ASTM_D_4318_-_10e1.pdf

Designation:D4318101Standard 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 of 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.1NOTEEditorial corrections made throughout in January 2014.1.Scope*1.1 These test methods cover the determination of the liquidlimit,plastic limit,and the plasticity index of soils as definedin Section 3 on Terminology.1.2 Two methods for preparing test specimens are providedas follows:Wet preparation method,as described in 10.1.Drypreparation method,as described in 10.2.The method to beused shall be specified by the requesting authority.If nomethod is specified,use the wet preparation method.1.2.1 The liquid and plastic limits of many soils that havebeen allowed to dry before testing may be considerablydifferent from values obtained on non-dried samples.If theliquid and plastic limits of soils are used to correlate orestimate the engineering behavior of soils in their natural moiststate,samples should not be permitted to dry before testingunless data on dried samples are specifically desired.1.3 Two methods for determining the liquid limit are pro-vided as follows:Method A,Multipoint test as described inSections 11 and 12.Method B,One-point test as described inSections 13 and 14.The method to be used shall be specifiedby the requesting authority.If no method is specified,useMethod A.1.3.1 The multipoint liquid limit method is generally moreprecise than the one-point method.It is recommended that themultipoint method be used in cases where test results may besubject to dispute,or where greater precision is required.1.3.2 Because the one-point method requires the operator tojudge when the test specimen is approximately at its liquidlimit,it is particularly not recommended for use by inexperi-enced operators.1.3.3 The correlation on which the calculations of theone-point method are based may not be valid for certain soils,such as organic soils or soils from a marine environment.It isstrongly recommended that the liquid limit of these soils bedetermined by the multipoint method.1.4 The plastic limit test is performed on material preparedfor the liquid limit test.1.5 The liquid limit and plastic limit of soils(along with theshrinkage limit)are often collectively referred to as theAtterberg limits.These limits distinguished the boundaries ofthe several consistency states of plastic soils.1.6 The composition and concentration of soluble salts in asoil affect the values of the liquid and plastic limits as well asthe water content values of soils(see Test Method D4542).Special consideration should therefore be given to soils from amarine environment or other sources where high soluble saltconcentrations may be present.The degree to which the saltspresent in these soils are diluted or concentrated must be givencareful consideration.1.7 The methods described herein are performed only onthat portion of a soil that passes the 425-m(No.40)sieve.Therefore,the relative contribution of this portion of the soil tothe properties of the sample as a whole must be consideredwhen using these tests to evaluate properties of a soil.1.8 The values stated in SI units are to be regarded as thestandard,except as noted below.The values given in parenthe-ses are for information only.1.8.1 The standard units for the resilience tester covered inAnnex A1 are inch-pound,not SI.The SI values given are forinformation only.1.9 All observed and calculated values shall conform to theguidelines for significant digits and rounding established inPractice D6026.1.9.1 For purposes of comparing a measured or calculatedvalue(s)with specified limits,the measured or calculatedvalue(s)shall be rounded to the nearest decimal or significantdigits in the specified limits1.9.2 The procedures used to specify how data are collected/recorded or calculated,in this standard are regarded as theindustry standard.In addition,they are representative of thesignificant digits that generally should be retained.The proce-dures do not consider material variation,purpose for obtaining1These test methods are under the jurisdiction ofASTM Committee D18 on Soiland Rock and are the direct responsibility of Subcommittee D18.03 on Texture,Plasticity and Density Characteristics of Soils.Current edition approved Jan.15,2010.Published March 2010.Originallyapproved in 1983.Last previous edition approved in 2005 as D4318 05.DOI:10.1520/D4318-10E01.*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 States1 the data,special purpose studies,or an