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Classification of Non-Plastic Soils

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DOI: 10.1007/s40098-012-0007-5

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Classification of Non-Plastic Soils

K. Prakash & A. Sridharan

Indian Geotechnical Journal

ISSN 0046-8983
Volume 42
Number 2

Indian Geotech J (2012) 42:118-123

DOI 10.1007/s40098-012-0007-5

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 Author's personal copy
Indian Geotech J (April–June 2012) 42(2):118–123
DOI 10.1007/s40098-012-0007-5
TECHNICAL NOTE
Classification of Non-Plastic Soils
K. Prakash • A. Sridharan
Received: 7 January 2012 / Accepted: 24 February 2012 / Published online: 19 May 2012
 Indian Geotechnical Society 2012
Abstract Many types of soils exist in nature varying in
their composition, size and characteristics. They have to be
suitably classified before they are involved in any geo-
technical application. However, clarity does not exist in the
existing soil classification systems in classifying inorganic
silts, silty sands and silty gravels that are non plastic.
In order to make the unified soil classification system that
is in wide usage more complete, additional group symbols
are necessarily to be included that describe even the non-
plastic soils also. This technical note proposes to include
two new group symbols namely GMN (non-plastic silty
gravels) and SMN (non-plastic silty sands) for coarse
grained non-plastic soils and three more group symbols
namely MLN (non-plastic, inorganic coarse silt sized
fractions), MIN (non-plastic, inorganic medium silt sized
fractions) and MHN (non-plastic, inorganic (fine silt ?
clay) sized fractions) to classify the fine grained, non-
plastic silts, in the existing soil classification system.
Keywords Coarse-grained soil
Clays

