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Geotechnical Engineering 1
Paygane, Kimberly
Abstract
This study investigates the liquid limit using Casagrande device, Vicat apparatus and the
Fall Cone apparatus. The plastic limit (rolling and thread method) was also tested.
To be able to determine the plasticity index of the soil sample, the group performed two
experiments, the liquid limit and the plastic limit. The values needed in computing the plasticity
index is obtained in the liquid limit and plastic limit. But in this experiment, the value of liquid
limit obtained from Casagrande device method will be used to determine the plasticity index.
The liquid limit of using Casagrande device was 37.951. The Vicat Apparatus liquid limit
test resulted to 25.00. Meanwhile, the Automated Fall Cone Apparatus has 73.33 of liquid limit.
The plasticity index was 15.187 coming from the casagrande’s liquid limit and 22.764 of
plastic limit.
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Table of Contents:
1. Abstract………………………………………………………………………………..…ii
2. Table of contents…………………………………………………………………….......iii
3. List of table(s)……………………………………………………………………….…...iv
4. List of figure(s)…………………………………………………………………….…….v
5. Objectives…………………………………………………………………………..……..1
6. Theoretical background……………………………………………………………........1
8. Experimental Procedures…………………………………………………………....…..3
9. Analysis of data……………………………………………………………….……....…7
11. Summary.........................................................................................................................14
12. Conclusion………………………………………………………………………….…...16
13. Recommendations…………………………………………………………………..…..17
14. References………………………………………………………………………….........17
List of table(s)
2. Table 7-2: Approximate ranges for the liquid limit of some clay minerals……...........2
7. Table 7-7: Liquid Limit Test Result (Fall Cone Apparatus) ………………….……….9
List of figure(s)
5. Figure 7-5: Plot of the Moisture Content (%) vs the Number of Blows for the Liquid
6. Figure 7-6: Flow Curvefor the determination of the liquid limit (Vicat Apparatus)
…………………………..……………………………………………………………….11
7. Figure 7-7: Flow Curvefor the determination of the liquid limit (Fall Cone
Apparatus) ………..……………………………………………………………………11
8. Figure 7-8: Flow Curvefor the determination of the liquid limit (Fall Cone
Objectives
This experiment aims to determine the plastic limit and liquid limit of soil samples for the
identification and classification of dried soil using Casagrande device, vicat and fall cone
apparatus.This activity is vital to predict the shear strength and sediment of soil.
Theoretical Background
Plasticity index is also denoted by PI. This is the range of the water content within which
soil achieves its plastic state. This is a measure of plasticity of soil of our interest.The plasticity
index is the size of the range of water contents where the soil exhibits plastic properties. The PI
is the difference between the liquid limit and the plastic limit (PI = LL-PL). Soils with a high PI
tend to be clay, those with a lower PI tend to be silt, and those with a PI of 0 (non-plastic) tend to
ASTM also recommends this equation for determining the liquid limit of soils (ASTM
designation D-4318). However, the value of WN should correspond to an N value between 20 and
N N
20 0.973 26 1.005
21 0.979 27 1.009
22 0.985 28 1.014
23 0.990 29 1.018
24 0.995 30 1.022
25 1.000
2
The presence of clay contributes to the plasticity of soil. The liquid limit of a soil will
change depending on the amount and type of clay minerals present in it. Following are
Table 7-2: Approximate ranges for the liquid limit of some clay minerals
Clay Mineral LL
Kaolinite 35-100
Illlite 55-100
Montmorillonite 100-800
Clay Mineral PL
Kaolinite 20-40
Illlite 35-50
Montmorillonite 50-100
little clay
For the liquid limit test, the materials to be used are Casagrande liquid limit device, Vicat
apparatus, Fall Cone apparatus, Grooving tool, Moisture cans, Porcelain evaporating dish, Oven,
Balance, Plastic squeeze bottle, Paper towels. For the plastic limit test, Porcelain evaporating
dish, Spatula, Plastic squeeze bottle with water, Moisture can, Ground glass plate, Balance
sensitive up to 0.01 g.
