Consistency Limits of Soil

• Introduction

Consistency denotes the firmness of soil, which may be termed as soft,firm,stiff or hard.

Soil has different different states depending upon its water content such as -

1. Solid

2. Semi Solid

3. Plastic State

4. Liquid State

There are some definite water contents which are decide the state of the soil. This specific water contents are known as consistency limits.

Consistency limits also known as Atterberg limits.

• Definition

Consistency limits are the water contents at which soil may pass from one stage to another.

We classify the consistency in three limits-

1. Liquid Limit.

2. Plastic Limit.

3. Shrinkage Limit.

• Discussion

1. Liquid Limit - It is defined as the minimum water content at which soil is still in Liquid state.

It is the arbitrary limit between Liquid and Plastic state.

2. Plastic Limit - It is the minimum water content at which a soil will just began to crumble when it is rolled into  a thread approximately 3 mm in diameter.

It is the arbitrary limit between Plastic state and Semi-solid state.

3. Shrinkage limit - It is defined as the maximum water content at which a reduction in water content will not cause a decrease in volume of a soil mass.

It is the minimum water content at which soil can still be completely saturated.

See the graph of consistency -

• Some important Indices with their Formula

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