DETERMINATION OF ATTERBERG LIMITS.

1. WELCOME TO OUR PRESENTATION
Submitted To
Dr. Md. Abu Taiyab
Prof. Dept. Of CE.
Mr. Md . Ariful Islam
Lecturer, Dept. of CE.
Prepared By
MD. Parvej
ID: 131046
CE-3/2 SEC A
DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL ENGINEERING.
DHAKA UNIVERSITY OF ENGINEERING & TECHNOLOGY ,GAZIPUR.

2. DETERMINATION OF ATTERBERG
LIMITS OF SOIL
COURSE NO. CE -3302
GEOTECHNINICAL ENGINEERING -I SESSIONAL

3. Objectives
This test is conducted to determine
consistency limits of fine-grained soil
Test Specification
ASTM D 4318 A Standard for LL & PL
ASTM D427 for SL.

4. Soil Consistency - Atterberg Limits
Depending on Moisture Content soil can be divided into:
1. Solid
2. Semi-Solid
3. Plastic
4. Liquid
Shrinkage Limit (SL)
Plastic Limit (PL)
Liquid Limit (LL)
Plasticity Index
(PI) = PL - LL
MoistureContent(w)
(+)
(-)
Liquidity
Index (LI)
LI = 0
LI = 1

5. Liquid Limit:
Liquid Limit (LL) is defined as the moisture content at
which soil begins to behave as a liquid material and
begins to flow. (shear strength of the soil is approximately
2.5 kN / m2)
Plastic Limit:
The moisture content (%) at
which the soil when rolled
into threads of 3mm (1/8 in)
in diameter, will crumble.

6. Plasticity Index:
Plasticity Index is the difference between the
liquid limit and plastic limit of a soil.
PI = LL – PL

7. Test Performance (LL):

8. Liquid limit test: Observation & Calculation
Determination Number 1 2 3 4
Container number 23 37 56 63
Weight of container 10.1 10.3 10.2 10.9
Weight of container + wet soil 48.7 55.9 48.8 43.4
Weight of container + dry soil 37.6 41.5 35.7 33.9
Weight of water 11.1 14.4 13.1 9.5
Weight of dry soil 27.5 31.2 25.5 23
Moisture content (%) 52 72 65 55
No. of blows 40 7 20 36

9. Liquid limit: Flow Curve
The LL of
the soil is
58%

10. Plastic Limit Test Procedure:

11. Determination Number 1
Container number 123
Weight of container 11.2
Weight of container + wet soil 14.4
Weight of container + dry soil 13.7
Weight of water 0.7
Weight of dry soil 2.5
Moisture content (%) 28
The PL of
the soil is
28%
Plasticity
Index
PI= LL-PL=30
Plastic limit test: Observation & Calculation

12. PlasticityIndex(%)
40
30
20
10
0
60
50
10
Liquid Limit (%)
20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
U
- Line
Inorganic Silts of Medium
Compressibility and Organic Silts
Inorganic Silts of
Low Compressibility
Inorganic Silts of High
Compressibility and Organic
Clays
Inorganic Clays
of Low Plasticity
Inorganic Clays of Medium
Plasticity
Cohesionless
Soil
Inorganic Clays of High Plasticity
PI =
0.9(LL-8)
A
- Line
PI = 0.73(LL - 20)
CL - ML
CL
ML
or
OL
CI CH
MI
or
OI
MH
or
OH
InorganicClayof
HighPlasticity
Plasticity Chart

13. Shrinkage Limit
The moisture content, in percent, at which the volume
of the soil mass ceases to change

14. Shrinkage Limit Test Procedure:

15. Shrinkage Limit - Measurement

16. Sl. No. Observations and Calculations
Determination No.
1
Observation
1 Mass of empty mercury dish 68.1
2
Mass of mercury dish, with mercury equal to volume of the
shrinkage dish
317.2
3 Mass of mercury = (2) – (1) 249.1
4 Volume of shrinkage dish = (3)/13.6 18.45
5 Mass of shrinkage dish 26.9
6 Mass of shrinkage dish + wet soil 57.9
7 Mass of wet soil = (6) – (5) 31
8 Mass of shrinkage dish + dry soil 49.1
9 Mass of dry soil = (8) – (5) 22.2
10 Mass of mercury dish + mercury equal to in volume of dry pat 208.9
11 Mass of mercury displaced by dry pat=(10) – (1) 140.8
12 Volume of dry pat , = (11)/13.6 10.92
Calculations
13 Shrinkage limit, 5.72%
DATA SHEET: SHRINKAGE LIMIT TEST

17. &
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