Review of Recent Developments and Understanding of Atterberg Limits Determinations

Abstract

Among the most commonly specified tests in the geotechnical engineering industry, the liquid limit and plastic limit tests are principally used for (i) deducing useful design parameter values from existing correlations with these consistency limits and (ii) for classifying fine-grained soils, typically employing the Casagrande-style plasticity chart. This updated state-of-the-art review paper gives a comprehensive presentation of salient latest research and understanding of soil consistency limits determinations/measurement, elaborating concisely on the many standardized and proposed experimental testing approaches, their various fundamental aspects and possibly pitfalls, as well as some very recent alternative proposals for consistency limits determinations. Specific attention is given to fall cone testing methods advocated (but totally unsuitable) for plastic limit determination; that is, the water content at the plastic–brittle transition point, as defined using the hand rolling of threads method. A framework (utilizing strength-based fall cone-derived parameters) appropriate for correlating shear strength variation with water content over the conventional plastic range is presented. This paper then describes two new fine-grained soil classification system advancements (charts) that do not rely on the thread-rolling plastic limit test, known to have high operator variability, and concludes by discussing alternative and emerging proposals for consistency limits determinations and fine-grained soil classification.

Dynamic Shear Responses of Combined Contaminated Soil Treated with Nano Zero-Valent Iron (nZVI) under Controlled Moisture

“…Another promising mechanism was that, during the soil preparations under the controlled-moisture conditions (22%, OMC of NS), moisture used in this study should show a wider gap between PL with increasing nZVI effects. The larger gap was from 7.3 to 29.2 with nZVI from 0.2% to 5%, even with larger PI (usually related to the specific strength), which could suggest that the water content and its position in Atterberg limits should be considered as potential factors in the damping ratio and dynamic response with nZVI treatment [58].…”

Study the effect of Industrial Dairy, Textile, Leather and Paper Waste Water on the Engineering and Geotechnical Properties of Fine-Grained Soil

“…Additionally, a separate study highlighted the capacity of clay to expand as a result of fluctuations in water content, which can be induced by groundwater, leading to upward pressure on foundations. The expansion of clay and the resulting swelling pressure can result in substantial damage, including the cracking of walls, beams, and columns, particularly when the soil's swelling pressure exceeds the foundation load [17,18,19].…”

Determining Liquid Limit and Plastic Limit of Clay Soils by Electrical Surface Conduction and Diffuse Double Layer Thickness

“…Meanwhile, the inclusion of hygroscopic water content [27] provided another unique pathway, and this is an indication that the conventional liquid limit and plastic limit determination could be replaced by investigating soil-water interactions further in a systematic fashion. A review of the recent trend by O'Kelly [28] suggested that an alternative method to determine the Atterberg limit remains a topic of paramount importance.…”