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CVE131 Lecture 6

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25 views32 pages

CVE131 Lecture 6

Uploaded by

palero.nathanj
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Mindanao State University – Main Campus

Civil Engineering Department

CVE131 GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERING 1

Lecture 6
Soil Classification

Engr. Nhour R. Dibangkitun


Instructor
Classification systems provide a common
language to concisely express the general
characteristics of soils, which are infinitely
varied, without detailed descriptions.
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.
Textural Classification
U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)
In a general sense, texture of soil refers to its surface
appearance. Soil texture is influenced by the size of the
individual particles present in it.

This classification method is based on the particle-size limits as


described under the USDA system in Table 2.3; that is
• 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
Note that this chart is based on only the fraction of soil that passes
through the No. 10 sieve (2.00mm).
Several other
textural
classification
systems are also
used, but they are
no longer useful
for civil
engineering
purposes.
Classification by Engineering Behavior
The amount and type of clay minerals present in fine-grained soils
dictate to a great extent their physical properties. Hence, the soils
engineer must also consider plasticity, which results from the
presence of clay minerals, to interpret soil characteristics properly.

Systems:
1. AASHTO (American Association of State Highway and
Transportation Officials) System
2. USCS - Unified Soil Classification System

Basis of classification: Atterberg Limits & Grain Size Distribution


AASHTO Classification System
The AASHTO system of soil classification was developed in 1929
as the Public Road Administration classification system
(standardized as ASTM designation D-3282; AASHTO method
M145)

This classification system is based on the following criteria:


1. Grain Size: a) Gravel – 75mm to 2mm
b) Sand – 2mm to 0.075mm
c) Silt & Clay – less than 0.075mm
2. Plasticity: Silty if PI <= 10. Clayey if PI is 11 or more.
3. For boulders (>75mm), they are excluded but percentage is
recorded.
AASHTO Classification System
To evaluate the quality of a soil as a highway subgrade material,
one must also incorporate a number called the group index (GI)
with the groups and subgroups of the soil.

This index is written in parentheses after the group or subgroup


designation.
AASHTO Classification System
Following are some rules for determining the group index:

1) If Eq. (5.1) yields a negative value for GI, it is taken as 0.


2) The group index calculated 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 the group index.
4) The group index 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 group index for soils that belong to
groups A-2-6 and A-2-7, use the partial group index for PI, or
AASHTO Classification System
Proper way of giving soil classification using AASHTO:

AASHTO designation (GI)

Examples: A-3 (0)


A-2-7 (3)

Note:
GI must always be rounded to the nearest whole number.
Unified Soil Classification System
This was credited to Casagrande (1942). This system has been
standardized by ASTM D2487.

This system classifies soils into two broad categories:

1. Coarse-grained soils that are gravelly and sandy in nature


with less than 50% passing through the No. 200 sieve.
2. Fine-grained soils are with 50% or more passing through the
No. 200 sieve.
Unified Soil Classification System
For proper classification according to this system, some or all of
the following information must be known:
1. Percent of gravel— 76.2-mm - 4.75-mm
2. Percent of sand— 4.75 - 0.075-mm
3. Percent of silt and clay— finer than 0.075-mm
4. Uniformity coefficient (Cu) and the coefficient of gradation
(Cc)
5. Liquid limit and plasticity index of the portion of soil
passing the No. 40 sieve
Unified Soil Classification System

Group symbols used for the classification are:

G Gravel or Gravelly Soil W Well Graded


S Sand or Sandy Soil P Poorly Graded
M Inorganic silt L Low Plasticity
C Inorganic clay H High Plasticity
O Organic Silts and Clays
Peat, Muck, and other
Pt
Highly Organic Soils.
Descriptions for Gravelly Soils (ASTM D2487)
Descriptions for Sandy Soils (ASTM D2487)
Example 1
End of Lecture 6

Thank You!

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