Polidori, E. (2003). Géotechnique 53, No.
4, 397–406
Proposal for a new plasticity chart
E. POLIDORI

This study investigates the consistency limits of the pure
clay minerals kaolinite and montmorillonite, and their
respective mixtures with fine silica sand in various pro-
portions. Plotting the plasticity index data as a function
of the liquid limit allows the zones where mixtures with
the same clay contents fall to be defined. In particular,
the line corresponding to 50% clay (designated as the
0·5C-line) makes it possible to distinguish the points that
lie below the line, namely clay, from the points lying
above the line in the silt zone. The clay zone includes
inorganic soils with clay contents >50%, whereas the silt
zone includes inorganic soils composed of silt and/or sand
(2–425 ìm) in percentages >50%. A new plasticity chart,
which aims to classify soils (<425 ìm) using the Atter-
berg limits, is defined herein. It differs from Casagran-
de’s plasticity chart, especially in terms of its silt and
clay zones, whose positions are reversed compared with
Casagrande’s chart. This can be explained by the fact
that, contrary to what is commonly believed, in inorganic
soils—liquid limits being equal—the plasticity index in-
creases as the clay content decreases. Save only a few
exceptions, the examples of inorganic soils plotted on the
new plasticity chart lie above the 0·5C-line in the silt
zone or below the line in the clay zone when their clay
contents are less or greater than 50% respectively. On
Casagrande’s plasticity chart, the same soils lie above the
A-line in the clay zone, regardless of their clay contents
(9·7–100%). Only the kaolinite samples (relatively pure)
lie below the A-line in the silt zone.
KEYWORDS: clays; laboratory tests; plasticity; soil classi-
fication
INTRODUCTION
The classification of soils makes it possible to characterise
solid particles according to their size, shape and mineralogi-
cal composition. Some classification methods are based on
grain size distribution, and the separation limits among the
various types can be distinguished on the basis of the
standards adopted (ASTM, BS, etc.). Whereas these classifi-
cation methods can be properly applied to coarse soils such
as washed sands and gravel, for soils with a high percentage
of fine materials the content and type of clay minerals
present also take on great importance. The data that define
the plasticity of soils (Atterberg, 1911) can be included on
Casagrande’s (1932, 1948) plasticity chart, in which the
plasticity index, I p , is plotted against the liquid limit, W L .
This chart is divided into two zones separated by the A-line
[I p ¼ 0:73(W L  20)], allowing us to distinguish the points
that lie above the A-line (inorganic clays, C) from the points
that lie below the line (silty soils, M). All the plasticity
Manuscript received 30 May 2002; revised manuscript accepted 5
December 2002.
Discussion on this paper closes 1 November 2003; for further
details see p. ii.

