Soil Classification

N. Sivakugan
Duration: 7 min. 20 s

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Objectives
To develop a systematic way to
describe and classify soils;
To group soils of similar geotechnical
characteristics; and
To assign symbols.

SIVA

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Major Soil Groups

Cohesive
soils
Clay

Granular soils or
Cohesionless soils
Silt
0.002

Sand
0.075

Gravel
2.36

Cobble
63

Boulder
200

Grain size (mm)

Fine grain
soils
SIVA

Coarse grain
soils

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Grain Size Distribution

Significance of GSD:
To know the relative proportions of
different grain sizes.
An important factor influencing the
geotechnical characteristics of a coarse
grain soil.
Not important in fine grain soils.
SIVA

Copyright 2001

Grain Size Distribution

Determination of GSD:
In coarse grain soils ... By sieve analysis
In fine grain soils
analysis

... By hydrometer
hydrometer

stack of sieves
sieve shaker
soil/water suspension
Sieve Analysis

SIVA

Hydrometer Analysis

100

80
% Passing

hydrometer
60

sieve

fines

sands

gravels

40

D10 = 0.013 mm

20
D

30

D30 = 0.47 mm
D60 = 7.4 mm

0
0.001

0.01

0.1

10

Grain size (mm)

Grain Size Distribution Curve

can find % of gravels, sands, fines

define D10, D30, D60.. as above.

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Well or Poorly Graded Soils

Well Graded Soils
Wide range of grain sizes present
Gravels: Cc = 1-3 & Cu >4
Sands: Cc = 1-3 & Cu >6

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Poorly Graded Soils

Others, including two special cases:
(a) Uniform soils grains of same size
(b) Gap graded soils no grains in a
specific size range

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Relative Density (Dr)

Measure of how densely the grains are
packed in a coarse grain soil in %.
0

Loosest

100

emax e
Dr
emax emin

Densest

Also known as density index (ID).

SIVA

Copyright 2001

Granular Soil
Consistencies
As per AS1726 - 1993
Relative Density (%)
0-15
15-35

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Consistency Term
Very loose
Loose

35-65

Medium dense

65-85

Dense

85-100

Very dense

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Atterberg Limits
Border line water contents, separating the
different states of a fine grained soil

Shrinkage
limit

brittlesolid

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Plastic
limit

semisolid

Liquid
limit

plastic

water content

liquid

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Atterberg Limits
Liquid Limit (wL or LL):
Clay flows like liquid when w > LL
Plastic Limit (wP or PL):
Lowest water content where the clay is still plastic
Shrinkage Limit (wS or SL):
At w<SL, no volume reduction on drying
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Plasticity Index (PI)

Range of water content over which the soil
remains plastic
Plasticity Index = Liquid Limit Plastic Limit

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Shrinkage
limit

Plastic
limit

Liquid
limit

plastic

water content

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Classifying Fines
Purely based on LL and PI
Intermediate plasticity
Low
plasticity

Liquid Limit

60

40

Clays

)
ne -20
i
L L
A- 3(L
0.7
=
PI

Silts

20

SIVA

High
plasticity

20

35

50

Liquid Limit

100

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AS 1726 1993
Classification
coarse grain soils

fine grain soils

% of fines
0

12

XY

50

e.g., CH

e.g., SM
XA
e.g., GP

100

YB

XA-XY
e.g., GP-GC

X: Coarse

Y: Fines

A: Gradation

B: Plasticity

G = Gravel

M = Silts

W = well graded

H = LL > 50

S = Sands

C = Clays

P = poorly graded

I = 35 < LL < 50

SIVA

L = LL < 35

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Summary
Sieve analysis for coarse grain soils
Hydrometer analysis - for fine grain
soils
Classify coarse by GSD and
fines from Atterberg limits (PI-LL
chart)

SIVA

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