CONSISTENCY OF CLAYS

Dr. Divya Priya

Department of Structural and Geotechnical
Engineering SCE, VIT, Vellore
 Consistency of soil
• Soil consistency is the strength with which soil
materials are held together or the resistance of
soils to deformation and rupture.
• The water contents at which the soil changes
from one state to the other are known as
consistency limit.
• The consistency of a fine grained soil is the
physical state in which it exists.

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 Historical background
Swedish agriculture engineer ATTERBERG was the one
who mentioned that a fine grained soil can exist in four
states:

1. Solid state
2. Semi solid state
3. Plastic state
4. Liquid state.

So consistency limits are also known Atterberg’s limits.

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 Importance of Atterberg limits

The Atterberg limits may be used for the

following:
1. To obtain general information about a soil
and its strength, compressibility, and
permeability properties.
2. Empirical correlations for some engineering
properties.
3. Soil classification

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Determination of consistency limits
Consistency limit can be determined by following
test:

 Liquid limit test

 Shrinkage limit test

 Plastic limit test

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 Definition
Atterberg limits are the limits of water content used
to define soil behavior.
• Liquid Limit (LL or wl) is defined as the moisture
content at which soil changes from liquid state to plastic
state. In other words the liquid limit is the water content
at which the soil ceases to be liquid.
• Plastic Limit (PL or wp ) is defined as the water
content at which soil just fails to behave as a plastic
material . In other words the water content at which the
soil becomes semi-solid is known as plastic limit.

• Shrinkage Limit (SL or ws) is defined as the water

content at which the soil changes from semi solid state to
solid state.
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• The consistency of soils according to Atterberg
limits gives the following diagram .

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 Soil Stress
strain behaviour
at Different
states of soil

Different
states of
soil

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1.Determination of Liquid Limit, IS 2720 :1985-Part5

AST
M
tool

Casagrand
e`s
grooving
Tool
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AST
M

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• The water content required to close a distance
of ½ inch(12.7 mm) along the bottom of the
groove after 25 blows is defined as the Liquid
Limit.

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• Number of tests for the same soil are made at varying w%, and
then w% values are plotted against the semi logarithm of the
number of blows, N.
• the semi-log graph between the number of blows as abscissa
on a logarithmic and water content as ordinate.
• The water content corresponding to 25 blows shows the liquid
limit

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Liquid Limit – Flow Index ( IF )

w1=44

w2=39

N1=20 N2=3
0

Flow
Index
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 Determination of Liquid Limit by
Cone Penetrometer Apparatus
• The liquid limit of soil can also determined by
cone penetrometer (IS 2720-V).
• The cone approximately 35 mm long and angle
of 30º + 1º.
• The mass of the cone together with its sliding
shaft is 80g.
• A metal cup, about 50mm in diameter and
50mm deep is used to contain the test sample.

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Line diagram of cone penetrometer
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Digital cone penetrometer
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 Procedure
• Air dry soil sample (about 250g) passing the 425
micron sieve is mixed with distilled water.
• The soil paste filled in the metal cup and the
surface struck off level.
• The graduated scale is adjusted to zero.
• The cone is released , and allowed to penetrate
the soil for 30seconds.

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• The water content at which the penetration is
25 mm is the liquid limit.
• Since it is difficult to obtain the penetration of
25mm exactly.
• the following equation is used for the
determination of liquid limit.

𝒘𝒍 = 𝒘𝒚 + 𝟐𝟓 − 𝒚 𝒘𝒚 + 𝟏𝟓

Where; y is the penetration ; wy is water content of soil

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• For all practical purposes is the same as the LL
determined by the Casagrande's apparatus.
• The Cone Penetrometer method gives a more consistent
estimate of the LL than the Casagrande's apparatus,
with greater repeatability and less operator
susceptibility.

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 2.Determination of Plastic Limit

• The moisture content at which a soil can be rolled into threads

of 1/8” (3.2mm) diameter without cracking and crumbling.
• Threads thinner than 1/8” (3.2 mm) diameter are possible, if
the moisture is higher than the plastic limit.
• And if the moisture is less than plastic limit the thread will
crumble before reaching the required diameter of 1/8” (3.2
mm).

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Pictorial representation of Plastic limit test

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Pictorial representation of Plastic limit test

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 3.Determination of Shrinkage Limit

• It is that moisture content at which a reduction in moisture

will not cause a decrease in the total volume of soil mass, but
an increase in moisture will result in an increase in volume of
soil mass.
• At Shrinkage Limit The Degree Of Saturation is 100%.
• At certain point during drying process, air begins to enter the
soil mass and the volume decrease becomes appreciably less
than the volume of water lost.
• .

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• The shrinkage limit is defined as the moisture
content, in percent, at which the volume of the
soil mass ceases to change.

(𝑴 𝟏 −𝑴 𝒔 ) − (𝑽𝟏−𝑽𝟐)ρw
SL = X100
𝑴𝒔
Where
M1 = initial wet mass,
V1= initial volume
MS= dry mass
V2 = volume after drying.

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27
Shrinkage limit apparatus

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Procedure:
1. Take a sample of mass about 100g from a thoroughly mixed soil passing
425 sieve.
2. Take about 30g of soil sample in a large evaporating dish. Mix it with
distilled water to make a creamy paste which can be readily worked
without entrapping the air bubbles.
3. Fill the mercury in the shrinkage dish. Remove the excess mercury by
pressing the plain glass plate over the top of the shrinkage dish. The plate
should be flush with the top of the dish. And no air should be entrapped.
4. Determine the mass of the mercury to an accuracy of 0.1g. the volume of
the shrinkage dish is equal to the mass of mercury in grams divided by
the specific gravity of the mercury .
5. Place the soil specimen in the center of the shrinkage dish equal to about
one-third the volume of the shrinkage dish. Tap the shrinkage dish on a
firm cushioned surface and allow the paste to flow to the edges.
6. Determine the mass of the wet soil (M1).

