Ministry of Higher Education And Scientific Research

Wasit University - College of Engineering

Civil Engineering Department
Soil Mechanics Laboratory
The Date : 2023/11/28

Atterberg Limits
Preparing Students
1. Ahmed Shamkhi jabr 4. Hamid Naeem Zaghir
2. Jannat Saad Kashish 5. Benin Thaer Abd
3. Jassim Ahmed Abdul Hussein 6. Baqir Ali Jabr

The Third Stage - Morning Study - Class B - Group No. 1

Date The Experiment Was Conducted : 2023/11/21

Report Submission Date : 2023/11/28

Under The Supervision of :

Dr. Asaad Hafez - Dr. Ali Abd Mohi - Dr. Mortada Hashem
 ATTERBERG LIMITS TEST

his lab is performed to determine the plastic and liquid limits of a fine-grained soil. The liquid limit (LL)
is arbitrarily defined as the water content, in percent, at which a pat of soil in a standard cup and cut by
a groove of standard dimensions will flow together at the base of the groove for a distance of 13 mm
(1/2 in.) when subjected to 25 shocks from the cup being dropped 10 mm in a standard liquid limit
apparatus operated at a rate of two shocks per second. The plastic limit (PL) is the water content, in
percent, at which a soil can no longer be deformed by rolling into 3.2 mm (1/8 in.) diameter threads
without crumbling.

ASTM D 4318 - Standard Test Method for Liquid Limit, Plastic Limit, and Plasticity Index of Soils

The Swedish soil scientist Albert Atterberg originally defined seven “limits of consistency” to classify
fine-grained soils, but in current engineering practice only two of the limits, the liquid and plastic limits,
are commonly used. (A third limit, called the shrinkage limit, is used occasionally.) The Atterberg limits
are based on the moisture content of the soil. The plastic limit is the moisture content that defines where
the soil changes from a semi-solid to a plastic (flexible) state. The liquid limit is the moisture content
that defines where the soil changes from a plastic to a viscous fluid state. The shrinkage limit is the
moisture content that defines where the soil volume will not reduce further if the moisture content is
reduced. wide variety of soil engineering properties have been correlated to the liquid and plastic limits,
and these Atterberg limits are also used to classify a fine-grained soil according to the Unified Soil
Classification system or AASHTO system.

1- Liquid limit device

2- Porcelain (evaporating) dish
3- Flat grooving tool with gage
4- Eight moisture cans
5- Balance
6- Glass plate
7- Spatula
8- Wash bottle filled with distilled water
9- Drying oven set at 105°C.
( See Photo A )

Photo A

1
Liquid Limit:
1. Take roughly 3/4 of the soil and place it into the porcelain dish. Assume that the soil was previously
passed though a No. 40 sieve, air-dried, and then pulverized. Thoroughly mix the soil with a small
amount of distilled water until it appears as a smooth uniform paste. Cover the dish with cellophane
to prevent moisture from escaping.
2. Weigh four of the empty moisture cans with their lids, and record the respective weights and can
numbers on the data sheet.
3. Adjust the liquid limit apparatus by checking the height of drop of the cup. The point on the cup that
comes in contact with the base should rise to a height of 10 mm. The block on the end of the grooving
tool is 10 mm high and should be used as a gage. Practice using the cup and determine the correct
rate to rotate the crank so that the cup drops approximately two times per second.
4. Place a portion of the previously mixed soil into the cup of the liquid limit apparatus at the point
where the cup rests on the base. Squeeze the soil down to eliminate air pockets and spread it into the
cup to a depth of about 10 mm at its deepest point. The soil pat should form an approximately
horizontal surface (See Photo B).
5. Use the grooving tool carefully cut a clean straight groove down the center of the cup. The tool should
remain perpendicular to the surface of the cup as groove is being made. Use extreme care to prevent
sliding the soil relative to the surface of the cup (See Photo C).
6. Make sure that the base of the apparatus below the cup and the underside of the cup is clean of soil.
Turn the crank of the apparatus at a rate of approximately two drops per second and count the number
of drops, N, it takes to make the two halves of the soil pat come into contact at the bottom of the
groove along a distance of 13 mm (1/2 in.) (See Photo D). If the number of drops exceeds 50, then go
directly to step eight and do not record the number of drops, otherwise, record the number of drops
on the data sheet.
7. Take a sample, using the spatula, from edge to edge of the soil pat. The sample should include the
soil on both sides of where the groove came into contact. Place the soil into a moisture can cover it.
Immediately weigh the moisture can containing the soil, record its mass, remove the lid, and place
the can into the oven. Leave the moisture can in the oven for at least 16 hours. Place the soil remaining
in the cup into the porcelain dish. Clean and dry the cup on the apparatus and the grooving tool.
8. Remix the entire soil specimen in the porcelain dish. Add a small amount of distilled water to increase
the water content so that the number of drops required to close the groove decrease.
9. Repeat steps six, seven, and eight for at least two additional trials producing successively lower
numbers of drops to close the groove. One of the trials shall be for a closure requiring 25 to 35 drops,
one for closure between 20 and 30 drops, and one trial for a closure requiring 15 to 25 drops.
Determine the water content from each trial by using the same method used in the first laboratory.
Remember to use the same balance for all weighing.