Institute of Applied Geology, Urbino University, Italy.
397
Cette étude cherche les limites de consistance de minéraux
argileux purs, le kaolin et la montmorillonite, ainsi que de
leurs mélanges respectifs avec du sable siliceux fin dans
diverses proportions. Le fait de tracer l’indice de plasticité
comme fonction de la limite liquide permet de définir les
zones où les mélanges ayant les mêmes teneurs en argile se
situent. En particulier, la ligne correspondant à 50%
d’argile (désignée comme la ligne 0,5 C) permet de dis-
tinguer les points qui se trouvent sous la ligne, nommé-
ment l’argile, des points qui se trouvent au-dessus dans la
zone limon. La zone argile comprend des sols inorganiques
avec une teneur argileuse égale ou supérieure à >50%
alors que la zone limon comprend des sols inorganiques
composés de limon et/ou de sable (2–425 ìm) en pourcen-
tages >50%. Nous définissons ici un nouveau diagramme
de plasticité dans le but de classifier les sols (<425 ìm) en
utilisant les limites Atterberg. Ce diagramme diffère du
diagramme de plasticité de Casagrande, surtout dans ses
zones limoneuses et sableuses, dont les positions sont
inversées par rapport au diagramme de Casagrande. Ceci
s’explique par le fait que, contrairement à ce que l’on croit
habituellement, dans les sols inorganiques toutes limites
liquides étant égales - l’indice de plasticité augmente à
mesure que la teneur en argile diminue. À part quelques
exceptions, les exemples de sols inorganiques représentés
sur le nouveau diagramme de plasticité se trouvent au-
dessus de la ligne 0,5C dans la zone limon ou en dessous
de cette ligne dans la zone argile quand les teneurs en
argile sont supérieures ou inférieures à 50% respective-
ment. Sur le diagramme de plasticité de Casagrande, les
mêmes sols se trouvent au-dessus de la linge A dans la
zone argile, quelle que soit leur teneur argileuse (9,7 à
100%). Seuls les échantillons de kaolin (relativement purs)
se trouvent en dessous de la ligne A dans la zone limon.
charts reported by the various standards for classifying fine
soils have this characteristic in common. The A-line was
defined by Casagrande (1948) empirically on the basis of
experimental evidence. According to the ASTM standard
(D2482) (Figs 1 and 8), both inorganic and organic (O) silts
and clays are classified as low (L) or high (H) plasticity
according to whether their liquid limit value is lower or
higher than 50% respectively. Finally, the low-plasticity silty
clay group (CL-ML) is defined by plasticity index values
between 4 and 7.
This study was born out of the author’s need to answer
the following questions:
(a) Why do inorganic soils represented on Casagrande’s
plasticity chart, with clay fractions (CF , 2 ìm) that
are smaller than their silt and/or sand fractions
(2–425 ìm), lie above the A-line in the clay zone?
(b) Conversely, why does pure kaolinite lie below the
A-line in the silt zone?
(c) What is the significance of the distance of the points
plotted on Casagrande’s plasticity chart from the
A-line?
This investigation focuses on soils or the fraction of soils
with particles ,425 ìm as reported by the standards
(ASTM, BS, etc.) for determining the Atterberg limits.
398
(CF ⱖ 50%)
Montmorillonite–sand mixtures
(CF ⬍ 50%)
150
(CF ⱖ 50%)
Kaolinite–sand mixtures
(CF ⬍ 50%)
60 clay fraction (CF) % ⬍ 2 µm
100
Ip : %
40
30
50
CL–OL
50 100
ML–OL
0
0 50
Fig. 1. Location on Casagrande’s plasticity chart (ASTM standards) of pure kaolinite and
montmorillonite clay samples and their respective mixtures with fine silica sand (based on data
from Table 1). Values of pure clay minerals taken from Mesri & Cepeda-Diaz (1986). Values of
their respective mixtures with sand calculated as reported by Seed et al. (1964b)
Regarding the classification of soils based on their particle
size, the British Standard (BS 1322), for example, distin-
guishes soil types according to the following criteria:
clay ¼ soil fraction with particles ,2 ìm; silt ¼ soil fraction
with particles 2–60 ìm. Sand is defined here as the only
fraction 60–425 ìm. It is known that a soil’s plasticity
depends essentially on the type and quantity of clay minerals
that are present. These clay minerals can be assessed pre-
cisely only through mineralogical analysis. In routine assess-
ments of soil properties, it is usually assumed that the
fraction ,2 ìm (equivalent diameter) is composed entirely
of clay minerals. In practice, a part of the fraction ,2 ìm
can be composed of non-clayey particles. This should only
result in an underestimation of the plasticity of the clay
minerals that are present. Thus representing the Atterberg
limits as a function of the clay content would change the
slope but not the type of function (linear). For example, this
is what occurs when representing the activity, A, of clay
minerals (A ¼ I p divided by percentage ,2 ìm). Here atten-
tion is directed to the two fractions with different beha-
viours: the fraction composed of particles ,2 ìm (clay) and
the fraction composed of non-clayey particles 2–425 ìm (silt
and/or sand). In order to show the respective zones on the
proposed plasticity chart, inorganic soils with CF > 50% are
designated with the term reflecting their main component,
clay (C). Inorganic soils, mainly composed of silt and/or
sand (CF , 50%), are simply designated with the term silt
(M).
DATA AND DISCUSSION
This study investigates the consistency limits of two pure
clay minerals of kaolinite and montmorillonite, whose prop-
erties are reported in the literature (Mesri & Cepeda-Diaz,
1986), and their respective mixtures with fine silica sand in
various proportions. Previous studies on the index properties
of clay–silica sand mixtures (e.g. Seed et al., 1964b;
Nagaraj et al., 1987; Tan et al., 1994; Kumar & Muir Wood,
1999) reached the conclusion that the liquid limit is propor-
POLIDORI
100
U-line
90
80
70 A-line
60
50 CH–OH
MH–OH
100 150 200
WL: %
tional to the percentage of clay (,2 ìm) for clay percen-
tages that are not too low. The regression line on a graph of
liquid limit against clay percentage passes through the origin
of the axes. The same occurs for both the plastic limit, W p ,
and, as a consequence, for the plasticity index (Seed et al.,
1964b). Seed et al. conclude that the linear correlation of
the liquid and plastic limits with the clay content holds until
the volume of the water–clay system becomes greater than
the voids of the non-clay fraction in the mixtures.
The values of the consistency limits of pure kaolinite and
montmorillonite clay minerals (from Mesri & Cepeda-Diaz,
1986) are shown in Table 1 together with the values of their
respective mixture with fine silica sand. The Atterberg limits
of the mixtures with sand were calculated by the author on
the basis of the data for pure minerals, assuming that, as
reported by Seed et al. (1964b), the liquid and plastic limits
are proportional to the clay contents, as follows:
C
WL ¼ WL c
100
and
C
Wp ¼ Wp c
100
where C is the percentage ,2 ìm, W L c is the liquid limit of
the clay fraction only, and W p c is the plastic limit of the
clay fraction only. The author has considered mixtures with
a sand content ranging from 10% to a maximum value of
70%.
In Fig. 1, the data reported in Table 1 are plotted on
Casagrande’s plasticity chart. Note that pure kaolinite lies in
the low-plasticity silt zone. All the plasticity index values of
the montmorillonite mixtures lie in the high-plasticity clay
zone near the U-line. The U-line shown in the ASTM
standard should represent the upper limit for natural soils.
(U-line equation, vertical at W L ¼ 16 to I p ¼ 7, I p ¼ 0:9
(W L  8).) It can be maintained that the mixtures (Table 1)
composed chiefly of sand (.50%) also lie in the clay zone
when they are plotted on Casagrande’s plasticity chart.
 A NEW PLASTICITY CHART 399
Table 1. Values of the consistency limits of pure kaolinite and montmorillonite clay
minerals (from Mesri & Cepeda-Diaz, 1986). The values of their respective mixtures
with fine silica sand, in various proportions, were calculated as reported by Seed et al.
(1964b)
Samples Percentage ,2 ìm

