L8

Soil Classification
Prof. Basuony El-Garhy

Geotechnical Engineering and Foundations
Civil Engineering Department
Faculty of Engineering
Copyright March 10, 2011 1

Objectives
 The classification of soils is mainly based on one
or two index properties of soil which are
described in detail in previous lectures.
 The major objectives of soil classification are:
1. To develop a systematic way to describe and

classify soils.
2. To group soils of similar geotechnical
characteristics.
3. To assign symbols.
2
Major Soil Groups
Fine grained soils Coarse grained soils

Cohesive soils Cohesionless soils
Clay Silt Sand Gravel Cobble Boulder
0.002 0.074 2 6 200

Grain size (mm)
Sieve No 200
3
Soil classification systems
1. Particle size classification (MIT)
2. Textural or triangular classification
3. Unified soil classification
4
Particle size classification
0.002 mm
or MIT Classification
2 mm
0.006
0.06
0.02
0.2
0.6
Fine Med Coarse Fine Med Coarse
Clay Gravel
Silt Sand
0.002 mm 0.06 2 mm
5
Triangular classification
 Soils in nature rarely exist separately as gravel,

sand, silt, clay or organic matter, but are usually
found as mixtures with varying proportions of these
components.
 Using the grain size limits in the table below for

sand, silt and clay, a triangular classification chart
was developed for classifying mixed soils.
6
Clay Silt Sand Gravel
0.002 mm 0.05 mm 2 mm
 The first step in the classification of soil is to

determine the percentages of sand, silt and clay in
a given sample by mechanical analysis.
7
8
Example 1: sand = 30%, silt = 40%, clay = 30%
9
10
11
Disadvantage of Triangular
classification
 Disadvantage of this method is that the textural
name as derived from the chart does not always
correctly express the physical characteristics of
the soil. For example, since some clay size
particles are much less active than others, a soil
described as clay on the basis of this system may
have physical properties more typical of silt.
12
Unified Soil Classification
 The unified soil classification system is
considered the most popular system used in the
world to classify the soils. The system is taken
into consideration the grain size and the
consistency of the soil in the classification.
 In the unified classification each soil is given a 2

letter classification (e.g. SW). The following
procedure is used.
13
Symbols used in the Unified
Soil Classification
 G = Gravel  S = Sand
 M = Silt  C = Clay
 W = Well graded  L = Low plasticity
 P = Poorly graded  H = High plasticity
 O = organic material
14
Procedures of Unified Soil Classification
• Coarse grained (if < 50% Passing No. 200 sieve )

• Prefix S (sand ) if > 50% Passing No. 4 sieve
• Prefix G (Gravel) if < 50% Passing No. 4 sieve
• Suffix depends on %fines

• if %fines < 5% suffix is either W or P
• if %fines > 12% suffix is either M or C
• if 5% < %fines < 12% Dual symbols are used
15
To determine W or P, calculate Cu and Cc
D60 D302
Cu  Cc 
D10 ( D60  D10 )
100
80
Passing
Finer
60
%%
40
20
0
0.0001 0.001 0.01 D10 0.1 D30 D
1 60 10 100
Particle size (mm)
16
To determine W or P, use Cu and Cc as follows:
If prefix is G then suffix is W if Cu > 4 and 1 < Cc < 3

otherwise use P .
(GW = well graded gravel; GP = Poorly graded gravel)
If prefix is S then suffix is W if Cu > 6 and and 1 < Cc < 3

otherwise use P.
(SW = well graded sand; SP = Poorly graded sand)
17
• Fine grained (if > 50% Passing No. 200 sieve )
• prefix M and C determined from plasticity chart
18
19
20
Example
classify the soil of the grading curve shown below
100
80
Passing
% Finer
60
%
40
20
0
0.0001 0.001 0.01 0.1 1 10 100
Particle size (mm)
21
Determination the % of fines (silt and clay)
100
80
% Finer
% Passing
60
40
20
11%
0
0.0001 0.001 0.01 0.1 1 10 100
Particle size (mm)
0.074 mm
%fines (% Passing No. 200 sieve) = 11% - Dual symbols required
22
Determination of Cu and Cc
100
80
% Finer
% Passing
60
40
20
0
0.0001 0.001 0.01 0.1 1 10 100
Particle size (mm)
D10 = 0.06 mm, D30 = 0.25 mm, D60 = 0.75 mm
Cu = 12.5, Cc = 1.38
23
Determination the constitutes of the soil
97%100
80
% Finer
% Passing
60
40
20
11%
0
0.0001 0.001 0.01 0.1 1 10 100
Particle size (mm)
0.074 mm 4.75 mm
Gravel = 3%: Sand = 86%; Silt and Clay = 11%
24
Sample classification
The percentage of sand in the soil sample is 86% , hence Prefix is S
For the values of Cu = 12.5 and Cc = 1.38, then the Suffix1 = W

The symbol of the soil is SW (well graded sand)
From Atterberg Tests

LL = 32; PL = 26 then PI = 32 - 26 = 6
Using the plasticity chart to classify the fine grained soil
25
Plasticity chart
32
26
Sample classification
From the Plasticity Chart for the values of LL = 32 and PI = 6 the

Suffix2 = M,
Then, the symbol of the soil is SM (silty sand)
Dual Symbols of the soil are SW-SM

To complete the classification the Symbols should be accompanied
by a description
27

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Soil Classification

Prof. Basuony El-Garhy

Copyright March 10, 2011 1

 The major objectives of soil classification are:

1. To develop a systematic way to describe and

Fine grained soils Coarse grained soils

Clay Silt Sand Gravel Cobble Boulder

0.002 0.074 2 6 200

1. Particle size classification (MIT)

2. Textural or triangular classification

3. Unified soil classification

 Soils in nature rarely exist separately as gravel,

 Using the grain size limits in the table below for

Clay Silt Sand Gravel

 The first step in the classification of soil is to

 In the unified classification each soil is given a 2

 W = Well graded  L = Low plasticity

 P = Poorly graded  H = High plasticity

• Coarse grained (if < 50% Passing No. 200 sieve )

• Prefix G (Gravel) if < 50% Passing No. 4 sieve

• Suffix depends on %fines

• if %fines > 12% suffix is either M or C

• if 5% < %fines < 12% Dual symbols are used

To determine W or P, use Cu and Cc as follows:

If prefix is G then suffix is W if Cu > 4 and 1 < Cc < 3

If prefix is S then suffix is W if Cu > 6 and and 1 < Cc < 3

(SW = well graded sand; SP = Poorly graded sand)

%fines (% Passing No. 200 sieve) = 11% - Dual symbols required

Gravel = 3%: Sand = 86%; Silt and Clay = 11%

The percentage of sand in the soil sample is 86% , hence Prefix is S

For the values of Cu = 12.5 and Cc = 1.38, then the Suffix1 = W

From Atterberg Tests

Using the plasticity chart to classify the fine grained soil

From the Plasticity Chart for the values of LL = 32 and PI = 6 the

Dual Symbols of the soil are SW-SM

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