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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 IpI_p (vertical) against liquid limit wLw_L (horizontal). It is used for the fine-grained fraction (passing 75 micron).

Lines

  • A-line: Ip=0.73(wL−20)I_p = 0.73(w_L - 20), separating clays (above) from silts and organic soils (below).
  • U-line: Ip=0.9(wL−8)I_p = 0.9(w_L - 8), the upper limit for natural soils.
  • A vertical line at wL=50%w_L = 50\% (USCS) separates low and high plasticity. IS adds a line at wL=35%w_L = 35\%, 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 wLw_L = 35% and 50%; the vertical scale is not uniform near the bottom.)

Group symbols

RegionSymbolName
Above A-line, wL<35w_L < 35 (IS) / 50 (USCS)CLInorganic clay of low plasticity
Above A-line, 35<wL<5035 < w_L < 50 (IS)CIInorganic clay of intermediate plasticity
Above A-line, wL>50w_L > 50CHInorganic clay of high plasticity
Below A-line, wL<35w_L < 35 / 50ML (OL)Inorganic silt (organic silt) of low plasticity
Below A-line, 35<wL<5035 < w_L < 50MI (OI)Inorganic silt (organic soil) of intermediate plasticity
Below A-line, wL>50w_L > 50MH (OH)Inorganic silt of high plasticity (organic clay)
Hatched zone, IpI_p 4 - 7 above A-lineCL-MLSilty clay

✓ Answer checked by Claude Opus 5.5 (high effort)

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