30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
Kaolinite WL : % 13·5 18·0 22·5 27·0 31·5 36·0 40·5 45
Wp : % 8·7 11·6 14·5 17·4 20·3 23·2 26·1 29
Ip: % 4·8 6·4 8·0 9·6 11·2 12·8 14·4 16
Montmorillonite WL : % 61·5 82·0 102·5 123·0 143·5 164·0 184·5 205
Wp : % 10·5 14·0 17·5 21·0 24·5 28·0 31·5 35
Ip: % 51·0 68·0 85·0 102·0 119·0 136·0 153·0 170

Analysing the data reported in Fig. 1, it can be concluded
that, for montmorillonite, the value of the plasticity index
corresponding to 100% CF constitutes an outer edge of the
zone of the mixtures with high clay contents (>50%), and
the point corresponding to the mixture with 50% clay marks
the boundary between the zone of mixtures with a high clay
content (CF > 50%) and the area of mainly sandy mixtures
(CF , 50%). The same observation can be made regarding
the kaolinite data.
Connecting the kaolinite data points with the data points
of montmorillonite containing the same percentage of clay,
the zones where mixtures with the same CF lie are defined
(Fig. 2). In particular, the lines corresponding to 100% and
50% CF, designated by the author as the C-line and the
0·5C-line respectively, define the zone of mixtures with
CF > 50%. The zone of mainly sandy mixtures (CF , 50%)
is found above the 0·5C-line.
Note that the silt group (CF , 50%) is located above the
clay group (CF > 50%). A mixture with higher silt and/or
sand contents, with the same liquid limit, shows an even
higher plasticity index because it must contain clay minerals
that are increasingly expandable as the clay content de-
creases. In other words, for a given liquid limit value, a drop
in the clay content is accompanied by an increase in
the plasticity index, and as a consequence the ratio
(A ¼ I p divided by percentage ,2 ìm), which defines the
activity of clay minerals (Lambe, 1951; Skempton, 1953),
increases. For example, for a mixture (Fig. 2) with a liquid
limit of 61·5% to have a clay content of less than 30%, it
would need to contain a more expandable montmorillonite
than the one considered here.
On Casagrande’s plasticity chart, for a given liquid limit
value, the soils lying above the A-line in the clay zone
(drawn by Casagrande) show higher plasticity index values
than the silts below the A-line. As I p ¼ W L  W p , the
values of the plastic limit of the clays (soils with
CF > 50%) should be less than the values for silt (soils with
particles 2–425 ìm . 50%) with the same liquid limit,
contrary to what has been shown in this study and in
previous studies (Seed et al., 1964b). In order for the silt
zone to lie under the clay zone (Casagrande’s plasticity
chart), the values of the plasticity index of the mixtures