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7. Dry the soil in the shrinkage dish in air until the colour of the pat turns
from dark to light. Then dry the pat in the oven at 105 to 110 0C to
constant mass.determine the dry mass of the soil (MS).
8. Place a glass cup in a large evaporating dish and fill it with mercury.
Remove the excess mercury by pressing the glass plate with prongs
firmly over the top of the cup. Wipe off any mercury adhering to the
outside of the cup. Remove the glass cup full of mercury and place it in
another evaporating dish taking care not to spill any mercury from the
cup.
9. Take out the dry pat of the soil from the shrinkage dish and immerse it in
the glass cup full of mercury. Take care not to entrap air under the pat.
Press the plate with prongs on the top of the cup firmly.
10. Collect the mercury displaced by the dry pat in the evaporating dish and
transfer it to the mercury weighing dish. Determine the mass of the
mercury to an accuracy of 0.1g. The volume of the dry pat (V2) is equal to
the mass of the mercury divided by the specific gravity of the mercury.
11. Repeat the test at least 3 times.

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The soils which show higher shrinkage upon drying also swell more upon
wetting and are known as expansive soils. Expansive soils are very dense
and hard in dry state due to very high shrinkage stresses

Shrinkage cracks
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INDICES OF SOIL CONSISTENCY
Various indices have been developed using Atterberg limits.
1.Plasticity Index (PI)

PI = LL - PL

Plasticity Index = Liquid Limit – Plastic

water
0 Shrinkag Plastic Liqui
content
e limit d
limit limit
plasti
c 32
• This index provides a measure of a soil plasticity,
which is the amount of water that must be added to
change a soil from its plastic limit to its liquid limit.

• The PI is useful in engineering classification of fine-

grained soils, and many engineering properties have
been found to correlate with the PI.

• The plasticity index, in conjunction with the

mechanical analysis, provides the basis for several of
the engineering classification of soils.
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2. Consistency Index

• The consistency index is indicates the firmness

of soil. It is also known as Relative
consistency.
𝑳𝑳−𝒘
I𝐜 = × 𝟏𝟎𝟎
𝑳𝑳− 𝑷𝑳

(or)
𝒘𝒍− 𝒘
𝑰𝒄 = × 𝟏𝟎𝟎
𝑰𝒑
• If w is equal to the liquid limit, the consistency
index is zero. Again, if w = PL, then 𝑰𝒄 = 1. 3
Consistency index of soil relate to Unconfined
compressive strength

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3. Liquidity Index (LI)
• The relative consistency of a cohesive soil in the natural state
can be defined by a ratio called the Liquidity Index, which is
given by

• This index provides a clue as the condition of the in situ soil.

This index helps us to know if our sample was likely to behave
as a plastic, a brittle, or a liquid.
• If LI< 0 Brittle behavior (desiccated (dried) hard soil)
• If 0<LI<1 The soil behave like a plastic
• If LI>1 The soil is a very viscous liquid.
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Consistency of a soil at its natural moisture content
according to Liquidity Index

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4.Toughness Index ( It )
• Soils having same values of plasticity indices may vary in
toughness. This property of a soil is expressed by the
toughness index.

• Toughness and dry strength increases with increase in

toughness index.

𝑷𝑰 𝑰𝒑
𝑻. 𝑰 𝑰𝒕 = (𝒐𝒓)
𝑭𝑰 𝑰𝒇

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 5.Sensitivity
• Ratio of Unconfined compressive strength of
an undisturbed soil specimen to its unconfined
strength after remoulding.

qu = unconfined compression strength

of soil 38
5.Thixotropy

• Property of certain clays by virtue of which

they regain part of strength lost due to
remoulding.
• Application: Driving pile foundations causes
the soil to get disturbed, the soil structure loses
strength. After a month, the soil regains part of
its strength.

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7. Activity
• The presence of even small amounts of certain clay
minerals in a soil mass can have a significant effect on
the properties of the soil.
• Identifying the type and amount of clay minerals may
be necessary in order to predict the soil’s behavior or
to develop methods for minimizing detrimental
effects.
• An indirect method of obtaining information on the
type and effect of clay minerals in a soil is to relate
plasticity to the quantity of clay–sized particles
• It is known that for a given amount of clay mineral,
the plasticity resulting in a soil will vary for the
different types of clays.
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• The plasticity index (PI) of a soil increases linearly with the
percentage of clay-size fraction (%finer than 2 micrometer by
weight present).
• We can see form the plot below that different clays have
different correlation of PI with clay-size fraction. This is
because that different clay minerals have different plasticity
characteristics.

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• A quantity called activity is defined as the slope of the line
correlating PI and %finer then 2 micrometer and expressed
as:

• The activity factor gives information on the type and effect

of CLAY MINERAL in a soil.

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• Clay minerals with KAOLINITE have LOW activity, whereas
those soils with MONTMORILLONITE will have a high
activity value.

• Activity is used as an index for identifying the swelling

potential of clay soils.

Activity Classification
<0.75 Inactive clays
0.75-1.25 Normal Clays
>1.25 Active Clays
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