- Asked 2/12
- 2077 Chaitra · 2 marks
- 2074 Bhadra · 3 marks
Draw plasticity chart with symbols
Short answer
Plasticity chart plots Ip against wL with A-line Ip=0.73(wL-20), U-line, and vertical lines at 35% and 50%. Above A-line are clays CL, CI, CH; below are silts/organics ML, MI, MH; hatched zone gives CL-ML.
Draw neatly the plasticity chart (IS / USCS) and label the group symbols of the various soil regions in the chart.
The plasticity chart (Casagrande) plots plasticity index (vertical) against liquid limit (horizontal). It is used for the fine-grained fraction (passing 75 micron).
Lines
- A-line: , separating clays (above) from silts and organic soils (below).
- U-line: , the upper limit for natural soils.
- A vertical line at (USCS) separates low and high plasticity. IS adds a line at , giving low (L), intermediate (I) and high (H) plasticity.
Ip (%)
50 | | | : U-line /
45 | | | : / A-line
40 | | |: CH /
35 | | :| /
30 | | : | /
25 | : | /
20 | : |CI /|
15 | : | / | MH or OH
10 | : CL /| |
7 | :-----/ | MI | <- CL-ML band (Ip 4 to 7)
4 | :----/ | OI |
0 | : / ML | | (ML or OL below A-line)
+------------------------------------ wL (%)
0 20 35 50 70
(/ = A-line, : = U-line, | = vertical lines at = 35% and 50%; the vertical scale is not uniform near the bottom.)
Group symbols
| Region | Symbol | Name |
|---|---|---|
| Above A-line, (IS) / 50 (USCS) | CL | Inorganic clay of low plasticity |
| Above A-line, (IS) | CI | Inorganic clay of intermediate plasticity |
| Above A-line, | CH | Inorganic clay of high plasticity |
| Below A-line, / 50 | ML (OL) | Inorganic silt (organic silt) of low plasticity |
| Below A-line, | MI (OI) | Inorganic silt (organic soil) of intermediate plasticity |
| Below A-line, | MH (OH) | Inorganic silt of high plasticity (organic clay) |
| Hatched zone, 4 - 7 above A-line | CL-ML | Silty clay |
✓ Answer checked by Claude Opus 5.5 (high effort)
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