180
Ip (CF ⱖ 50%) C-line 100
Montmorillonite–sand mixtures
Ip (CF ⬍ 50%)
160
Ip (CF ⱖ 50%) 90
Kaolinite–sand mixtures
Ip (CF ⬍ 50%) 80
140
Wp Montmorillonite–sand mixtures
70
120 Wp Kaolinite–sand mixtures

60 clay fraction (CF) % ⬍ 2 µm

60
100
Ip; Wp: %

0.5C-line 50
A-line
80 (Casagrande)
40

60
30

40
100

20
100
30 30
0
0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160 180 200 220
WL: %

Fig. 2. Plasticity index, Ip , and plastic limit, Wp, as functions of liquid limit, WL, based on data
reported in Table 1. The dashed lines define the zone where mixtures having the same clay fraction
(CF) lie
400
(Fig. 2) with CF , 100% should lie under the C-line. In this
case, the values of the plastic limit of the mixtures plotted
in Fig. 2 should increase as the clay content decreases,
contrary to what occurs.
In Fig. 3, several plastic limit and plasticity index values
are shown as a function of the liquid limit of the clay
minerals kaolinite and montmorillonite. Their clay content
ranges from 82% to 100% (Table 2). The data were obtained
from previous studies (Seed et al., 1964a; Mesri & Cepeda-
Diaz, 1986; Wasti & Bezirci, 1986; Rao et al., 1989; Di
Maio & Fenelli, 1994; Kumar & Muir Wood, 1999; Feng,
2000; Lemos & Vaughan, 2000) and from studies now in
progress. The A-line of Casagrande and the C-line, which is
the regression line of the plasticity index values of the
samples with CF ¼ 100%, are also shown. The scatter in the
plastic limit and plasticity index values (with CF ¼ 100%)
can probably be attributed to the limited precision of the
standard methods for determining the plastic limit. For
example, Whyte (1982) reported that the plastic limit of a
clay determined in different laboratories ranged from 19% to
39%, with an average plastic limit of 23%. In Table 2, for
example, the plastic limit of kaolinite is sometimes greater
than that of montmorillonite. Both the pure clay minerals
considered in this study (from Mesri & Cepeda-Diaz, 1986)
appear to have a rather low plastic limit. In fact, the value
of the intersection with the y axis of the C-line in Fig. 2 is
greater than that of the C-line in Fig. 3, whereas both
C-lines have an equal slope (0·96). In agreement with the
data shown in Fig. 2, the plasticity index values of the
samples with a CF , 100% lie above the C-line. Further-
more, as in Fig. 2, the C-line crosses the A-line of Casa-
grande. The lowest plasticity index values, corresponding to
kaolinite, lie below the A-line (in the silt zone according to
Casagrande).
NEW PLASTICITY CHART
The new plasticity chart is shown in Fig. 4 and is based
on Fig. 2. The chart aims to classify the soils or fraction of
500
Ip (CF ⫽ 100%)
Ip (CF ⬍ 100%)
400
Ip (CF ⫽ 100%)
Ip (CF ⬍ 100%)
300
Ip; Wp: %
200
100
0
0 100 200
Fig. 3. Plasticity index, Ip , and plastic limit, Wp, as functions of liquid limit, WL, of samples of clay
minerals, kaolinite and montmorillonite (CF 82–100%), based on data from Table 2. C-line: line of
regression of values of plasticity index of samples with CF 100%. Casagrande’s A-line is also shown
POLIDORI
soils ,425 ìm using the Atterberg limits. New lines are
defined in the chart. The C-line and the 0·5C-line are the
lines on which the plasticity index values should lie as a
function of the liquid limit of the inorganic samples that
contain 100% CF and 50% CF respectively. The U-line (as
in Casagrande’s plasticity chart) constitutes the upper limit
of existence of the soils. The dashed line that unites the
point with coordinates (20, 0) with the point (60, 20·6)
generally represents the lower limit of existence for inorgan-
ic soils. Precisely, it is on point (60, 20·6) that the lowest
value of the plasticity index (against W L ) of the pure clay
mineral (kaolinite) having the lowest activity value should
lie, whereas the values of the plasticity index of this clay
mineral mixed with silica silt and/or sand (2–425 ìm)
should lie on the dashed line. As quartz and feldspar
produced non-plastic mixtures with water, even when ground
to clay size (Casagrande, 1932), their presence in soils
lowers the activity values. Inorganic soils with very low
activity values (as a function of the activity of pure clay
mineral(s) and the content of the non-clay particles ,2 ìm)
may also fall under the dashed line in the organic soils zone
(or on the extension of the C-line, when non-clay particles
2–425 ìm are not present in the soils). The lines have been
defined on the basis of available data. The respective equa-
tions are shown in Fig. 4. The values of the equations may
be confirmed or slightly modified on the basis of further
tests with new experimental data (Polidori, in preparation).
All the plasticity index values of the inorganic soils with
CF , 100% should lie above the C-line (see Fig. 2). The
0·5C-line allows us to distinguish the points that fall below
the line, clays (C), from the points lying above the line in
the silt zone (M). The clay zone is found between the C-line
and the 0·5C-line, and inorganic soils with CF > 50%
should be found here. The silt zone is located between the
0·5C-line and the U-line, and inorganic soils composed of
silt and/or sand (2–425 ìm) . 50% should lie here. These
zones can be broken down into groups with low or high
plasticity (according to the ASTM standard when the liquid
limit value is less than or greater than 50% respectively). As
C-line
?
A-line
(Casagrande)
300 400 500 600
WL: %
 A NEW PLASTICITY CHART 401
Table 2. Values of the Atterberg limits of the clay minerals kaolinite and montmorillonite
Reference Kaolinite Montmorillonite

