{"id":3447,"date":"2024-09-02T18:53:36","date_gmt":"2024-09-02T13:23:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/study.madeeasy.in\/?p=3447"},"modified":"2025-08-13T11:35:19","modified_gmt":"2025-08-13T06:05:19","slug":"atterberg-limits","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.madeeasy.in\/study\/ce\/soil-mechanics-foundation-engineering\/atterberg-limits","title":{"rendered":"Consistency of clays (Atterberg Limits)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Consistency represents relative ease with which a soil can be deformed. It represents relative firmness of soil.<\/p>\n

In practice, consistency is a property associated only with fine grained soils, especially clays.<\/p>\n

Depending on percentage water content, four stages of consistency are used to describe the state of a clayey soil:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Solid State<\/li>\n
  2. Semi Solid State<\/li>\n
  3. Plastic State<\/li>\n
  4. Liquid State<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    The boundary between any two states is called consistency limit. They are also known as Atterberg limits after Swedish scientist Atterberg, who first demonstrated the significance of these limits. \"Clayey
    \nVd<\/sub> = Volume of dry soil mass
    \n= Volume of soil at shrinkage limit
    \nVP<\/sub> = Volume of soil at plastic limit
    \nVL<\/sub> = Volume of soil at liquid limit
    \nwL<\/sub> = Liquid limit
    \nwP<\/sub> = Plastic limit
    \nwS<\/sub> = Shrinkage limit<\/p>\n

    Slope, dy \/ dx = constant<\/p>\n

    VL<\/sub> – VP<\/sub> \/ WL<\/sub> – WP<\/sub> = VP<\/sub> – Vd<\/sub> \/ WP<\/sub> – Ws<\/sub><\/p>\n

    For change in water content corresponding to change in degree of saturation from 0 to 100%, there is no \"Shear change in total volume of soil. But for water content increasing greater than shrinkage limit (S = 100%), then with change in water content total volume of soil also changes.<\/p>\n

    At shrinkage limit all the pores of soil are just filled by water. Hence degree of saturation (S) is 100%.<\/p>\n

    Naturally existing soils have water content between wL<\/sub> and wP<\/sub>.<\/p>\n

    On increase in water content shear strength of soil decreases.<\/p>\n

    Liquid Limit (wL<\/sub>)<\/h2>\n

    It is that minimum water content at which soil has tendency to flow. At liquid limit, consistency of soil changes from plastic state to liquid state.
    \nAt liquid limit all soils have nearly negligible shear strength of 2.7 kN\/m2<\/sup> approximately.<\/p>\n

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