The Purpose
To distinguish
between the main soil
types
sand
silt
clay
To assess the
strength and structure
of the soil
Classification systems
Unified Soil Classification Systems
(USCS)
BS Classification Systems (in BS 5930)
AASHTO/ASTM Classification Systems
Further reading:
1) Carter,M. Geotechnical Engineering Handbook. London:
Pentech Press.
2) Other geotechnical references.
Well graded
100
80
60
40
20
0
0.01
0.1
1
Grain size (mm)
10
100
D10
Uniformity coefficient,
CU the ratio of the
maximum particle
size of the smallest
60% to effective size:
D60
CU =
D10
Cu < 4.0 uniformly graded
Cu > 4.0 well graded or gap graded.
PSD curve
Uniform soil will have Uniformity
Coefficient approaching down to 1
Well graded soil will have a high
Uniformity Coefficient.
Example 1:PSD
Total wt of sample = 147.2 g
20
12.5
1.7
10
2.3
6.3
8.4
5.6
5.7
2.8
12.9
3.5
1.4
1.1
0.5
30.5
0.355
45.3
0.18
25.4
0.063
7.4
Cumulative
Sieve Sizes Wt retained
wt
retained
% Passing
Wt. passing
20
147.2
100
12.5
1.7
1.7
145.5
98.8
10
2.3
143.2
97.3
6.3
8.4
12.4
134.8
91.6
5.6
5.7
18.1
129.1
87.7
2.8
12.9
31
116.2
78.9
3.5
34.5
112.7
76.6
1.4
1.1
35.6
111.6
75.8
0.5
30.5
66.1
81.1
55.1
0.355
45.3
111.4
35.8
24.3
0.18
25.4
136.8
10.4
7.1
0.063
7.4
144.2
2.0
Example 1: curve
Percentage passing
100
90
80
70
60
D10 = 0.23
D60 = 0.7
50
U = D60/D10
40
30
= 0.7/0.23
=3.04
20
10
0
0.01
0.1
1
Size (mm)
10
100
Volume
of
Sample
Semi
solid
liquid
Plastic
LL
solid
SL
PL
Moisture
content
Graphical representation.
P.I.
SL
solid
PL
Semi-solid
LL
plastic
liquid
PI
Represent the relative amount of clay
particles in soil
Higher PI = greater amount of clay
particles present = more plastic a soil.
The more plastic soil will:
Be more compressible
Higher shrink swell potential
Less permeable
Casagrande Apparatus
Cone penetrometer
Exercise
Sieve
Sizes
50
37.5
20
14
10
6.3
3.35
1.18
0.6
0.15
0.063
Wt
retained
0
15.5
17
10
11
33
114.5
63.3
18.2
17
10.5