ATTERBERG LIMIT

ATTERBERG LIMITS

FOUR STATES OF CONSISTENCY FOR COHESIVE SOIL AS DESCRIBED BY ATTERBERG

1. Liquid State
2. Plastic State
3. Semi-solid State
4. Solid State

ATTERBERG LIMIT TESTS

1. Liquid Limit Test

a. Water content at which soil changes from the liquid state to the plastic state.
b. A soil place in the grooving tool which consists of a brass cup and a hand rubber base. A groove
is cut at the center of the soil pat using a standard grooving tool. The cup is then repeatedly dropped
from a height of 10 mm until a groove closure of 12.7 mm. The soil is then removed and its
moisture content is determined. This test is then repeated at various moisture contents with the
corresponding number of drops. The soil is said to be at its liquid limit when exactly 25 drops are
required to close the groove for a distance of 12.7 mm (one and a half inch).
c. The liquid limit is defined as the moisture content required to close a distance of 12.7 mm along
the bottom of the groove after 25 blows.
2. Plastic Limit Test
a. Water content at which the soil changes from plastic state to the semi-solid state.
b. A soil sample is rolled into threads until it becomes thinner and eventually breaks at 3 mm. It is
defined as the moisture content in percent at which the soil crumbles when rolled into threads of
3.0 mm. If it is wet, it breaks at a smaller diameter, if it is dry it breaks at a larger diameter.
3. Shrinkage Limit Test
a. Water contents at which the soil changes from semi-solid state to solid state or the smallest water
content at which a soil can be completely saturated.
b. It is performed in the laboratory with a porcelain dish approximately 45 mm in diameter and about
12.7 mm high. The dish is completely filled with wet soil. The mass and volume of the wet soil is
then recorded. The dish is then oven dried, then the mass and volume of the oven dried soil is also
recorded.
c. The soil shrinks during the drying process, so moisture is gradually lost from it. During the drying
process it will reached a stage at which more loss of moisture will result in no further volume
change. The moisture content in percent at which the soil mass ceases to change is known as the
shrinkage limit.

PLASTICITY INDEX – difference between liquid limit and plastic limit. It is a measure of the range of moisture
content that encompasses the plastic state.

P.I. = LL – PL

LIQUIDITY INDEX – a ratio which signifies the relative consistency of a cohesive soil in the natural state.

ɷ − 𝑃𝐿
𝐿. 𝐼. =
𝐿𝐿 − 𝑃𝐿
ATTERBERG LIMIT

Note: When LI = 0 means the soil is at the plastic limit and when LI = 1 means it is at the liquid limit.

Characteristic of Soil:
When LI < 0 – brittle solid
When LI < 1 – plastic
When LI > 1 – liquid

Where:
LI = liquidity index
PI = plasticity index
LL = liquid limit
PL = plastic limit
ɷ = in situ moisture content of soil

SHRINKAGE LIMIT

(𝑀1 − 𝑀2) (𝑉1 − 𝑉2)

𝑆ℎ𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑘𝑎𝑔𝑒 𝐿𝑖𝑚𝑖𝑡 = (100) − 𝜌𝑤 (100)
𝑀2 𝑀2

Where:
M1 = mass of wet soil in the dish in grams
M2 = mass of dry soil in the dish in grams
V1 = initial volume of wet soil in the dish in cc
V2 = initial volume of dry soil in the dish in cc
ρw = density of water (1gr/cm3)

SHRINKAGE RATIO

𝑀2
𝑆𝑅 =
𝑉2 (𝜌𝑤)

SPECIFIC GRAVITY

1
𝐺𝑆 =
1 𝑆𝐿
−
𝑆𝑅 100

Where:
Gs = specific gravity
SL = shrinkage limit
SR = shrinkage ratio
M2 = mass of dry soil in the dish in grams
V2 = final volume of dry soil in the dish in cc
ρw = density of water (1 gr/cm3)

CONSISTENCY INDEX

𝐿𝐿 − 𝜔
𝐶𝐼 =
𝐿𝐿 − 𝑃𝐼

FLOW INDEX

𝜔1 − 𝜔2
𝐼𝑓 =
𝑁2
log(𝑁1)
Where:
ATTERBERG LIMIT

If = flow index
𝜔1 = moisture content of soil, in percent corresponding to N1 blows
𝜔2 = moisture content of soil, in percent corresponding to N2 blows

TOUGHNESS INDEX

𝑃𝑙𝑎𝑠𝑡𝑖𝑐𝑖𝑡𝑦 𝐼𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑥
𝑇𝑜𝑢𝑔ℎ𝑛𝑒𝑠𝑠 𝐼𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑥 =
𝐹𝑙𝑜𝑤 𝐼𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑥

SAMPLE PROBLEMS:

1. A silty clay has a plastic limit of 25 and a plasticity index of 30. If the clay has a liquidity index of 0.20.
a. Compute the water content of the clay.
b. Compute the degree of saturation if the sp. gr. of the clay is 2.70 and a void ratio of 0.92.
c. Compute the moist unit weight of the clay if the void ratio is 0.92, Gs = 2.70.
2. Following are the results of a shrinkage limit test:

Initial Volume of soil in a saturated state = 24.6 cm3

Final volume of soil in a dry state = 15.9 cm3
Initial mass in a saturated state = 44 g
Final mass in a dry state = 30.1 g
Sp. Gr. = 2.70
Determine the following:
a. Shrinkage limit of soil
b. Saturated unit weight if e = 0.467
c. Dry unit weight

3. A soil sample was determine in the laboratory to have a liquid limit of 41% and a plastic limit of 21.1%.
If the water content is 30%, determine the following:
a. Plasticity index
b. Liquidity index
c. What is the characteristic of the soil?
i. Liquid
ii. Plastic
iii. Dense
iv. Brittle solid
4. A soil has a liquid limit of 61 and a plastic limit of 30. A moisture content test performed on an
undisturbed sample of this soil yielded the following results:
Mass of soil + can before placing in oven = 96.2 g
Mass of soil + can after removal from oven = 71.9 g
Mass of can = 20.8 g

a. Compute the PI.

b. Compute the moisture content.
c. Compute the LI.
5. The following are results from the liquid and plastic limit test for a soil.

No. of Blows Moisture Content

(N) (%)
15 42
20 40.8
28 39.1
The plastic limit is 18.7%.
a. Compute the liquid limit using table.
b. What is the PI of the soil?
c. What is the LI if the water content is 24%.
ATTERBERG LIMIT

d. What is the CI?

6. The following data shows the result of the Liquid Limit, and Plastic Limit Test.

LIQUID LIMIT
TEST No. 1 2 3 4
No. of blows 35 g 21 g 16 g 11 g
Wt. of Wet Soil +
22.46 g 21.33 g 21.29 g 26.12 g
Container
Wt. of Dry Soil +
19.44 g 18.75 g 18.78 g 22.10 g
Container
Wt. of Container 12.76 g 13.06 g 13.26 g 13.27 g

PLASTIC LIMIT
TEST No. 1 2 3 4
No. of blows 35 g 21 g 16 g 11 g
Wt. of Wet Soil +
22.46 g 21.33 g 21.29 g 26.12 g
Container
Wt. of Dry Soil +
19.44 g 18.75 g 18.78 g 22.10 g
Container
Wt. of Container 12.76 g 13.06 g 13.26 g 13.27 g