1、Designation: D4318 101D4318 17Standard Test Methods forLiquid Limit, Plastic Limit, and Plasticity Index of Soils1This standard is issued under the fixed designation D4318; the number immediately following the designation indicates the year oforiginal adoption or, in the case of revision, the year o
2、f last revision. A number in parentheses indicates the year of last reapproval. Asuperscript epsilon () indicates an editorial change since the last revision or reapproval.This standard has been approved for use by agencies of the U.S. Department of Defense.1 NOTEEditorial corrections made throughou
3、t in January 2014.1. Scope*1.1 These test methods cover the determination of the liquid limit, plastic limit, and the plasticity index of soils as defined inSection 3 on Terminology.1.2 Two methodsprocedures for preparing test specimens are provided as follows: Wet preparation method,SpecimenPrepara
4、tion Procedure 1 (Wet Preparation), as described in 10.111.1. and Dry preparation method,Specimen PreparationProcedure 2 (Dry Preparation), as described in 10.211.2. The method specimen preparation procedure to be used shall be specifiedby the requesting authority. If no method specimen preparation
5、procedure is specified, use the wet preparation method. procedure.(See Section 6, Interferences.)1.2.1 The liquid and plastic limits of many soils that have been allowed to dry before testing may be considerably different fromvalues obtained on non-dried samples. If the liquid and plastic limits of
6、soils are used to correlate or estimate the engineeringbehavior of soils in their natural moist state, samples should not be permitted to dry before testing unless data on dried samplesare specifically desired.1.3 Two methods for determining the liquid limit are provided as follows: Liquid Limit Met
7、hod A,A Multipoint test(MultipointMethod), as described in Sections 1112 and 1213. , and Liquid Limit Method B,B One-point test(One-Point Method), as describedin Sections 1314 and 1415. The method to be used shall be specified by the requesting authority. If no method is specified, useMethod A. (See
8、 Section 6, Interferences.)1.3.1 The multipoint liquid limit method is generally more precise than the one-point method. It is recommended that themultipoint method be used in cases where test results may be subject to dispute, or where greater precision is required.1.3.2 Because the one-point metho
9、d requires the operator to judge when the test specimen is approximately at its liquid limit,it is particularly not recommended for use by inexperienced operators.1.3.3 The correlation on which the calculations of the one-point method are based may not be valid for certain soils, such asorganic soil
10、s or soils from a marine environment. It is strongly recommended that the liquid limit of these soils be determined bythe multipoint method.1.4 The plastic limit test, Method for Plastic Limit, is performed on material prepared for the liquid limit test. When determiningthe plastic limit, two proced
11、ures for rolling portions of the test specimen are provided as follows: Plastic Limit Rolling Procedure1 (Hand Rolling), and Plastic Limit Rolling Procedure 2 (Using the Rolling Device).1.5 The liquid limit and plastic limit of soils (along with the shrinkage limit) are often collectively referred t
12、o as the Atterberglimits. These limits distinguished the boundaries of the several consistency states of plastic soils.1.6 The composition andplasticity index, concentration of soluble saltsMethod for Plasticity Index, in a soil affect the valuesof the liquid and plastic limits as well as the water
13、content values of soils (see Test Method is calculated using results from liquidlimit and plastic limit testing.D4542). Special consideration should therefore be given to soils from a marine environment or othersources where high soluble salt concentrations may be present. The degree to which the sa
14、lts present in these soils are diluted orconcentrated must be given careful consideration.1.7 The methods described herein are performed only on that portion of a soil that passes the 425-m (No. 40) sieve. Therefore,the relative contribution of this portion of the soil to the properties of the sampl
15、e as a whole must be considered when using thesetestsmethods to evaluate the properties of a soil.1 These test methods are under the jurisdiction ofASTM Committee D18 on Soil and Rock and are the direct responsibility of Subcommittee D18.03 on Texture, Plasticityand Density Characteristics of Soils.
