ASTM_D_2488_-_17e1.pdf

Designation:D2488171Standard Practice forDescription and Identification of Soils(Visual-ManualProcedures)1This standard is issued under the fixed designation D2488;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.1NOTEEditorially corrected Fig.2 in March 2018.1.Scope*1.1 This practice covers procedures for the description ofsoils for engineering purposes.1.2 This practice also describes a procedure for identifyingsoils,at the option of the user,based on the classificationsystem described in Test Method D2487.The identification isbased on visual examination and manual tests.It shall beclearly stated in reporting,the soil identification is based onvisual-manual procedures.1.2.1 When precise classification of soils for engineeringpurposes is required,the procedures outlined in Test MethodD2487 shall be used.1.2.2 In this practice,the identification procedures assigninga group symbol and name are limited to soil particles smallerthan 3 in.(75 mm).1.2.3 The identification portion of this practice is limited tonaturally occurring soils.Specimens used for identificationmay be either intact or disturbed.NOTE1This practice may be used as a descriptive system applied tosuch materials as shale,claystone,shells,crushed rock,etc.(see AppendixX2).1.3 The descriptive information in this practice may be usedwith other soil classification systems or for materials other thannaturally occurring soils.1.4 UnitsThe values stated in inch-pound units are to beregarded as standard.The values given in parentheses arerationalized conversions to SI units that are provided forinformation only and are not considered standard.The sievedesignations are identified using the“alternative”system inaccordance with Practice E11.1.5 This standard does not purport to address all of thesafety concerns,if any,associated with its use.It is theresponsibility of the user of this standard to establish appro-priate safety,health,and environmental practices and deter-mine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use.For specific precautionary statements see Section 8.1.6 This practice offers a set of instructions for performingone or more specific operations.This document cannot replaceeducation or experience and should be used in conjunctionwith professional judgment.Not all aspects of this practice maybe applicable in all circumstances.This ASTM standard is notintended to represent or replace the standard of care by whichthe adequacy of a given professional service must be judged,nor should this document be applied without consideration ofa projects many unique aspects.The word“Standard”in thetitle of this document means only that the document has beenapproved through the ASTM consensus process.1.7 This international standard was developed in accor-dance with internationally recognized principles on standard-ization established in the Decision on Principles for theDevelopment of International Standards,Guides and Recom-mendations issued by the World Trade Organization TechnicalBarriers to Trade(TBT)Committee.2.Referenced Documents2.1 ASTM Standards:2D653 Terminology Relating to Soil,Rock,and ContainedFluidsD1452 Practice for Soil Exploration and Sampling by AugerBoringsD1586 Test Method for Standard Penetration Test(SPT)andSplit-Barrel Sampling of SoilsD1587 Practice for Thin-Walled Tube Sampling of Fine-Grained Soils for Geotechnical PurposesD2113 Practice for Rock Core Drilling and Sampling ofRock for Site Exploration1This practice is under the jurisdiction of ASTM Committee D18 on Soil andRock and is the direct responsibility of Subcommittee D18.07 on Identification andClassification of Soils.Current edition approved July 15,2017.Published August 2017.Originallyapproved in 1966.Last previous edition approved in 2009 as D2488 09a.DOI:10.1520/D2488-17E01.2For referenced ASTM standards,visit the ASTM website,www.astm.org,orcontact ASTM Customer Service at serviceastm.org.For Annual Book of ASTMStandards volume information,refer to the standards Document Summary page onthe ASTM website.*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 StatesThis international standard was developed in accordance with internationally recognized principles on standardization established in the Decision on Principles for theDevelopment of International Standards,Guides and Recommendations issued by the World Trade Organization Technical Barriers to Trade(TBT)Committee.1 D2487 Practice for Classification of Soils for EngineeringPurposes(Unified Soil Classification System)D3740 Practice for Minimum Requirements for AgenciesE