Atterberg's

Limits

Lecture 2
Week 2
Content

• Soil Consistency
• Atterberg Limits
• Liquid Limit
• Plastic Limit
• Shrinkage Limit

• Plasticity Index
• Liquidity Index
• Plasticity Chart
Soil Consistency

Soil consistency provides a means of describing

the degree and kind of cohesion and adhesion
between the soil particles as related to the
resistance of the soil to deform or rupture

Soil Behave Like:

SOLID at very low moisture content
LIQUID at very high moisture content
General
▪ The consistency of clays and other cohesive soils
(fine-grained soils) is greatly influenced by the
water content of the soil.
▪ Depending on the moisture content, the behavior of
soil can be divided into four basic states:
•Solid
•Semisolid
•Plastic
•Liquid
▪ The water content at which a soil passes from one
state to another is different for different soils and
can be used in a qualitative way, to distinguish
between, or classify different fine-grained
6 soil types.
Soil Consistency - Atterberg Limits

Depending on Moisture Content soil can be

divided into:

- 1. Solid
Moisture Content (w)

Shrinkage Limit (SL)

2. Semi-Solid
LI = 0
Plastic Limit (PL)
Liquidity Plasticity Index
3. Plastic
Index (LI) (PI) = PL - LL
Liquid Limit (LL)
LI = 1
+ 4. Liquid
This figure shows
how the nature of
soil behavior is
divided into four
states based on
the value of the
moisture content.
 Atterberg Limits
Border line water contents, separating the
different states of a fine grained soil

water content
0 Shrinkage Plastic Liquid
limit limit limit

brittle- semi- plastic liquid

solid solid
Atterberg or Consistency Limits
Liquid Limit (LL): The moisture content, in percent, at the point of
transition from plastic to liquid state

Plastic Limit (PL): The moisture content, in percent, at the point of

transition from semisolid to plastic state

Shrinkage Limit (SL): The moisture content, in percent, at the point

of transition from solid to semisolid state

There are also another two limits, but they have no significance for
civil engineers:
Sticky Limit: The water content at which a soil loses its ADHESION
to a metal blade.

Cohesion Limit: The water content at which the grains cease to

cohere to each other, e.g. at which cultivation of the soil does not
result in clods or lumps forming.
These two limits are important for the agriculturist and to
earthwork contractors, and also in ceramic industry.
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INDICES OF SOIL CONSISTENCY
Various indices have been developed using Atterberg limits.
1. Plasticity Index (PI)

PI = LL - PL
❑ This index provides a measure of a soil plasticity,
which is the amount of water that must be added to
change a soil from its plastic limit to its liquid limit.
❑ The PI is useful in engineering classification of fine-
grained soils, and many engineering properties have
been found to correlate with the PI.

❑ The plasticity index, in conjunction with the

mechanical analysis, provides the basis for several
of the engineering classification of soils.
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Soil Consistency - Atterberg Limits

Depending on Moisture Content soil can be

divided into:

- 1. Solid
Moisture Content (w)

Shrinkage Limit (SL)

2. Semi-Solid
LI = 0
Plastic Limit (PL)
Liquidity Plasticity Index
3. Plastic
Index (LI) (PI) = PL - LL
Liquid Limit (LL)
LI = 1
+ 4. Liquid
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2. Liquidity Index (LI)
❑ The relative consistency of a cohesive soil in the
natural state can be defined by a ratio called the
Liquidity Index, which is given by

❑ This index provides a clue as the condition of the in

situ soil. This index helps us to know if our sample
was likely to behave as a plastic, a brittle, or a liquid.

• If LI< 0 Brittle behavior (desiccated (dried) hard soil)

• If 0 <LI <1 The soil behave like a plastic
• If LI>1 The soil is a very viscous liquid.
3. Consistency Index
CI indicates the consistency (firmness) of a soil. Soil at the
liquid limit will have a consistency index of 0, while soil at the
plastic limit will have a CI of 1 and if w>LL, CI is negative. That
means soils in liquid state.
4. Flow Index
This index is the slope of the flow curve. A low number (flat
slope) indicates that a small change in moisture content is
likely to produce a significant change in the soil CONSISTENCY.