Plastic Limit:
1. Weigh the remaining empty moisture cans with their lids, and record the respective weights and can
numbers on the data sheet.

2
2. Take the remaining 1/4 of the original soil sample and add distilled water until the soil is at a
consistency where it can be rolled without sticking to the hands.

3. Form the soil into an ellipsoidal mass (See Photo F). Roll the mass between the palm or the fingers
and the glass plate (See Photo G). Use sufficient pressure to roll the mass into a thread of uniform
diameter by using about 90 strokes per minute. (A stroke is one complete motion of the hand forward
and back to the starting position.) The thread shall be deformed so that its diameter reaches 3.2 mm
(1/8 in.), taking no more than two minutes.

4. When the diameter of the thread reaches the correct diameter, break the thread into several pieces.
Knead and reform the pieces into ellipsoidal masses and re-roll them. Continue this alternate rolling,
gathering together, kneading and re-rolling until the thread crumbles under the pressure required for
rolling and can no longer be rolled into a 3.2 mm diameter thread (See Photo H).

5. Gather the portions of the crumbled thread together and place the soil into a moisture can, then cover
it. If the can does not contain at least 6 grams of soil, add soil to the can from the next trial (See Step
6). Immediately weigh the moisture can containing the soil, record its mass, remove the lid, and place
the can into the oven. Leave the moisture can in the oven for at least 16 hours.

6. Repeat steps three, four, and five at least two more times. Determine the water content from each trial
by using the same method used in the first laboratory. Remember to use the same balance for all
weighing.

3
Laws of experimentation for calculation Liquid Limit and Plastic Limit :

MC = Mass of empty, clean can + lid (grams) ‫وزن التن‬

MCMS = Mass of can, lid, and moist soil (grams) ‫ وزن التن‬+ ‫وزن التربة الرطبة‬
MCDS = Mass of can, lid, and dry soil (grams) ‫ وزن التن‬+ ‫وزن التربة الجافة بعد الحرق بالفرن‬
MS = Mass of soil solids (grams) ‫وزن التربة الجافة‬
MW = Mass of pore water (grams) ‫وزن الماء المتبخر من التربة‬
W = Water content, w% ‫المحتوى الرطوبي‬

1. Determine the mass of soil solids ‫حساب وزن التربة الجافة بدون التن‬
MS = MCDS - MC

2. Determine the mass of pore water. ‫وزن الماء‬

MW = MCMS - MCDS

3. Determine the water content. ‫المحتوى الرطوبي‬

Mw
W% = ∗ 100
Ms

N = No. of drops ‫عدد الطرقات‬

4. Plastic Limit ( PL ) = Average water content , w %

Ʃw%
Average water content , w % =
n

5. Liquid Limit = water content , w % At 25 of drops

6. Plasticity Index = Liquid Limit - Plastic Limit

PI = LL - PL

4
ATTERBERG LIMITS DATA SHEETS

5
6
1- Plasticity is a property of soil that describes the behavior of cohesive soil. The degree of plasticity is
expressed in terms of the fluid limit.

2- The importance of knowing the limits of soil in general lies in:

a. Calculate the compressibility of soil.
b. The speed of water flow as well as the amount of water collected to design the expressions.
c. Describing the condition of the soil by indicating the liquidity limit, such as solid, semi-solid, soft,
or liquid.

1- Through conducting the experiment, it was observed that the number of strokes increases as the
percentage of water in the sample decreases, and it was noted that the difference between the
calculated strokes each time exceeded 7 strokes, and this is considered good.

2- The fluid limit in our experiment was = 29%, which indicates that this soil is moderately compressible.
3- The greater the distance between PL and LL the soil is considered good because it needs a large
amount of water to move from one state to another.

4- There are several factors in this test that affect the water content:
d. Speed of blows.
e. The time required to prepare the sample in the liquidity device.
f. Relative humidity.
g. Type of liquidity device.
h. The fall distance, which is specified here as one centimeter.
i. This is in addition to the type of soil and the competence of the person conducting the experiment.

5- The larger the PL value, the greater the fineness and the greater the swelling of the soil.

1- Before conducting the liquidity limit experiment, you must ensure that the Casagrande device is
calibrated and corrected if necessary.

2- The difference between the hits recorded between each time should be ±2.
3- When the sample is removed from the oven, it is weighed directly. If there is a delay, it is preferable
to place the lid of the can directly until it cools and then weigh it to prevent moisture from entering
the sample from the laboratory atmosphere.