Astm D 3282 - 93 - R 2004
Astm D 3282 - 93 - R 2004
Astm D 3282 - 93 - R 2004
2. Referenced Documents
2.1 ASTM Standards: 2
D 420 Guide to Site Characterization for Engineering, Design, and Construction Purposes
D 421 Practice for Dry Preparation of Soil Samples for
Particle-Size Analysis and Determination of Soil Constants
D 422 Test Method for Particle-Size Analysis of Soils
D 653 Terminology Relating to Soil, Rock, and Contained
Fluids
D 1140 Test Methods for Amount of Material in Soils Finer
Than the No. 200 (75-m) Sieve
D 1452 Practice for Soil Investigation and Sampling by
Auger Borings
D 1586 Test Method for Penetration Test and Split-Barrel
Sampling of Soils
D 1587 Practice for Thin-Walled Tube Sampling of Soils
for Geotechnical Purposes
D 2217 Practice for Wet Preparation of Soil Samples for
Particle-Size Analysis and Determination of Soil Constants
D 4318 Test Methods for Liquid Limit, Plastic Limit, and
Plasticity Index of Soils
2.2 AASHTO Document:3
M 145 The Classification of Soils and Soil Aggregate Mixtures for Highway Construction Purposes
1. Scope
1.1 This practice covers a procedure for classifying mineral
and organomineral soils into seven groups based on laboratory
determination of particle-size distribution, liquid limit, and
plasticity index. It may be used when a precise engineering
classification is required, especially for highway construction
purposes. Evaluation of soils within each group is made by
means of a group index, which is a value calculated from an
empirical formula.
NOTE 1The group classification, including the group index, should be
useful in determining the relative quality of the soil material for use in
earthwork structures, particularly embankments, subgrades, subbases, and
bases. However, for the detailed design of important structures, additional
data concerning strength or performance characteristics of the soil under
field conditions will usually be required.
3. Terminology
3.1 Definitions of Terms Specific to This Standard:
2
For referenced ASTM standards, visit the ASTM website, www.astm.org, or
contact ASTM Customer Service at [email protected]. For Annual Book of ASTM
Standards volume information, refer to the standards Document Summary page on
the ASTM website.
3
Available from American Association of State Highway and Transportation
Officials (AASHTO), 444 N. Capitol St., NW, Suite 249, Washington, DC 20001.
This standard is under the jurisdiction of ASTM Committee D18 on Soil and
Rock and is the direct responsibility of Subcommittee D18.07 on Identification and
Classification of Soils.
Current edition approved May 1, 2004. Published May 2004. Originally
approved in 1973. Last previous edition approved in 1997 as D 3282 93 (1997)e1.
Copyright ASTM International, 100 Barr Harbor Drive, PO Box C700, West Conshohocken, PA 19428-2959, United States.
D 3282 93 (2004)e1
3.1.1 The following terms are frequently used in this practice. These terms differ slightly from those given in Terminology D 653, but are used here to maintain consistency with
common highway usage.
3.1.2 bouldersrock fragments, usually rounded by weathering or abrasion, that will be retained on a 3-in. (75-mm)
sieve.
3.1.3 coarse sandparticles of rock or soil that will pass a
No. 10 (2-mm) sieve and be retained on a No. 40 (425-m)
sieve.
3.1.4 fine sandparticles of rock or soil that will pass a No.
40 (425-m) sieve and be retained on a No. 200 (75-m) sieve.
3.1.5 gravelparticles of rock that will pass a 3-in. (75mm) sieve and be retained on a No. 10 (2-mm) sieve.
3.1.6 silt-clay (combined silt and clay)fine soil and rock
particles that will pass a No. 200 (75-m) sieve.
3.1.7 siltyfine-grained material that has a plasticity index
of 10 or less.
3.1.8 clayeyfine-grained material that has a plasticity
index of 11 or more.
8. Testing Procedure
8.1 Determine the percentage of the test sample finer than a
No. 200 (75-m) sieve in accordance with Test Methods
D 1140 or D 422.
NOTE 4For granular materials, the percentage of the sample finer than
a No. 40 (425-m) sieve must also be determined.
5. Apparatus
5.1 Apparatus for Preparation of SamplesSee Practices
D 421 or D 2217.
5.2 Apparatus for Particle-Size AnalysisSee Test Methods D 1140 and D 422.
5.3 Apparatus for Liquid Limit and Plastic Limit TestsSee
Test Methods D 4318.
9.1.1 With the required test data available, proceed from left
to right in Table 1 or Table 2 and the correct classification will
be found by the process of elimination. The first group from the
left into which the test data will fit is the correct classification.
6. Sampling
6.1 Conduct field investigations and sampling in accordance
with one or more of the following procedures:
6.1.1 Guide D 420,
6.1.2 Practice D 1452,
6.1.3 Test Method D 1586, and
6.1.4 Practice D 1587.
7. Test Sample
7.1 Test samples shall represent that portion of the field
sample finer than the 3-in. (75-mm) sieve and shall be obtained
as follows:
7.1.1 Air-dry the field sample,
7.1.2 Weigh the field sample,
2
D 3282 93 (2004)e1
TABLE 1 Classification of Soils and Soil-Aggregate Mixtures
Granular Materials
(35 % or less passing No. 200)
General Classification
Group Classification
A-1
A-3A
Silt-Clay Materials
(More than 35 % passing No. 200)
A-2
A-4
A-5
A-6
A-7
...
