Week 4: Soil Classification

SOIL MECHANICS-I
(CE-222)

3/3/2024
Maj Dr. Rameez Ali Raja 1
Email: [email protected]
 Recap

✓ Soil is a particulate material (3x phases)

✓ Size: coarse-grained and fine-grained soils
✓ GSD, Cu, Cc
✓ Shape: bulky, ellipsoidal, platy, needle-like
✓ Parameters: roundness, sphericity
✓ Atterberg Tests: FGS consistency
✓ Limits: SL, PL, LL
✓ Index: SI, PI, LI
✓ Sensitivity and activity of clays

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 Introduction – Soil Classification
Need for soil classification ?
✓ Different soils with similar properties may be classified into groups and
subgroups according to their engineering behavior
✓ Standardization to facilitate communication
✓ Short-hand notations

Soil classification systems

✓ USDA textural classification system
✓ AASHTO classification system
✓ USCS (Unified soil classification system)
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 USDA Soil Classification
✓ Textural Classification system developed by USDA
✓ The textural classification is based on the particle-size distribution of the
percent of sand, silt, and clay-size fractions present in a given soil
✓ Basis of soil classification – particle size
✓ Texture = Surface appearance
✓ Name of soil after principal components
Particle Limit Size
Sand size - 2.0 to 0.05 mm
Silt size - 0.05 to 0.002mm
Clay size - Smaller than 0.002mm
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 USDA Soil Classification
USDA Soil Classification Triangle

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 USDA Soil Classification
Example
Sand – 30%
Silt – 40%
Clay size particles – 30%

Clay Loam

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 USDA Soil Classification
✓ Chart based on fraction on passing through sieve no 10 (Size 2 mm)

✓ What if presence of certain percentage of soil particles > 2mm

✓ Introduce a correction factor

Modified % of the constituent = % of constituent / (100 – % of particles >2mm)

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 USDA Soil Classification

Gravelly Clay Loam

20
Modifed % sand = = 22.2%
100 − 10
41
Modifed % silt = = 45.5%
100 − 10
29
Modifed % clay = = 32.2%
100 − 10
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 AASHTO Soil Classification
✓ Developed by Terzaghi and Hogentogler in 1929
✓ This classification is standardized by ASTM D3282/AASHTO M145
✓ It considers grain size distribution and plasticity of fines
✓ Grain size
✓ Gravel: Passing 3 in. (75 mm) sieve and retained on the No. 10 (2 mm) sieve
✓ Sand: Passing No. 10 (2 mm) sieve and retained on the No. 200 (0.075 mm) sieve
✓ Silt and Clay: passing the No. 200 sieve
✓ It provides general rating of the soil for road construction

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 AASHTO Soil Classification
✓ Assign a group classification and group index
✓ The group classification ranges from A-1 (best) to A-8 (worst)
✓ Group index values near 0 indicate good soils, while values of 20 or more
indicate very poor soils
✓ Soils classified under group A-1, A-2 and A-3 are granular materials of which
≤ 35% pass through the No. 200 sieve
✓ Soils of which > 35% of pass through the No. 200 sieve are classified under
groups A-4, A-5, A-6 and A-7. These are mostly silt and clay type materials
✓ Highly organic soils (muck and peat) are placed under group A-8
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 AASHTO Soil Classification – Granular Materials

NOTE: To classify a soil, apply test data from left to right in the above table. By process of
elimination, the first group from left into which the test data fit is the correct classification.
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 AASHTO Soil Classification – Silt-Clay Materials

NOTE: To classify a soil, apply test data from left to right in the above table. By process of
elimination, the first group from left into which the test data fit is the correct classification.
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AASHTO Soil Cl Sys - Range of Liquid Limit and Plasticity Index

For groups A-1-a through A-2-5:

For groups A-2-6 through A-2-7:

For Silty-Clay Material groups :

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 AASHTO Soil Classification - Example
Given the following results from sieve analysis and Atterberg limits test results classify the
soil based on AASHTO classification system.
✓ P10 = 80% P40 = 52% P200 = 20%
✓ LL = 35 PL = 20 PI = 15

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 AASHTO Soil Classification - Example
Given the following results from sieve analysis and Atterberg limits test results classify the soil
based on AASHTO classification system.