Experimental Procedures
The following methods are used to determine the liquid limit of soil using different test
apparatus
In order to start determine the plasticity index, there are procedures done both for the
liquid limit and the plastic limit test. For the liquid limit test, the materials and equipment must
be prepared. First step is to shake an ample amount of soil in sieve no. 40. The soil particles that
passed will be used in performing the experiment. A few drops of water will be added to the soil
depending on how much volume is needed until it becomes clayey. Place it in the
casagrandeliquid limit device and flatten it for grooving. Using the grooving tool, divide it in the
middle and rotate its handle eventually. Be sure to count the number of blows while performing
4
the liquid limit test. When the soils already stick together, remove the part that stick and get its
weight. Insert it into the oven and wait until its mass become constant. When it is completely
Samples of various soil types were obtained primarily from Utah Valley, with the exception
of one soil sample obtained from the Cedar City area. The samples used were selected in an
attempt to represent a variety of soil types, ranging from highly plastic organic clays to slightly
plastic silts and clayey silts. The soils were oven dried and then broken down to obtain a
sufficient amount of Sieve no. 40 material. Each sample was then tested for liquid limit generally
following ASTM procedures. Immediately following the measurement of the number of blows in
the conventional liquid limit device for each point, the sample was transferred to a small cup in
three lifts, gently tamping each lift 25 times with the blunt end of the grooving tool. The excess
sample was then trimmed off, leaving a flat surface across the top of the cup. The cup was placed
on the table of the Vicat Apparatus and the “needle” brought down until it was just in contact
with the trim surface. The movable indicator was set to 0, and then the rod was released. The rod
5
was allowed to penetrate for a period of ten seconds. The penetration value for this period was
About 150 gm. of air dried soil from thoroughly mixed portion of material passing 425
micron IS sieve is obtained.Distilled water is mixed to the soil thus obtained in a mixing disc to
form a uniform paste.Then the wet soil paste is transferred to the cylindrical cup of cone
penetrometer apparatus, ensuring that no air is trapped in this process.Finally the wet soil is
leveled up to the top of the cup and placed on the base of the cone penetrometer apparatus.The
penetrometer is so adjusted that the cone point just touches the surface of the soil paste in the cup
and the initial ready is to be taken.The vertical clamp is then released allowing the cone to
penetrate into soil paste under its own weight for 5 seconds. After 5 seconds the penetration of
the cone is noted to the nearest millimeter.The test is repeated at least to have four sets of values
determined.
6
On the other hand, for the plastic limit test, put approximately 20 grams of a representative,
air-dry soil sample, passed through No. 40 sieve (5 minutes of shaking), into an evaporating dish.
Add water from the plastic squeeze bottle to the soil and mix thoroughly. Determine the mass of
moisture can in grams and record it on the data sheet. From the moist soil prepared, prepare
several ellipsoidal-shaped soil masses by squeezing the soil with your fingers.Take one of the
ellipsoidal-shaped soil massesand roll it on a ground glass. When the thread is being rolled in
reaches 3.18 mm in diameter break it up into several small pieces and squeeze it with your
fingers to form an ellipsoidal mass again.Collect the small crumbled pieces in the moisture can.
Remove the cap from the top of the can and place the can in the oven put the cover on the
can.Determine the mass of the moisture can plus the wet soil in grams. After about 2 hours,
remove the can from the oven and determine the mass of the can plus the dry soil. When all the
data needed for the plasticity index are gathered, the computations can be determined already
Analysis of Data
The results obtained in liquid limit and plastic limit tests are listed and tabulated below.
Test No.
Item
1 2 3
Can no. 1 2 3
Moisture content,
Number of blows, N 35 27 21
Test No.
Item
1 2 3
Can no. 1 2 3
Penetration (mm) 18 22 25
Moisture content,
25.00 52.54 95.77
w% =
Test No.