% ,2 ìm WL : % Wp : % Ip: % % ,2 ìm WL : % Wp : % Ip: %
Seed et al. (1964a) 95·5 521·5 48 473·5
Mesri & Cepeda-Diaz (1986) 100 45 29 16 100 205 35 170
Wasti & Bezirci (1986) 88 526 38 488
Rao et al. (1989) 100 348 43·9 304·1
Di Maio & Fenelli (1994) 100 57·5 37·8 19·7 100 330·6 55·2 275·4
Kumar & Muir Wood (1999) 95 80 39 41
Feng (2000) – 423 37 386
Lemos & Vaughan (2000) 82 69 38 31
82 72 36 36
Polidori (in prep.) 100 67 38 29 100 204 45 159
100 372 49 323
100 535 56 479

80
0.5C-line

70 C-line
U-line
for WL ⬎ 60; Ip ⫽ 0.96 WL ⫺ 37

60
0.5C-line
for WL ⬎ 29; Ip ⫽ 0.96 WL ⫺ 23

50
U-line MH
for WL ⬎ 16; Ip ⫽ 0.96 WL ⫺ 10
Ip: %

40

CH C-line
30

OH

20
CL
ML

10
OL

0
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
WL: %

Fig. 4. New plasticity chart. C-line, 0·5C-line: lines on which plasticity index, Ip , values should lie as
a function of liquid limit, WL, of inorganic samples that contain 100% CF and 50% CF (<2 ìm)
respectively. U-line: upper limit of existence of soils. CL, CH groups of clays (CF > 50%) with low
and high plasticity respectively. ML, MH groups of silts (2–425 ìm > 50%) with low and high
plasticity respectively. OL, OH organic soils with low and high plasticity respectively. Low
plasticity (L) and high plasticity (H) based on ASTM standard

