STUDENT CODE OF ETHIC

(SCE)
DEPT. OF CIVIL ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGY
FACULTY OF ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGY

I, hereby confess that I have prepared this report on my own effort. I also admit not
to receive or give any help during the preparation of this report and pledge
that everything mentioned in the report is true.

Name
Nursyazana bt
Majid@majied
Nor syahidah bt Mohd
Yusoff
Dalilah bt Roslan
Elsie Joanes
Nadia Syahiera bt Mohd
Salleh

Matric no
AN150102

AN150058
AN150103

FACULTY: ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGY

DEPARTMENT: CIVIL ENGINEERING
TECHNOLOGY

TEST TITLE: PLASTIC LIMIT TEST

PAGE NO.:
EDITION:
REVIEW NO.:
EFFECTIVE
DATE:
AMENDMENT
DATE:

1/7
1/01/14
1/01/15

1.0 OBJECTIVE: To Determine the Lowest Moisture Content at Which the Soil Behaves Plastically.

3.0 THEORY
Plastic limit ( P w ) of soil is defined as the water content at which a soil will just begin to crumble when
rolled into a thread of approximately 3 mm in diameter. It is water content at the boundary between the
plastic and semi-solid states of consistency of the soil. Plasticity index (PI or I P) is the numerical
difference of the liquid and plastic limit, and indicates the range of water content through which the soil
remains plastic.
PI = LL PL
For fine grained soils, determining the natural water content (the water content of a soil in an
undisturbed condition in the ground) and relating it to the plastic and liquid limits can provide an
indication of the soils consistency and/or sensitivity potential. One such relationship is the liquidity
index.

IL

w PL
PI

Consistency index is defined as the ratio of the liquid limit minus the natural water
content to the plasticity index of a soil.

Cr

LL w
PI

Table 2.1 : Classification of soil according to plasticity.

Plasticity Index (IP or PI)
0
<7
7-17
> 17

Degree of Plasticity
Non-Plastic
Low-Plastic
Medium Plastic
Highly

Type of Soil
Sand
Silt
Silty clay or clayey silt
Plastic Clay

Table 2.2 : Classification of soil according to liquidity indices.

Liquidity Index (IL or LI)
< 0.0
0.0-0.25
0.25-0.50
0.50-0.75
0.75-1.00
>1.00

Consistency
Desiccated (dry) hard soil
Stiff
Medium to soft
Soft
Very soft
Liquid s

FACULTY: ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGY

DEPARTMENT: CIVIL ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGY
TEST TITLE: PLASTIC LIMIT TEST

PAGE NO.:
EDITION:
REVIEW NO.:
EFFECTIVE
DATE:
AMENDMENT
DATE:

2/7
1/01/14
1/01/15

4.0 APPARATUS:

1. The most important piece of apparatus for this test is the hand of operator, which should
be clean and free from grease.
2. Evaporating dish.
3. A separate glass plate reserved for rolling of threads. This should be smooth and free from
scratches, and about 300 mm square and 10mm thick. The surface condition of the plate
can affect the behaviour of rolled threads, and the use of unscratched glass reduces the
likelihood of discrepancies. An alternative is to reserve one side of the mixing plate for
thread rolling, and avoid mixing the soil on this area.
4. Two palette knives or spatulas.
5. A short length (say 100 mm) of 3mm diameter metal rod.
6. Standard moisture content apparatus (container, balance and oven)

Figure 2.1 : Apparatus for plastic limit test

5.0 PROCEDURES
i)

Selection and preparation of sample

(a) 20g of the prepared soil paste were taken and spread on the mixing glass
(b) It was mixed occasionally to avoid local drying out
(c) The sample was set aside before carrying out liquid limit test

Figure 2.2 : Prepared soil paste.

FACULTY: ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGY

DEPARTMENT: CIVIL ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGY
TEST TITLE: PLASTIC LIMIT TEST

ii)

PAGE NO.:
EDITION:
REVIEW NO.:
EFFECTIVE
DATE:
AMENDMENT
DATE:

3/7
1/01/14
1/01/15

Rolling Into a Ball

(a) The soil was kneaded and shaped into a ball when it was plastic enough
(b) When there were slight crack on the surface, the ball was divided into two portions of
each was 10g
(c) The balls were then be divided into four equal parts

Figure 2.3 : Rolling into ball and four equal part of soil after divide.
iii)

Rolling Into a Threads

(a) By using a steady ressure, the bal was rolled between fingers of one hand and the
surface of the glass plate.
(b) The diameter was reduced from 6mm to about 3mm after between five and ten backand-forth movements of hands.
(c) The rolling pressure were maintained
(d) The soil was grther dried by using fingers
(e) The soil were formed into thread and rolled out again
(f) The process was repeated
(g) The first crumbling point is the plastic limit

Figure 2.4 : The soil specimen is rolled under the fingers into a thread 3 mm diameter.

FACULTY: ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGY

DEPARTMENT: CIVIL ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGY

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EDITION:

4/7

REVIEW NO.:
EFFECTIVE
DATE:
AMENDMENT
DATE:

TEST TITLE: PLASTIC LIMIT TEST

iv)

1/01/14
1/01/15

Moisture content measurement

(a) The empty moisture content container weighted
(b) The sample were taken
(c) The weight sample was weighted
(d) Sample were dried in oven for 24hrs (overnight)
(e) The dry sample were weighted.

(a)

(b)

(c)

(d)

(e)

Figure 1.10: Process to take a moisture content.

FACULTY: ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGY

DEPARTMENT: CIVIL ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGY

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REVIEW NO.:
EFFECTIVE
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AMENDMENT
DATE:

TEST TITLE: PLASTIC LIMIT TEST

6.0 RESULT AND CALCULATIONS

DATA SHEET
Location :

Loc. No. :
Sample No. :

Soil description:
Sample type :
Operator:

Depth of Sample :
Date Started :

Test Number
Mass of can + moist soil (Mcws)
Mass of can + dry soil (Mcs)
Mass of can (Mc)
Mass of dry soil (Ms)
Mass of water (Mw)
Water content
Plastic limit

Units
gram
gram
gram
gram
gram
%
%

71.53

1
45
33
15
18
12
66.67

Plastic limit

Liquid limit

Plasticity index

= Liquid Limit Plastic Limit =

2
46
34
16
18
12
66.67
71.53

3
44
31
15
16
13
81.25

%
%

CALCULATION
Mass of dry soil = (mass of can + dry soil) - (mass of can)
= 33g 15g
= 18g
Water content = mw / ms
= 12 / 18
= 0.6667 / 66.67%
Plastic limit = water content (1 + 2 + 3) / 3
= (66.67 + 66.67 + 81.25) / 3
= 71.53 %

1/01/1
4
1/01/1
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