✓ P10 = 80% P40 = 52% P200 = 20%

✓ LL = 35 PL = 20 PI = 15

✓ Since, P200 <35%, coarse grained soil

✓ Since, P10 > 50, not A-1-a
✓ Since, P40 > 50, not A-1-b
✓ Since, P200 > 10, not A-3
✓ So must be A-2 soil , use plasticity chart
✓ A-2-6 soil.
✓ Assign group index GI = 0.01(F200 − 15)(PI − 10) Use this formula for A-2-6 and A-2-7

GI = 0.01(20 − 15)(15 − 10) = 0.25 = 0

✓ Therefore, soil is A-2-6 (0)
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 Comments about the Group Index (GI)

✓ GI is taken as zero, if the equation yields negative value

✓ Calculated value of GI is rounded off to nearest whole number (for example, GI = 3.4 is
rounded off to 3; GI = 3.5 is rounded off to 4)
✓ Group index is shown in parentheses after the group classification
✓ In general, the quality of performance of soil as a subgrade material is inversely
proportional to the GI

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 Unified Soil Classification System (USCS)
✓ USCS is standardized by ASTM D2487
✓ USCS was developed by Casagrande in 1942 for US Army
✓ USCS is the most common soil classification system among geotechnical engineers
✓ USCS considers grain size distribution and plasticity of fines
✓ In this system, soil falls within one of three major categories:
✓ coarse-grained soils
✓ fine-grained soils
✓ highly organic soils
✓ Coarse-grained soil if percentage passing #200 sieve < 50%.
✓ Fine-grained soil if percentage passing #200 sieve ≥ 50%
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 Unified Soil Classification System (USCS)
✓ Clay:
✓ Soil passing No. 200 (0.075 mm) sieve
✓ Has PI ≥ 4
✓ Plot of PI and LL falls on or above “A” line
✓ Silt:
✓ Soil passing a No. 200 (0.075 mm) sieve
✓ Has PI < 4
✓ Plot of PI versus LL falls below the “A” line
✓ Sand:
✓ Passing No. 4 (4.75 mm) sieve and retained on No. 200 (0.075 mm) sieve
✓ Gravel:
✓ Passing 3 in. (76.2 mm) sieve and retained on No. 4 (4.75 mm) sieve
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 Unified Soil Classification System (USCS)
✓ Uses a 2x letter symbol scheme

Group Symbol (SM)

Group Name (Silty Sand)

✓ 1st letter – Soil type

✓ 2nd letter – Soil behavior

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 Unified Soil Classification System (USCS) – General Procedure
✓ From sieve analysis determine the percent passing as the following:
✓ > 3-inch: Cobble or Boulders
✓ 3-inch to No. 4 (76.2-mm ~ 4.75-mm): Gravel
✓ No. 4 to No. 200 (4.75-mm ~ 0.075-mm): Sand
✓ < No. 200 (0.075-mm): Fines
✓ If 5% or more of soil passes No. 200 sieve
✓ Conduct Atterberg limits test and utilize Casagrande chart for classification of fines
✓ Calculate Cu, Cc, LL, PL and PI
✓ If (<50% passes No. 200 sieve), follow the guidelines for coarse-grained soils
✓ If (≥ 50% passes No. 200 sieve), follow the guidelines for fine-grained soils
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 USCS – Casagrande Plasticity Chart

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 Unified Soil Classification System (USCS)
Cohesionless soil

Silt

Clay

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 Unified Soil Classification System (USCS)
High plasticity/compressibility

Medium plasticity/
compressibility

Low plasticity/
compressibility

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 USCS – (Coarse-Grained Soils)

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 USCS – (Coarse-Grained Soils)

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 USCS – (Inorganic Fine-Grained Soils)

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 USCS – (Organic Fine-Grained Soils)

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 USCS – Example 1

Gravel
= 98-62
= 36%

Sand
= 62-8
= 54%

Fine = 8%

Cu = 46.67
Soil A: D60 = 4.2-mm , D30 = 0.6-mm, D10 = 0.09-mm Cc = 0.95 28
 USCS – Example 1
As fines % is greater than
5% we will determine the
Atterberg limits.

LL = 42
PL = 31
PI = 42-31 = 11

ML

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Gravel = 36%, Sand = 54%, Fines = 8%, Cu = 46.7, Cc = 0.95

LL = 42
PL = 31
PI = 42-31 = 11

ML

Soil A is classified as [SP-SM: Poorly-graded Sand with Silt and Gravel] 30

 USCS – Example 2

Soil A
Gravel = 100 – 80 = 20%
Sand = 80 – 52 = 28%
Fines = 52% > 50% Fine-grained soil
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USCS – Example 2

LL = 30
PI = 8

CL

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 LL = 30
PI = 8
CL

Soil A
Gravel= 20%
Sand= 28%
Fines = 52%

CL – Sandy Lean Clay with Gravel

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 ??
?
Questions

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