organic soils have a lower plasticity than inorganic soils with
the same liquid limit and clay content (Fig. 7), they may lie
in the clay zone or below the C-line, as a function of the
contents of clay and organic material.
On the new plasticity chart, for inorganic soils, the
distance of a point from the C-line (see Fig. 2) should be
inversely proportional to its clay content. The pure clay
minerals should lie on the C-line. The inorganic soils that
lie on the 0·5C-line should have a CF ¼ 50%, whereas those
that lie at the greatest distance from the C-line, near the
U-line, should have the lowest clay contents. This distance
allows the calculation of the CF value. In order to determine
the values of CF more easily, the distance from the C-line to
the U-line can be divided with additional lines, as seen for
example in Fig. 2. Furthermore, for inorganic soils, at a
given liquid limit value, the plastic limit value (through the
plasticity index) and the value of the percentage of clay of
the soil with particles ,425 ìm should correspond. The
percentage of clay obtained from the new plasticity chart
should be equal to the clay percentage of grain size distribu-
tion of the fraction of the soil ,425 ìm (Polidori, in
preparation). Any possible difference between these two CF
values is probably due mainly to the limited precision of the
standard method for determining the plastic limit. The
presence of organic material may also account for a plasti-
city index value that is not proportional to the clay content
(lower). The plasticity index value and the percentage of
clay allow the activity of the clay minerals present in an
inorganic soil to be calculated. The value of the activity will
be indicative of the expandability of the clay minerals that
are present.
The boundary designated as the 0·5C-line should be
equivalent to the A-line on Casagrande’s plasticity chart as it
divides the clay zone from the silt zone. The fundamental
402 POLIDORI
difference is that the respective positions of these two zones proposed plasticity chart in Figs 5–7. These data were
are reversed. obtained from literature (Seed et al., 1964a; Lupini et al.,
1981; Skempton, 1985; Nakase et al., 1988; Burland, 1990;
Di Maio & Fenelli, 1994; Lemos & Vaughan, 2000) and
EXAMPLES OF SOILS PLOTTED ON THE NEW Polidori (unpublished). Only the Atterberg limits (Table 5)
PLASTICITY CHART of the samples in which the percentage of silt (2–60 ìm) is
The data of the plasticity index as a function of the liquid greater than the clay percentage (,2 ìm) and the samples
limits of several natural and artificial soils are shown on the with a CF . 50% were considered. This allowed the samples

90

U-line
(Kaolinite–bentonite) 25–75% sand mixtures
80 (Seed et al., 1964a)
0.5C-line
(Illite–bentonite) 50–50% sand mixtures
70 (Seed et al., 1964a)

Kaolinite (CF 82–100%)

60
MH CH
50
Ip: %

C-line
40
OH
30
ML
A-line
20 (Casagrande)
CL
10
OL

0
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 110

WL: %

Fig. 5. Location on new plasticity chart (see Fig. 4) of artificial inorganic soil mixtures shown in
Table 3. The kaolinite data are reported in Table 2. Casagrande’s A-line is also shown

175
(CF ⱖ 50%) London clay–Happisburgh till mixtures
(CF ⬍ 50%) (Lemos & Vaughan, 2000)
150
(CF ⱖ 50%) Bentonite–sand mixtures
(CF ⬍ 50%) (Lupini et al., 1981)
125
Kaolinite–bentonite mixtures
(Di Maio & Fenelli, 1994)

100
U-line MH A-line
Ip: %

0.5C-line (Casagrande)
CH
75

OH
50

C-line
25

0
0 25 50 75 100 125 150 175 200 225
WL: %

Fig. 6. Location on proposed plasticity chart (see Fig. 4) of natural and artificial inorganic soil
mixtures. The data are reported in Table 4. Casagrande’s A-line is also shown
 A NEW PLASTICITY CHART 403
70

0.5C-line
Natural soils (CF ⬎ 50%)
60 U-line
Natural soils–mixtures (CF ⬍ 50%)

Nat. marine soil–sand mixtures (silt ⬎ CF)

50
Natural soils (silt ⬎ CF)
CH
Nat. marine soils (CF ⬍ 35%)
40
Kaolinite–humus mixture
C-line
Ip: %

MH

30 OH
ML

A-line
20 (Casagrande)
CL

10

OL

0
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
WL: %

Fig. 7. Location on new plasticity chart (see Fig. 4) of several inorganic and organic soils as well as
several mixtures of natural inorganic soils. CF clay fraction (percentage <2 ìm). The data are
reported in Table 5. Casagrande’s A-line is also shown

70

(CF ⬍ 50%) U-line

Nat. and artificial inorganic soils
(CF ⱖ 50%)
60
Kaolinite (CF 82 to 100%)

Natural organic soils (CF ⬍ 35%)

