Name: Mohammed Elahi
Prelab #3 – Atterberg Limits Fall 2023
1.
Who studied and further defined Atterberg’s work, and when?
Arthur Casagrande revisited the tests in 1930.
2.
What is the “activity” of a soil?
The activity of a soil is the ratio of plasticity index to the clay size fraction.
3.
What is the ideal range of blows for your experiment to fall within for finding Liquid Limit?
The ideal range of blows for the Liquid Limit test is typically between 25 to 35 blows.
4.
Why are Atterberg Limits and properties not useful for coarse-grained soils?
Atterberg Limits and properties are not useful for coarse-grained soils because coarse-
grained soils primarily consist of larger particles like sand and gravel, which lack the plasticity and sensitivity to moisture content changes that fine-grained soils exhibit.
5.
Briefly describe the five Atterberg Limits.
Liquid limit: The boundary between the liquid and plastic states.
Plastic limit: The boundary between the plastic and semi-solid states.
Shrinkage limit: The boundary between the semi-solid and solid states.
Cohesive Limit: This limit is defined by soil simply sticking together.
Sticky Limit: This limit is defined by soil sticking to metal surfaces.