Item
1 2 3 4
Can no. 1 2 3 4
Moisture content,
73.33 75.00 78.57 92.86
w% =
PL = 22.76
Flow Curve
50
Moisture Content (%)
40
30
20
Flow Curve
10
0
0 10 20 30 40
Number of Blows (N)
Figure 7-5: Plot of the Moisture Content(%) vs the Number of Blows for the Liquid Limit
120
80
60
Flow Curve
40
Liquid Limit
20
0
0 10 20 30
Penetration (mm)
Figure 7-6: Flow Curve for the liquid limit determination (Vicat Apparatus)
100
90
Moisture Content (%)
80
70
60
50
40 Flow Curve
30 Liquid Limit
20
10
0
0 10 20 30
Penetration (mm)
Figure 7-7: Flow Curve for the liquid limit determination (Fall Cone Apparatus)
12
120
80
40
Flow Curve (Fall
20 Cone)
0
0 10 20 30
Penetration (mm)
Figure 7-8: Flow Curve for the liquid limit determination (Fall Cone Apparatus) vs Flow
Discussion of Results
The common procedure for the liquid limit test is given in ASTM Test Designation D –
4318 which is using Casagrande device. However, two other methods of determining liquid limit
were also performed to check the validity of the test results. These are using Vicat apparatus and
The value of the liquid limit using Casagrande Device was 37.245, 46.422 and 30.187 for
Trial 1, Trial 2 and Trial 3, respectively. This was computed using the formula
using 44.57, 36.90, 30.83 of moisture for trial 1, 2 and 3, respectively and the
Meanwhile, the Vicat’s penetration was 18 mm, 22 mm, and 25 mm for Trial 1, 2 and 3,
respectively. The moisture content was computed and the result was 25.00 for trial 1, 52.54 for
trial 2 and 95.77 for trial 3. Based from the graph, the liquid limit was 25.00.
On the other hand, using automated fall cone apparatus, the penetration was 15.7 mm,
16.3 mm, 17.7 mm and 20.2 mm for trial 1, 2,3 and 4, respectively. The moisture content was
73.33 for trial 1, 75 for trial 2, 78.57 for trial 3 and 92.86 for trial 4. Based from the graph, the
The plastic limit is the moisture content at the point of transition from semi solid to
plastic state. It is the lower limit of the plastic stage of soil. The group conducts this experiment
to know the limit to predict the shear strength and sediment of soil. It is very important to
determine the shear strength of soil for building a foundation. The mass of can is equal to 20
grams. The mass of can and moist soil is 35.1 grams. The mass of can plus dry soil is 32.3
grams. The plastic limit is equal to 22.764.As a result, when the moisture content is high, the soil
and water may flow like a liquid and when the moisture content is low, soil changes its flexibility
and becomes brittle. In order to reach the plastic limit, they put some water to dry soil and they
check if it is like a semisolid then they add again some water until it turns to plastic state. The
soil crumbles when rolled into threads of 3.2 mm in diameter. The diameter of soil and its
The plasticity index was calculated by subtracting the plastic limit from liquid limit.
Using Casagrande’s liquid limit test result and the plastic limit, the plasticity index was 15. 187.
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Summary
The experiment of determining the plasticity index of soil is performed by the group last
November 7, 2017. In getting the plasticity index, there should be data from the liquid limit and
plastic limit so the group has to perform two experiments, the liquid limit and the plastic limit.
However, the values from the Casagrande device test method for liquid limit will only be used
To get the liquid limit, there must be prepared materials to be used in the experiment. The
soil needed should pass the no. 40 sieve size so the sieving of soil is performed in order to get the
samples needed. The soil sample obtained in the sieve is used in performing three trials. The dry
soil is mixed with water depending on how much volume is needed until it becomes clayey. The
wet soil mixture is then poured in the casagrande liquid limit device and grooved immediately.
After grooving, it is rotated depending on when the parted soil will stick together again. When it
is already stick, the number of blows is recorded and the parts that stick together is extracted and
weighed to get the mass of the wet soil sample. It is dried in the soil oven until its mass remains
Meanwhile for the Vicat Apparatus, the soil used passed sieve no. 40. The group created
soil paste by adding water to the soil in a metal can. Then, they compact the soil and placed it in
the rubber mold. After adjusting the movable rod, they released the Vicat’s needle. A member
read the penetration in the indicator. They add little amount of water to the mixture every after a
trial. Enough wet soil was dried in the oven until its mass remains constant and weighed again to
get its dry weight afterwards. Three trials were done in this experiment to arrive to better results.
15
For the Fall Cone Apparatus, the group used the automated one. They again created soil
paste using soil which passed sieve No. 40 and distilled water. They mixed it and placed enough
amount of mixture in a metal can. To determine the penetration, they adjusted the cone until it
reached the top surface of the soil. Then, they release the cone. They add little amount of water
to the mixture every after a trial. Meanwhile to determine the moisture content, enough wet soil
was dried in the oven until its mass remains constant and weighed again to get its dry weight
afterwards. Group performed three trials to attain the validity of the results.