...
36 min
...
50 max
25 max
...
51 min
10 max
...
...
35 max
...
...
36 min
...
...
36 min
...
...
36 min
...
6 max
...
N.P.
40 max
10 max
41 min
10 max
40 max
11 min 41 min
11 min
Excellent to Good
Fair to Poor
The placing of A-3 before A-2 is necessary in the left to right elimination process and does not indicate superiority of A-3 over A-2.
B
See Table 2 for values.
Reprinted with permission of American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials
General Classification
A-1
Group classification
Sieve analysis, % passing:
No. 10 (2.00 mm)
No. 40 (425 m)
No. 200 (75 m)
Characteristics of fraction passing
No. 40 (425 m):
Liquid limit
Plasticity index
Usual types of significant constituent materials
Silt-Clay Materials
(More than 35 % passing No. 200)
A-2
A-7
A-3
A-1-a
A-1-b
50 max
30 max
15 max
...
50 max
25 max
...
6 max
Stone Fragments,
Gravel and Sand
A-2-4
A-2-5
A-2-6
A-2-7
...
51 min
10 max
...
...
35 max
...
...
35 max
...
...
35 max
...
...
35 max
...
N.P.
Fine
Sand
40 max
41 min
40 max
41 min
10 max
10 max
11 min
11 min
Silty or Clayey Gravel and Sand
Excellent to Good
A-4
A-5
A-6
A-7-5,
A-7-6
...
...
36 min
...
...
36 min
...
...
36 min
...
...
36 min
40 max
41 min
10 max
10 max
Silty Soils
40 max
41 min
11 min
11 minA
Clayey Soils
Fair to Poor
Plasticity index of A-7-5 subgroup is equal to or less than LL minus 30. Plasticity index of A-7-6 subgroup is greater than LL minus 30 (see Fig. 1).
Reprinted with permission of American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials.
except that the fine portion contains plastic clay having the
characteristics of the A-6 or A-7 group, respectively.
10.2 Silt-Clay Materials, containing more than 35 % passing a No. 200 (75-m) sieve:
10.2.1 Group A-4The typical material of this group is a
nonplastic or moderately plastic silty soil usually having 75 %
or more passing a No. 200 (75-m) sieve. This group also
includes mixtures of fine silty soil and up to 64 % of sand and
gravel retained on a No. 200 sieve.
10.2.2 Group A-5The typical material of this group is
similar to that described under Group A-4, except that it is
usually of diatomaceous or micaceous character and may be
highly elastic as indicated by the high liquid limit.
10.2.3 Group A-6The typical material of this group is a
plastic clay soil usually having 75 % or more passing a No. 200
(75-m) sieve. This group also includes mixtures of fine clayey
soil and up to 64 % of sand and gravel retained on a No. 200
sieve. Materials of this group usually have a high volume
change between wet and dry states.
10.2.4 Group A-7The typical material of this group is
similar to that described under Group A-6, except that it has the
high liquid limits characteristic of Group A-5 and may be
elastic as well as subject to high-volume change.
D 3282 93 (2004)e1
NOTE 1A-2 soils contain less than 35 % finer than 200 sieve.
FIG. 1 Liquid Limit and Plasticity Index Ranges for Silt-Clay Materials
where:
F
= percentage passing No. 200 (75-m) sieve, expressed
as a whole number (this percentage is based only on
the material passing the 3-in. (75-mm) sieve),
LL = liquid limit, and
PI = plasticity index.
11.1.2 If the calculated group index is negative, report the
group index as zero (0).
11.1.3 If the soil is nonplastic and when the liquid limit
cannot be determined, report the group index as zero (0).
11.1.4 Report the group index to the nearest whole number.
11.1.5 The group index value may be estimated using Fig. 2
by determining the partial group index due to the liquid limit
and that due to the plasticity index, then obtaining the total of
the two partial group indexes.
11.1.6 The group index of soils in the A-2-6 and A-2-7
subgroups shall be calculated using only the PI portion of the
formula (or Fig. 2).
11.2 The following examples illustrate the calculations for
the group index:
11.2.1 Assume that an A-6 material has 55 % passing a No.
200 (75-m) sieve, a liquid limit of 40, and a plasticity index
of 25, then:
(1)
D 3282 93 (2004)e1
Reprinted with permission of American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials
(2)
(5)
(3)
(4)
D 3282 93 (2004)e1
12.1.5 Plasticity indexes of 10 and above are assumed to be
critical.
12.2 There is no upper limit of group index value obtained
by use of the formula: The adopted critical values of percentage passing the No. 200 (75-m) sieve, liquid limit, and
plasticity index, are based on an evaluation of subgrade,
subbase, and base-course materials by several highway organizations that use the tests involved in this classification
system.
12.3 Under average conditions of good drainage and thorough compaction, the supporting value of a material as
subgrade may be assumed as an inverse ratio to its group index;
that is, a group index of 0 indicates a good subgrade material
and a group index of 20 or greater indicates a very poor
subgrade material.
13. Keywords
13.1 airfields; Atterberg limits; classification; clay; embankments; gradation; gravel; group index; highway construction;
highways; index ranges; sand; silt; soil aggregate mixtures; soil
classification; soil tests; subgroups
APPENDIX
(Nonmandatory Information)
X1. RATIONALE