5. Toughness Index
TI= PI/IF
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 Importance of Atterberg limits

▪ If we know how the water content of our sample is

relative to the Atterberg limits, then we already know
a great deal about the engineering response of our
sample.
▪ The Atterberg limits are water contents at certain
limiting or critical stages in soil behavior.
▪ The Atterberg limits along with the natural water
content, are the most important items in the
description of fine-grained soils.

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In Summary
1. Water influences consistency of fine-grained soils.
2. Soils passes from one state to another state as water
content changes.
3. Different soils passes from state to state at different
water contents.
4. The water content at which different soils pass from
one state to another state can be used to classify or
distinguish different fine-grained soils.
5. How we can find the water content at which a given
soil passes from a given state to another?.
Atterberg (A Swedish scientist) developed a method to
describe the consistency of fine-grained soils with
varying degrees of moisture content. He defined several
limits of consistency which are called Atterberg limits.
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Determination of Atterberg Limits
▪ Atterberg’s original consistency limit tests were rather
arbitrary and not easily reproducible.
▪ A. Casagrande subsequently standardized the
apparatus and the procedures to make the
measurement more repeatable .
Liquid limit
1. Multi-Point Method (ASTM D-4318)
The water content required to close a distance of ½
inch (12.7 mm) along the bottom of the groove after 25
blows is defined as the Liquid Limit.

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▪ It is difficult to adjust the moisture content in soil to
meet the required ½ inch closure of the groove at 25
blows. Hence, at least 4 tests for the same soil are
made at varying w%, and then w% values are plotted
against the logarithm of the number of blows, N.

Why Semi logarithmic plot?

2. One-Point Method (ASTM D-4318)
▪ Proposed by the USACE in 1949 based on the
analysis of hundreds of liquid limit tests.

tan  = 0.121

wN = moisture content of the soil which closed in N blows (N

should be between 10 and 40).
N = number of blows required to close the standard groove for a
distance of ½ inch (12.7mm)

▪ Thisformula generally yields good results for the

number of blows between 20 and 30.
3. Fall-Cone Method (British Standard – BS1377)

▪ This method is popular in Europe and Asia.

▪ The cone is released for 5 seconds so that it may penetrate the
soil.
▪ The liquid limit is defined as the water content of the soil which
allows the cone to penetrate exactly 20 mm during that period
of time.
Plastic Limit (PL)
1. Rolling into Thread Method (ASTM D-4318)
The plastic limit is defined as the moisture content in
percent, at which the soil crumbles, when rolled into
threads of 3.18 mm (1/8 in.) in diameter.
2. Fall-Cone Method
Similar to Liquid Limit test only the weight of the cone
is 2.35 N (240 grams) instead of 0.78 N (80 grams). (three
times heavier).
PL =37.5%

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Remarks
▪ The liquid limit of a soil containing substantial amounts of
organic matter decreases dramatically when the soil is oven-
dried before testing. Comparison of the liquid limit of a sample
before and after oven-drying can therefore be used as a
qualitative measure of organic matter content of a soil.
▪ The plastic limit test is performed on material prepared for the
liquid limit test .
▪ The multipoint liquid limit method is generally more precise
than the one-point method. It is recommended that the
multipoint method be used in cases where test results may be
subject to dispute, or where greater precision is required .
▪ The correlation on which the calculations of the one-point
method are based may not be valid for certain soils, such as
organic soils or soils from a marine environment. It is strongly
recommended that the liquid limit of these soils be determined
by the multipoint method .
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Shrinkage Limit (SL) (ASTM D-427, ASTM D-4943)
o Soil shrinks as moisture is gradually lost from it. With continuing loss of
moisture, a stage of equilibrium is reached at which more loss of
moisture will result in no further volume change
o The shrinkage limit is defined as the moisture content, in percent, at
which the volume of the soil mass ceases to change.
Example
The following data were obtained from the liquid and
plastic limit tests for a soil:
Liquid limit test:
w% N 44

42.1 17
38.2 22
36.2 27

Moisture Content (%)

40

34.1 32
Plastic limit test: PL = 21.3%
In situ moisture content=25.7% 36

Find: LL, PI, LI, If

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20 30 40 50
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Number of Blows, N

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