50
Kaolinite–humus mixture

A-line
40 CH–OH
Ip: %

30

CL–OL

20 MH–OH

10

CL–ML ML–OL

0
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
WL: %

Fig. 8. Location on Casagrande’s plasticity chart (ASTM standard) of soils (with WL < 100%)
plotted on the new plasticity chart in Figs 5–7

to be clearly separated into two groups: those that are
composed mainly of silt and/or sand (CF , 50%) and those
composed of clay (CF . 50%). The A-line has also been
included in order to show where the same soils would lie on
Casagrande’s plasticity chart. As the respective positions of
the silt and clay zones are reversed on the two plasticity
charts, the points that lie above and below the A-line fall in
the clay zone and the silt zone respectively on Casagrande’s
plasticity chart.
Figure 5 shows mineral mixtures with various proportions
of kaolinite–bentonite or illite–bentonite mixed with sand,
based on the data shown in Table 3. All the mixtures have a
CF , 50%, ranging from 12% to 47%, and lie in the silt
zone, except for one mixture that falls below the 0·5C-line.
404 POLIDORI
Table 3. Atterberg limits of illite–bentonite–sand mixtures and kaolinite–bentonite–
sand mixtures
Mixture Illite: % Bentonite: CF: % WL : % Wp : % I p : %
% ,2 ìm
50% clay, 50% sand 100 – 26? 30·1 15·2 14·9
(Seed et al., 1964a) 90 10 24 31·8 18·6 13·2
80 20 27 38·4 19·5 18·9
60 40 30 56·4 22·0 34·4
40 60 39 74·2 26·1 48·1
20 80 44 139·3 27·3 112·0
– 100 47 230·5 28·0 202·5
Kaolinite: Bentonite: CF: % WL : % Wp : % I p : %
% % ,2 ìm
25% clay, 75% sand 100 – 12 – – –
(Seed et al., 1964a) 90 10 12·5 22 17·3 4·7
80 20 14·5 30·8 19·8 11
60 40 16·5 45·4 16·9 28·5
40 60 19·5 66·4 19 47·4
20 80 21·5 84·5 20 64·5
– 100 24 105 19·5 84·5

In the same figure, the plasticity index values are also
plotted as a function of the liquid limit (Table 2) of kaolinite
(relatively pure). All the samples lie below the 0·5C-line in
the clay zone.
Figure 6 shows the mixtures of the clay mineral kaoli-
nite–bentonite, bentonite–sand, and the mixtures of the
natural soils London clay–Happisburgh till (Table 4). Note
that the mixtures with CF . 50% are located in the clay
zone, except for one mixture that lies below the C-line in
the zone of organic soils. The mixtures with a CF , 50%
lie above the 0·5C-line in the silt zone.
Figure 7 shows several examples of inorganic and organic
soils and several mixtures (Table 5). Note that the organic
soils, as they have lower plasticity than inorganic soils with
the same liquid limit and clay content, may even lie below
the C-line. The natural marine organic soils that are shown
have CF contents ,35%.
With a few exceptions, the inorganic soils shown in Figs
5–7 lie in the silt zone and the clay zone when their clay
contents are less than or greater than 50% respectively. As
the contents of the possible particles .425 ìm in the soils
shown in Table 5 are generally unknown, the percentages of
clay that can be obtained from the new plasticity chart (as a
function of the distance of the plotted points from the
C-line) referring to soil particles ,425 ìm may be slightly
greater than those presented in Table 5, which refer to total
soil. This is because a sample also composed of non-clay
particles .425 ìm has a grain size distribution that is differ-
ent from the grain size distribution of the fraction of soil
(,425 ìm) used for the Atterberg limits. Nevertheless, the
exceptions (underestimates or overestimates of I p ) are prob-
ably due mainly to the difficulty of determining the plastic
limit.
Figure 8 shows the soils plotted in Figs 5–7 on Casagran-
de’s plasticity chart. The position of the A-line is such that
the inorganic soils lie above it in the clay zone, regardless

Table 4. Values of the Atterberg limits of bentonite–sand mixtures, kaolinite–bentonite

