. Some basic Definitions. (Atterburg limits)
Liquid limit of soil , plastic limit of soil , shrinkage
of soil , plasticity index , liquidity index ,
flow index of soil , toughness index , volumetric
shrinkage and shrinkage ratio.
2. Soil classification.
A)

American Association of State

Highway and Transportation
Officials System (AASHTO)

B)

The Unified Soil Classification

System (USCS)

Definitions .
Liquid limit of soil :
It is the minimum water content
at which twenty five (25) blows will close a groove
of the standard dimensions for a length of half inch,
When the groove is made in soil , placed in the liquid
limit device.
It is represented by L.L

Definitions.
Plastic limit of soil :
It is the minimum water
content at which the soil mass crumbles (small
fragments or parts) when rolled into a thread of
1|8 inch diameter.
Mathematically ,
Wp = P.L

Definitions.
Shrinkage of soil:
The water content at which
further loss of water from the soil mass will not
cause any reduction in the volume of the soil.
Mathematically,
Ws = S.L

Definitions.
Plasticity index:
The difference between the
liquid limit and the plastic limit is called
plasticity index.
Mathematically,
P.I = L.L P.L

In general.
PI
Degree of Plasticity
0
Nonplastic
1-5
Slightly plastic
5-10
Low plasticity
10-20
Medium plasticity
20-40
High plasticity
40+
Very high plasticity
(from Burmister, 1949)
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Definitions.
Liquidity index:
The ratio between the difference
of water content and plastic limit to the plasticity
index is called liquidity index . The formula used
to find the liquidity index is given by
L.I = W-P.L |P.I
The range of the liquidity index is from 0 to 1.
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Definitions.
Flow index of soil:
The slope of the flow curve is
called the flow index of the soil.
Flow curve consists of two parameters , one is the
water content and the other is the number of
blows.
Flow index is represented by F.I
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Definitions
Toughness index:
The ratio of the plasticity index
to the flow index is called toughness index.
Mathematically,
T.I = P.I | F.I

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Definitions.
Volumetric shrinkage :
The decrease in volume
expressed as percentage of the dry volume , when
the water content is reduced to shrinkage limit.
V.S = (V-Vd)*100|Vd

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Definitions.
Shrinkage ratio:
The ratio of the volumetric
shrinkage to the decrease in the water content.
Mathematically,
S.R = V.S |W -Ws

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Classification Systems

Soils in nature rarely exist separately as gravel, sand, silt,

clayor organicmatter, but are usually found as mixtures with
varying proportions of these components.
Classifying soils into groups with similar behavior, in terms of
simple indices ,can provide geotechnical engineers general
guidance about engineering properties of the soils through the
accumulated experience.
Two commonly used systems for Classifying soils based on
particle distribution and Atterberg limits:
1. AASHTO System: American Association of State Highway
and Transportation Officials.
2. 2. USCS: Unified Soil Classification System.

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AASHTO System
AASHTO system of soil classification was developed by
Hogentogler and Terzaghi in 1929

The system is based on the following three

soil properties:

1.Particle-size distribution
2. Liquid Limit
3. Plasticity Index
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AASHTO SYSTEM
Key Elements:
1. Grain Size:
Gravel: Fraction passing 75mm sieve and retained on #10 (2mm) US sieve
Sand: Fraction passing #10 sieve and retained #200 sieve
Silt and Clay: Fraction passing #200 sieve
2. Plasticity:
Term silty is applied when fine fractions have a PI < 10
Term clayey is applied when fine fractions have PI > 11
3. Groups: (see Tables)
Soils are classified into eight groups, A-1 through A-8.
The major groups A-1, A-2, and A-3 represent the coarse grained soils.
The A-4, A-5, A-6, and A-7 represent fine grained soils.
The A-8 are identified by visual inspection.
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AASHTO SYSTEM
The ranges of the LL and PI for groups A-2 ,A-4,
A-5 , A-6 and A-7

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Unified Soil Classification system, USCS

Origin: The Unified Soil Classification system was first
developed by Professor A. Casagrande in 1942.
The USCS is based on the recognition of the type and
predominance of the constituents considering grain-size,
gradation, plasticity and compressibility.
It classifies soils into Four major categories:
1. Coarse-grained
2. Fine-grained
3. Organic soils
4. Peat

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Unified Soil Classification system, USCS

Procedures for Classification:
From sieve analysis and the grain-size distribution curve determine
the percent passing as the following:

First, Find % passing # 200.

If 5% or more of the soil passes the # 200 sieve, then conduct
Atterberg Limits (LL & PL).
If the soil is fine-grained (50% passes #200) follow the guidelines for
fine- grained soils.
If the soil is coarse-grained (<50% passes #200) follow the guidelines
for coarse-grained soils: Find % Gravel & Sand, calculate C u & C c ,
LL, PL &PI
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Unified Soil Classification system, USCS

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