16、Current edition approved Jan. 15, 2010June 1, 2017. Published March 2010July 2017. Originally approved in 1983. Last previous edition approved in 20052010 asD4318 05.D4318 101. DOI: 10.1520/D4318-10E01.10.1520/D4318-17.This document is not an ASTM standard and is intended only to provide the user of
17、 an ASTM standard an indication of what changes have been made to the previous version. Becauseit may not be technically possible to adequately depict all changes accurately, ASTM recommends that users consult prior editions as appropriate. In all cases only the current versionof the standard as pub
18、lished by ASTM is to be considered the official document.*A Summary of Changes section appears at the end of this standardCopyright ASTM International, 100 Barr Harbor Drive, PO Box C700, West Conshohocken, PA 19428-2959. United States11.8 The values stated in SI units are to be regarded as the stan
19、dard, except as noted below. standard. The values given inparentheses are for information only. mathematical conversions to inch-pound units, which are provided for information only andare not considered standard. Reporting of test results in units other than SI shall not be regarded as nonconforman
20、ce with thisstandard.1.8.1 The converted inch-pound units use the gravitational system of units. In this system, the pound (lbf) represents a unit offorce (weight), while the unit for mass is slugs. The converted slug unit is not given, unless dynamic (F = ma) calculations areinvolved.1.8.2 It is co
21、mmon practice in the engineering/construction profession to concurrently use pounds to represent both a unit ofmass (lbm) and of force (lbf). This implicitly combines two separate systems of units; that is, the absolute system and thegravitational system. It is scientifically undesirable to combine
22、the use of two separate sets of inch-pound units within a singlestandard. As stated, this standard includes the gravitational system of inch-pound units and does not use/present the slug unit formass. However, the use of balances or scales recording pounds of mass (lbm) or recording density in lbm/f
23、t3 shall not be regardedas nonconformance with this standard.1.8.3 The “alternative” sieve size designations listed in Specification E11 for the 425-m and 2.00-mm sieves are given inparentheses following the “standard” designations, that is, 425-m (No. 40) and 2.00-mm (No. 10).1.8.4 The standard uni
24、ts for the resilience tester covered in Annex A1 are inch-pound, not SI. The SI values given in Fig. A1.1are for information only.1.9 All observed and calculated values shall conform to the guidelines for significant digits and rounding established in PracticeD6026.1.9.1 For purposes of comparing a
25、measured or calculated value(s) with specified limits, the measured or calculated value(s)shall be rounded to the nearest decimal or significant digits in the specified limitslimits.1.9.2 The procedures used to specify how data are collected/recorded or calculated, in this standard are regarded as t
26、he industrystandard. In addition, they are representative of the significant digits that generally should be retained. The procedures do notconsider material variation, purpose for obtaining the data, special purpose studies, or any considerations for the users objectives;and it is common practice t
27、o increase or reduce significant digits of reported data to be commensurate with these considerations.It is beyond the scope of this standard to consider significant digits used in analysis methods for engineering design.1.10 This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if a
28、ny, associated with its use. It is the responsibilityof the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety and health practices and determine the applicability of regulatorylimitations prior to use.1.11 This international standard was developed in accordance with internationally recognized pr
29、inciples on standardizationestablished in the Decision on Principles for the Development of International Standards, Guides and Recommendations issuedby the World Trade Organization Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) Committee.2. Referenced Documents2.1 ASTM Standards:2C702 Practice for Reducing Samp
30、les of Aggregate to Testing SizeD75 Practice for Sampling AggregatesD420 Guide to Site Characterization for Engineering Design and Construction Purposes (Withdrawn 2011)3D653 Terminology Relating to Soil, Rock, and Contained FluidsD1241 Specification for Materials for Soil-Aggregate Subbase, Base, a
31、nd Surface CoursesD2216 Test Methods for Laboratory Determination of Water (Moisture) Content of Soil and Rock by MassD2487 Practice for Classification of Soils for Engineering Purposes (Unified Soil Classification System)D3282 Practice for Classification of Soils and Soil-Aggregate Mixtures for Hig
32、hway Construction PurposesD3740 Practice for Minimum Requirements for Agencies Engaged in Testing and/or Inspection of Soil and Rock as Used inEngineering Design and ConstructionD4542 Test Methods for Pore Water Extraction and Determination of the Soluble Salt Content of Soils by RefractometerD4753
