Contents

Practical 2...................................................................................................................... 2
Atterberg Limits........................................................................................................... 2
Introduction.................................................................................................................... 2
Objective....................................................................................................................... 3
Apparatus...................................................................................................................... 3
Method......................................................................................................................... 3
Liquid Limit................................................................................................................ 3
Plastic Limit................................................................................................................ 4
Results.......................................................................................................................... 4

List of Table
Table 1.1
Table 1.2.....6
List of Figures
Graph 1.15

Practical 2
Atterberg Limits
Introduction
The moisture content of the soil at which the soil changes from solid state to plastic state is
known as the plastic limit. It is the moisture content at which the soil can be rolled into the tread
of 3mm in diameter. The soils which cannot be rolled into the 3mm diameter is termed as nonplastic
The liquid limit (LL) is defined as the water content at which the behavior of a clayey soil
changes from plastic to liquid. Clayey soil does have a very small shear strength at the liquid
limit and the strength decreases as water content increases; the transition from plastic to liquid
behavior occurs over a range of water contents.
Casagrande apparatus method test is widely used to determine the L.L of soils. The original
liquid limit test of Atterberg's involved mixing a pat of clay in a round-bottomed porcelain bowl
of 1012 cm diameter. A groove was cut through the pat of clay with a spatula, and the bowl was
then struck many times against the palm of one hand. The moisture content of soil at which 25
blows of Casagrande apparatus closes a standard groove in the soil paste along a distance of
12.7mm. It is the moisture content at which the soil changes from plastic state to liquid state.
Therefore liquid limit gives an indication of soil cohesion.

Objective
The main purpose
of this experiment is to determine the atterberg limits

(liquid limit and plastic limit) by performing the liquid limit and plastic limit test in a given soil
sample in order to find out the moisture content at which the soil changes from one state to
another. Plasticity index will be calculated from the following formula
Plasticity Index (PI) = Liquid Limit (LL) Plastic Limit (PL)

Apparatus
1. Porcelain dish
2. Spatula or knife
3. Grooving tool
4. Balance
5. Liquid limit apparatus
6. Drying oven
7. Containers for moisture content determination
Method
Liquid Limit
1. The height of drop of Casagrande apparatus should be 10+0.2 mm.
2. A sample of soil thoroughly mixed portion of the material passing sieve No. 40 i.e.
425mm sieve was taken.
3. Water was added in increment of 1-3 ml.
4. A uniform paste of soil was made by adding sufficient suitable quantity of water and then
placed it in the cup and spread with spatula so that the depth of the paste in the middle of
the cup is equal to 10mm.
5. The extra soil paste was placed back to mixing dish and covered to retained the moisture
content of the soil.
6. The soil paste in the cup was then divided by a firm stroke of the grooving tool along the
diameter so that the clean sharp groove formed.
7. The cup was lifted and dropped at the rate of two revolution per second until the two
sides of the sample come in contact at the bottom of the groove along the distance of
about 13mm
8. The number of blows required to close the groove was recorded.
9. A sample was taken to determine the moisture content
10. The procedure is repeated and the number of blows and the corresponding moisture
content is recorded for each trial.
Plastic Limit
1. The given soil sample was deformed into the elliptical shaped mass.

2. The mass was rolled between the fingers or palm on the glass plate with just sufficient
pressure into the tread of uniform diameter throughout its length.
3. The rate of rolling was between 80 90 strokes per minute.
4. When the diameter of the tread becomes less than the 3mm, the tread was broken and the
pieces was squeezed into the uniform mass of ellipsoidal shape and rerolled.
5. This alternate rolling was continued to a tread of 3mm in diameter gathering together
kneading and rerolling until the tread crumbled under the pressure required for rolling
and the soil was no longer be rolled into the tread of 3mm in diameter.
6. The portion of the crumbled soil was taken together and place in the suitable container
for the determination of the moisture content and record the result as the plastic limit.

Results and Discussion

After each trial when the groove is closed the sample for determination of moisture content is
taken in the containers. The steps for determining the moisture content is elaborated in the
following table. Calculate the Moisture Content for liquid limit by the following formula.
Moisture Content = (M2 - M3) / ( M3 M1 )*100
Plot the graph between the moisture content on y axis and No. of blows on x axis. The moisture content at
25 blows were determined.
Plastic limit was determined when the by the same above mentioned formula. Plasticity Index was
determined by the following formula.
PI = Liquid Limit Plastic Limit.
Care was taken while adding the water to the soil and water must be added gradually. Report the

difference calculated as plasticity index except under the following conditions:When the liquid limit or plastic limit cannot be determined report the plasticity index as NP
(non-plastic).
When the liquid limit and the plastic limit is equal to or greater than the liquid limit report the
plasticity index as NP.
Table 1.1

Description
No. of blows
Mass of container M1 (g)
Mass of wet soil and container M2 (g)
Mass of dry soil and container M3 (g)
Moisture Content
(M2 - M3) / ( M3 M1 )*100

Test 01

Test02

Test 03

Test 04

Test 05

20
19.5
40.4
35.1

23
23.5
44.1
38.8

32
16.3
37.3
32.2

15
19.2
35.9
31.6

17
16.0
32.4
28.3

33.97

34.64

32.08

34.68

33.33

35.00

34.00

33.00
Moiture Content (% )
32.00

31.00

30.00
10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

50

No. of Blows

Graph 1.1 Flow Curve

Liquid limit = 33.33%
Table 1.2
Test No.

Test 01

Test 02

Mass of container M1 (g)

19.7

19.1

Mass of wet soil and container M2 (g)

Mass of dry soil and container M3 (g)
Moisture Content
(M2 - M3) / ( M3 M1 )*100

28.8
27.2

32.3
30.5

21.33

15.79

55

60

Plastic limit = 18.56 %

Plasticity Index

L.L P.L = 33.33 18.56= 14.77%

refer to the plasticity chart the soil are ML and OL