For the plastic limit, it is defined as the moisture content at which soil begins to behave as
a plastic material. A plastic material can be molded into a shape and the material will retain that
shape. If the moisture content is below the plastic limit, it is considered to behave as a solid, or a
non-plastic material. The assigned members for doing the plastic limit test sieved a certain
amount of disturbed soil in a No. 40 sieve, and reached approximately 20 grams of fine grained
soil, and then they add sufficient water to the soil and mix it thoroughly. After mixing the soil,
they determine the mass of moisture can by weighing it in a weighing scale. After weighing,
from the moist soil, the assigned members prepared several ellipsoidal-shaped soils by squeezing
the soil with their fingers on a ground glass. They rolled it until it reaches 3.18mm in diameter,
then they break it up into several small pieces, and again squeezed it with their fingers to form an
ellipsoidal mass again. After rolling the ellipsoidal masses, they collected the small crumbled
pieces in the moisture can and put the cover on the can. After that, they weighed the moisture can
with the wet soil and then remove the cap from the top of the can and place the can in the oven
for 2 hours. After removing the can, they determine the mass of the can plus the dry soil.
After computing for the values of both liquid and plastic limits, the plasticity index can
be calculated already since the values needed for its computation is obtained. The effect of the
16
moisture content affects the result of the graph. The interval of number of blows is relatively
Conclusion
If the soil accumulates enough water, it starts to behave similar to water. Determining the
liquid limit of the soil is important since it gives us information regarding the state of consistency
of the soil.
When the moisture content is increasing, the nature of soil behavior changed. The plastic
limit is the result of either cavitation or air entry, resulting in the water phase ceasing to act as a
continuum within the soil thread. Soil type, especially the presence of a significant silt fraction,
will determine which of these mechanisms governs. The moisture content at the point of
transition from semisolid to plastic state is the plastic limit, and from plastic to liquid state is
liquid limit.
The value of liquid limit using Casagrande device was 37.951. For the Vicat Apparatus,
the test resulted to 25.00 liquid limit. Meanwhile, using the automated fall cone apparatus the
value was 73.33. On the other hand, the plastic limit was 22.764.
The following experiments come up with high percentage of errors. This is because the
amount of water used was not observed properly. The soil paste was not able to dry immediately.
The plasticity index of soil depends on what will be the value of the liquid limit and
plastic limit. From the results obtained in the experiment, the soil used is claysince its plasticity
17
index resulted to 15.187 which are in the range of 10-20. Soil’s plasticity index that is between
Recommendations
For the liquid limit, the group observed that the revolution of the Casagrande’s handle
matters so it should always be monitored. The soil should be properly grooved according to its
type. In performing the experiment using Vicat and Fall Cone Apparatus, the water that should
be applied when making the paste should not be plenty to avoid saturated soil.
On the other hand, for the plastic limit the group recommends to use a proper rolling
material instead of bare hands. In addition, it is much better to also perform Fall Cone method to
References:
http://www.ijetae.com/files/Volume4Issue2/IJETAE_0214_98.pdf
http://site.iugaza.edu.ps/dsafi/files/2015/02/Soil-Laboratory-Manual-Das.pdf
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/274763806_Relationship_between_the_atterber
g_limits_and_clay_content
http://www-civ.eng.cam.ac.uk/geotech_new/people/bolton/mdb_pub/222.pdf
ftp://ftp.dot.state.tx.us/pub/txdot-info/cst/TMS/100-E_series/pdfs/soi105.pdf
http://cemmlab.webhost.uic.edu/Experiment%207-Atterberg%20Limits.pdf
Appendix A
The sample was placed in the Casagrande and ready for grooving
19
Data that were obtained through the experiment were computed afterwards
20
Appendix A
Release the needle of the Vicat. Read the penetration in the indicator.
Place the metal can with wet soil in the oven. Wait for minutes, then weigh again the dried soil.
22
Appendix A
Weigh the mass of the soil sample and make sure it is enough to do the plastic limit.
23
Roll by hands the soil mass in an ellipsoidal size on a flat surface repeatedly.
The collected ellipsoidal size of soil mass was placed on a drying oven to achieve its constant
weight.
Appendix B
(Computations)
(Casagrande Device)
Where,
WN (%) = moisture content, in percent, for 92 in. (12.7 mm) groove closure in the liquid
Trial 1
w% = = 44.57% = 46.422
Trial 2
w% = = 36.90 % = 37.245
Trial 3
w% = = 30.83% = 30.186
(Vicat Apparatus)
Moisture Content = w% =
Trial 1
Trial 2
Trial 3
Moisture Content = w% =
Trial 1
Trial 2
Trial 3
Trial 4