RkSoilClassif.docVIP

SOIL AND ROCK ENGINEERING CLASSIFICATION ENGINEERING CLASSIFICATION OF SOILS Different Viewpoints of Soil 1. Agriculture -- granular, tillable material composed of minerals and organics, and which can support plant life. 2. Geology -- unconsolidated material that overlies bedrock; also known as overburden or regolith. 3. Engineering -- non-indurated natural material, derived from rock, and composed of discrete solid particles and voids filled with gas (air) or liquid (water); contrast to rock, a compact, indurated natural material comprised of minerals and which requires brute force (drilling, blasting, etc.) to excavate. Basic Definitions Fines: soil particles that pass through a No. 200 sieve (mesh openings are 0.075 mm); includes silt (nonplastic) and clay (plastic, i.e., the plasticity index 4; see below). Atterberg Limits for soil fraction finer than No. 40 sieve (0.425 mm): a) plastic limit (PL) -- water content at which the soil shows a tendency to break apart and crumble when manually rolled into 3-mm diam. threads (at the PL, the soil has a consistency of toothpaste or putty). b) liquid limit (LL) -- water content at which a specified trapezoidal groove, cut in moist soil in a special shallow cup, will close after 25 standard taps (at the LL, the soil has a consistency of soft butter). c) plasticity index, PI = LL - PL : defines the range of water contents over which the soil is plastic Note: the water content, w = Wt.water/Wt.solids (usually expressed as a percentage). Sand: soil particles retained on a No. 200 sieve, but passing a No.4 sieve (0.075 to 4.75 mm); fine sand -- No. 200 to No. 40 sieve (0.075 to 0.425 mm) medium sand -- No. 40 to No. 10 sieve (0.425 to 2.00 mm) coarse sand -- No. 10 to No.4 sieve (2.00 to 4.75 mm) Gravel: soil particles retained on a No.4 sieve, but passing a 75-mm sieve (4.75 to 75 mm); 19-mm size separates fine gravel from coarse gravel Cobbles: particles from 75 to 300 mm