MAPUA UNIVERSITY

SCHOOL OF CIVIL, ENVIRONMENTAL AND

GEOLOGICAL ENGINEERING
SOIL MECHANICS AND MATERIALS TESTING
LABORATORY

NAME: PANGIBITAN, GEOJANNI R.

COURSE & SECTION: CE161P-2 / A5 STUDENT NO.: 2018109231 _

EXPERIMENT NO. 4b

PLASTIC LIMIT AND PLASTIC INDEX OF SOIL

TITLE

DATE PERFORMED: SEPTEMBER 17, 2020

DATE SUBMITTED: SEPTEMBER 19, 2020 GRADE

ENGR. TIMOTHY DANIEL DJ. FELICIA

INSTRUCTOR
 Experiment No. 4b
LIQUID LIMIT OF SOIL

OBJECTIVE
This method describes a procedure of determining the lowest water content at
which a soil can be rolled into threads 3.2 mm diameter without crumbling.

PREPARATION OF TEST SPECIMEN

Select a 2A-g portion of soil from the material prepared for the liquid limit test,
either after second mixing before the test, or from the soil remaining after
completion of the test. Reduce the water content of the soil to a consistency at
which it can be rolled without sticking to the hands by spreading and mixing
continuously on the glass plate. The drying process may be accelerated by
exposing the soil to the air current from an electric fan, or by blotting with paper that
does not add any fiber to the soil, such as hard surface paper toweling or high wet-
strength filter paper.

PROCEDURE
1. From the 20 g. mass, select a portion of 1.5 to 2.0 g from the test specimen into
an ellipsoidal mass.
2. Roll the ball of soil between the palm of the hand and the glass plate until it is
3.2 mm inch in diameter.
3. Take some of the crumbles soil and place in a drying can for water content
determination.
4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 and get the average water content, which is the plastic
limit.
LABORATORY EQUIPMENT

Balance, sensitive to 0.1 grams

• Balance, sensitive to 0.1 grams – device used for measuring weight of the
containers and soil samples.

Laboratory Oven
• Laboratory oven – ovens for high-forced volume thermal convention
applications. It provides uniform temperature throughout.
 No. 40 sieve and pan
• No. 40 sieve and pan – a device used for separating wanted elements from
unwanted material. This may also be used for characterizing the particle size
distribution of a sample.

Mortar and Pestle

• Mortar and pestle – used for preparing substances or samples by crushing and
grinding them into a fine paste or powder.
 Spatula
• Spatula – used for collecting small amount of soil sample.

Evaporating Dish

• Evaporating Dish – used to evaporate fluids and supernatant liquids, and even to their
melting point.
 Dry Cans

• Dry Cans – used to hold small amount of soil samples

APPLICATION
Analysis of the plastic limit is about discovering how "solid" a given structure
is. It estimates the factor by which the portion of the live load needs to be amplified
so that a structural crisis occurs which takes the form of plastic collapse. Plastic
collapse occurs when the structure is transformed into a mechanism by the creation
of a sufficient number of plastic hinges and their disposition. One of the most
important findings of a plastic structural study is the plastic collapse factor, as it is
useful for accurate and economical safety evaluation and ductile structure design.
If the amount of moisture increases, four distinct states of consistency go
across clay and silt soils: concrete, semi-solid, rubber, and liquid. Each stage
demonstrates substantial variations in strength, stability and behavior. Using
moisture content at the points where the physical differences occur, Atterberg limit
tests reliably describe the limits between these states. The test values and derived
indexes have clear applications in structural base architecture and in forecasting
soil behavior in fillings, embankments, and pavements. The values determine the
intensity of the shear, predict the permeability, forecast settlement and identify
future expansive soils.
The plastic limit and the plasticity index are useful for defining and classifying
soils, in addition to the other Atterberg parameters. The plasticity of clays is what
enables ceramics to be formed into sculptures or dishes.
The plastic limit is also important for structural analysis. Stress analysts are
used to know whether the device material has adequate ductility to deform without
instability in the plastic domain, even in the presence of known or suspected
fabrication defects.
The plasticity index is also very important, since it determines how much the
soil expands or shrinks. The base of the structures is much more likely to crack and
fail if the structure is built on a soil with a high plasticity level. To prevent these
events, engineers use the plasticity index.
TECHNICAL OBSERVATION
In the video presented, the presenter went over the laboratory procedures on
performing an Atterberg Limit Test. He mentioned that this test includes the liquid
limit and plastic limit tests. They are used to classify the fine-grained portion of a
soil. The practical application of Atterberg limits in geotechnical engineering
includes soil description, quantitative soil classification, and correlation to
engineering properties such as shear strength. The Atterberg limits are index tests
and they are designed to give an idea or indicate how a soil will act under certain
conditions. He mentioned that the tests will be conducted in accordance t with the
ASTM specifications.
The plastic limit is defined as the moisture content at which a material begins
to act less like a plastic putty and more like a brittle solid. In order to conduct the
plastic limit test, the following will be required: a glass plate used to roll out the
three millimeter threads, a rod that is three millimeters in diameter to gauge when it
comes to the point when getting down the three millimeters, two cans to get
moisture content in, and a spatula to spread and dry out the soil.
The plastic limit is the average of the moisture content when the soil starts to
crumble when it is being rolled into a three-millimeter thread. Then take a 25 to 30-
gram sample from the liquid limit test and spread it into the plate to dry.
He then started rolling the soil into a thread until the diameter of the soil is
reduced to three millimeters. If the soil does not crumble when rolled down to three
millimeters, further dry out the soil and try again. Once the soil crumbles at three
millimeters, collect samples of the crumbling soil and place them in pre-weighed
cans for moisture content determination. The test was repeated enough times so
that enough soil has been obtained for two moisture content samples of
approximately 6 grams each. The wet weights of the moisture content samples
were recorded in place in the oven. The samples were reweighed again after 24
hours. He mentioned that the average of the two moisture contents is the plastic
limit.
REFERENCES
• Plastic Limit. Retrieved September 19, 2020 from
https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/engineering/plastic-limit
• Atterberg Limits. Retrieved September 19, 2020 from
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atterberg_limits
• Atterberg Limits: A Quick Reference Guide. Retrieved September 19, 2020
from https://www.globalgilson.com/blog/atterberg-limits-a-quick-
reference-guide
• Atterberg Limit Tests. Retrieved September 19, 2020 from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EcXJ961qjGA