mixtures and London clay–Happisburgh till mixtures
Reference Bentonite: Sand: % CF: % WL : % Wp : % I p : %
% ,2 ìm
Lupini et al. (1981) 15 85 13 38 21 17
30 70 26 56 20 36
45 55 40 80 23 57
60 40 53 114 28 86
75 25 66 140 36 104
100 – 88 184 48 136
Kaolinite: Bentonite: % CF: % WL : % Wp : % I p : %
% ,2 ìm
Di Maio & Fenelli (1994) 100 – 100 57·5 37·8 19·7
75 25 100 100·9 34·4 66·5
50 50 100 165·3 37·8 127·5
40 60 100 205·5 44·3 161·2
25 75 100 259·2 48·9 210·3
– 100 100 330·6 55·2 275·4
London Happisburgh CF: % WL : % Wp : % I p : %
clay: % till: % ,2 ìm
Lemos & Vaughan (2000) – 100 20 24·1 12 12·1
25 75 29 35·5 14·1 21·4
50 50 35 47·1 18·2 28·9
75 25 45 58 22 36
100 – 58 71 26 45
 A NEW PLASTICITY CHART 405
Table 5. Several values of the Atterberg limits of natural soils, natural soil–sand
mixtures and natural soil mixtures
Mixture Silt: % Clay: % WL : % Wp : % Ip: %
Natural marine soil–sand mixtures 61·6 22·3 55·3 25·9 29·4
(Nakase et al., 1988) 48·7 17·2 42·7 23·3 19·4
39·2 13·4 34·8 20·2 14·6
28·9 9·7 27·6 16·9 10·7
Natural inorganic soils 62 32 42 20 22
(Polidori, unpublished) 70 25 43 21 22
52 20 33 19 14
69 22 45 20 25
70 19 36 19 17
47 13 32 20 12
46 31 43 22 21
Natural marine organic soils 71 25 47 40 7
(Polidori, unpublished) 67 29 43 34 9
74 18 54 32 22
70 28 41 30 11
68 27 44 30 14
63 34 57 36 21
64 25 39 30 9
64 29 54 38 16
Kaolinite–humus mixture Humus 67 93 64 29
(Polidori, unpublished)
Natural inorganic soils – 52 65 32 33
(Lupini et al., 1981) – 63 63 28 35
– 57 72 29 43
– 59 95 34 61
– 57 82 28 54
– 64 68 25 43
– 52 58 26 32
– 60 93 32 61
Natural inorganic soil mixtures, – 20 24 12 12
,425 ìm (Lupini et al., 1981) – 27 36 14 22
– 34 51 18 33
– 40 65 20 45
– 48 73 24 49
Natural inorganic soils (Burland, 1990) – 59 68·5 28·7 39·8
– 53 70·6 28·9 41·7
– 57 70·0 27·0 43·0
– 60 67·8 29·0 38·8
– 62 88 32 56
Natural inorganic soils – 70 57 27 30
(Skempton, 1985) – 52 60 27 33
– 52 64 28 36
– 58 75 29 46
– 55 80 29 51

of their clay contents, which range from 9·7% to 100%. In CONCLUSIONS

addition to organic soils, only samples of kaolinite with
CF 82–100% lie under the A-line in the silt zone.
For inorganic soils, the classification of silt or clay
obtained from the new plasticity chart should be in agree-
ment with the main component (silt or clay) defined by the
nomenclature (for example, British Standard) for the grain
size distribution of the fraction of the soil ,425 ìm. The
samples with CF 34–49% may be exceptions. Indeed, it
might occur that a soil composed, for example, of clay
¼ 34%, silt (2–60 ìm) ¼ 33% and sand (60–425 ìm)
¼ 33%, and thus definable by grain size distribution as ‘clay
with . . .’ (on the basis of the respective nomenclature)
should, on the contrary, be classified as silt from a behav-
ioural standpoint on the proposed plasticity chart. This is
because, unlike what occurs for grain size distribution, the
two components silt and sand (equal in terms of behaviour)
are included in the fraction 2–425 ìm.
A new plasticity chart for classifying soils (or soil frac-
tions) ,425 ìm using their liquid limit and plasticity index
is proposed. On this chart (W L , I p ), two straight lines
separate silts, clays and organic soils. The positions of these
lines were determined by considering the behaviour of
montmorillonite–sand and kaolinite–sand mixtures. A line
joining the points for kaolinite and montmorillonite separates
clays from organic soils, and a line linking the points for the
1 : 1 mixtures separates silts from clays.
This plasticity chart differs from that proposed by Casa-
grande (W L , I p ) primarily in that the respective positions of
the silt and clay zones are reversed. Indeed, on the new
chart, the silt zone is found above the clay zone. On the
basis of what has been demonstrated in this work, and the
examples of inorganic soils shown on the two plasticity
charts, it can be concluded that the positions of the clay and
silt zones on Casagrande’s chart are not accurate. Casagran-
406 POLIDORI
de’s chart was defined empirically without considering the
clay contents in the soils.
Plotting inorganic soils (,425 ìm) on the proposed plasti-
city chart using the Atterberg limits not only classifies these
soils, but also allows information regarding both the amount
and type of clay minerals present (activity) to be obtained.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The research upon which this paper is based was funded
by the Italian National Council of Research, GNDCI No.
01·01048·42
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