33、Guide for Evaluating, Selecting, and Specifying Balances and Standard Masses for Use in Soil, Rock, and ConstructionMaterials TestingD6026 Practice for Using Significant Digits in Geotechnical DataE11 Specification for Woven Wire Test Sieve Cloth and Test SievesE177 Practice for Use of the Terms Pre
34、cision and Bias in ASTM Test MethodsE691 Practice for Conducting an Interlaboratory Study to Determine the Precision of a Test Method2 For referencedASTM standards, visit theASTM website, www.astm.org, or contactASTM Customer Service at serviceastm.org. For Annual Book of ASTM Standardsvolume inform
35、ation, refer to the standards Document Summary page on the ASTM website.3 The last approved version of this historical standard is referenced on www.astm.org.D4318 1723. Terminology3.1 Definitions:3.1.1 For common definitions of terms in this standard, refer to Terminology D653. The definitions belo
36、w appear in D653. andare shown here for convenience. The italic capital letter “D” indicates that the applicable units used to express the term aredimensionless.3.1.2 Atterberg LimitsOriginally, in cohesive soils, originally, six “limits of consistency” of fine-grained soils were definedby Albert At
37、terberg: the upper limit of viscous flow, the liquid limit, the sticky limit, the cohesion limit, the plastic limit, and theshrinkage limit. In current engineering usage, the term usually refers only to the liquid limit, plastic limit, and in some references,the shrinkage limit.3.1.3 consistencythe
38、relative ease with which a soil can be deformed.3.1.3 liquid limit (LL,limit, LL, wL) Din cohesive soils, the water content, in percent, of a soil at the arbitrarily definedboundary between the semi-liquid and plastic states.3.1.3.1 DiscussionThe undrained shear strength of soil at the liquid limit
39、is considered to be approximately 2 kPa (0.28 psi).3.1.4 plastic limit (PL,limit, PL, wp) Din cohesive soils, the water content, in percent, of a soil at the boundary betweenthe plastic and semi-solid states.3.1.5 plastic soila soil which has a range of water content over which it exhibits plasticit
40、y and which will retain its shape ondrying.3.1.6 plasticity index (PI)index, PIin cohesive soils, the range of water content over which a soil behaves plastically.Numerically, it is the difference between the liquid limit and the plastic limit.3.1.7 consistencythe relative ease with which a soil can
41、 be deformed.3.1.8 relative consistency, Ic, Cr Din cohesive soils, the ratio of: (1) the liquid limit minus the water content at a givencondition/state, to (2) the plasticity index.3.1.9 liquidity indexindex, IL Din cohesive soils, the ratio, expressed as a percentage of ratio of: (1) the water con
42、tent ofa soil at a given condition/state minus its plastic limit, to (2) its plasticity index.3.1.10 activity number (A)number, Ain cohesive soils, the ratio of (1) the plasticity index of a soil to (2) the percent by massof particles having an equivalent diameter smaller than 2 m.4. Summary of Test
43、 MethodMethods4.1 The specimen is processed to remove any material retained on a 425-m (No. 40) sieve.4.2 The specimen is processed to remove any material retained on a 425-m (No. 40) sieve. The liquid limit is determined byperforming trials in which a portion of the specimen is spread in a brass cu
44、p, divided in two by a grooving tool, and then allowedto flow together from the shocks caused by repeatedly dropping the cup in a standard mechanical device. Thedevicefollowingeither multipoint liquid limit, Method A, requires threeLiquid Limit Method A (Multipoint Method), or more trials over a ran
45、ge ofwater contents to be performed and the data from the trials plotted or calculated to make a relationship from which the liquid limitis determined. The one-point liquid limit, Method B, uses the Liquid Limit Method B (One-Point Method).data from two trials atone water content multiplied by a cor
46、rection factor to determine the liquid limit.4.3 The plastic limit is determined by alternately pressing together and rolling into a 3.2-mm (18-in.) diameter thread a smallportion of plastic soil until its water content is reduced to a point at which the thread crumbles and can no longer be pressedt
47、ogether and re-rolled. The water content of the soil at this point is reported as the plastic limit.4.4 The plasticity index is calculated as the difference between the liquid limit and the plastic limit.5. Significance and Use5.1 These test methods are used as an integral part of several engineerin
48、g classification systems to characterize the fine-grainedfractions of soils (see Practices D2487 and D3282) and to specify the fine-grained fraction of construction materials (seeSpecification D1241). The liquid limit, plastic limit, and plasticity index of soils are also used extensively, either in
49、dividually ortogether, with other soil properties to correlate with engineering behavior such as compressibility, hydraulic conductivity(permeability), compactibility, shrink-swell, and shear strength. (See Section 6, Interferences.)5.2 The liquid and plastic limits of a soil and its water content can be used to express its relative consistency or liquidity index.In addition, the plasticity index and the percentage finer than 2-m particle size can be used to determine its activity number.D4318 1735.3 These methods are sometimes used to eva