Cohesion less soil
Fine-grained soil
Grain size

Plasticity
Silts
Soil classification
K. Prakash (&)
Department of Civil Engineering, Sri Jayachamarajendra
College of Engineering, Mysore 570 006, India
e-mail: kprakash60@yahoo.com
A. Sridharan
Department of Civil Engineering, Indian Institute
of Science, Bangalore 560012, India
e-mail: asridhran@yahoo.com
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Introduction
A soil classification is a systematic method of categorising
soils into various groups and subgroups according to their
probable engineering behavior but without detailed
description. Most of the earlier classification systems were
based on grain size distribution (e.g. MIT classification,
USDA classification). However, with the invent of Atter-
berg limits, new classification systems have been intro-
duced. It is possible to trace many soil classification
systems such as Casagrande Unified Soil Classification
System (USCS), the American Association of State
highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) system,
Federal Aviation Agency (FAA) system, the pedologic soil
classification system, US Public Roads Administration
(PRA) system and the textural classification system. At
present, the USCS and the AASHTO system are in use in
geo-technical engineering practice.
Casagrande [7] originally developed the USCS, which
was later modified by the US Bureau of Reclamation
(USBR) and the US Army Corps of Engineers. Many
national codes of practice adopt USCS as it is (e.g. [2]) or
with slight modifications (e.g. [4, 5]).
Both USCS and AASHTO system base their classifica-
tion of soils for engineering purposes on particle size
characteristics, liquid limit (wL) and plasticity index (IP) of
soils. The coarse grained soils are sub grouped with the
help of uniformity co-efficient (Cu) and co-efficient of
curvature (Cc) to account for the gradation of soils. Plas-
ticity chart (i.e., Ip vs. wL plot) forms the basis for the
subgrouping of fine grained soils. The codes of practice
also give certain useful criteria that are required to obtain a
rough estimation of soil characteristics such as angularity
of coarse grained soils, moisture content, consistency,
cementation, dry strength, dilatancy, toughness and organic
 Author's personal copy
Indian Geotech J (April–June 2012) 42(2):118–123
content. However, clarity does not exist in grouping some
of the inorganic silts, loess, rock flour and diatomaceous
earth as per the existing systems. In view of this observa-
tion, this article suggests certain inclusions in the existing
codal specifications to make the classification system more
general.
Unified Soil Classification System
All fine grained soils above the A-line and hatched portion
in the plasticity chart are recognized as inorganic clays, and
soils lying below the A-line are grouped as inorganic silts
or organic silts or organic clays. Depending upon the
liquid limit of the soils, further sub-grouping is done,
which varies slightly among different codes of practice
such as CL, ML, CH and MH [2]; CL, ML, CI, MI, CH,
MH, CV, MV, CE, ME [4]; CL, ML, CI, MI, CH, MH [5],
where the letters C & M represent inorganic clays and
inorganic silts respectively and the letters L, I, H, V & E
represent low, intermediate/medium, high, very high and
extremely high plasticity respectively.
At present, the plasticity characteristics of soils namely
liquid limit and plastic limit of soils can be determined
using Casagrande percussion method [1, 3, 6] or cone
penetration method [3, 6] and by the conventional 3 mm
thread rolling method as per the above said codes of
practice respectively. Many researchers have advocated
the use of cone penetration method itself to determine the
plastic limit of soils ([8, 10, 12]; to name a few). Soil
plasticity is the property of a soil possessed by virtue of
interparticle cohesion which is contributed by the viscous
double layer held water. Sridharan and Prakash [11] dem-
onstrated with experimental evidences that the liquid limit
as measured by the percussion method is controlled by the
soil cohesion while that measured by the cone method
is not an indicator of soil cohesion. Since, cohesion is
required to roll a soil mass into a thread, the plastic limit
determined by 3 mm thread rolling method is dependent
on soil cohesion. Hence, only the liquid limit determined
by the percussion method and plastic limit determined by
thread rolling method represent soil plasticity characteris-
tics. The liquid limit and plastic limit determined by cone
penetration method which is a strength based test cannot be
regarded as soil plasticity characteristics [9].
There are inorganic silts whose liquid and plastic limits
can not be determined using Casagrande percussion
method and 3 mm thread rolling method respectively.
Even though the liquid limit of certain inorganic silts can
be obtained by percussion method, their plastic limit can-
not be determined by 3 mm thread rolling method. Hence,
such silts are nothing but non-plastic soils. Clarity does not
exist in the existing codal provisions as to how to classify
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these inorganic silts having liquid limit alone for which
plastic limit can not be determined or for which both liquid
and plastic limits can not be determined. For fairly pure
diatomaceous earth with liquid limits above 100 %, rock
flour having liquid limit \30 %, aeolian deposits of loess
type with liquid limits ranging between 25 and 35 % as
reported by [7], plastic limit values can not be determined.
Under the present codal provisions, these materials can not
be classified without ambiguity. One may say that such
materials have to be treated as the soils on the liquid limit
axis itself and that they have to be classified depending
upon their liquid limit values (e.g., ML, MI, MH etc.) in
the first case. If such a suggestion is followed, one can not
make out any difference between inorganic silts having
some plastic limit and those for which plastic limit can not
be determined, at least from the group symbols attached to
such soils, as both types of soils have the same group
symbol. In addition, if the plastic limit can not be deter-
mined, that does not mean that IP = 0. IP = 0 only when
wP = wL. There are many inorganic silty soils in the field
for which neither liquid limit nor plastic limit can be
determined in the laboratory. In such cases, one can not
enter the plasticity chart, and such soils cannot be classi-
fied at all using the existing codal provisions.
Even in the category of coarse grained soils, two similar
cases exist.
• GM (silty gravels, poorly graded gravel-sand-silt mix-
tures): to arrive at this group symbol, one has to get wL
and wP of fraction of such soils passing 425 lm sieve.
• SM (silty sands, poorly graded sand-silt mixtures): to
arrive at this group symbol, liquid limit and plastic limit
tests have to be conducted on fractions of such soils
passing 425 lm sieve.
In the above two cases, if only plastic limit or both
liquid and plastic limits can not be determined, the group
symbol attached will no longer truly represent the soils
under consideration. In order to overcome such difficulties,
it is desirable and necessary to include additional group
symbols representing the non-plastic nature of soils in the
existing codal provisions.
The proposed modified version of USCS is presented in
Tables 1 and 2 and the flow charts indicating the different
steps to be followed are shown in Figs. 1 and 2. Additional
group symbols proposed include the letter ‘‘N’’ to indicate
the non-plastic nature of soils.
Classification of Non-Plastic Soils
The non-plastic soils can be included into the frame work
of geotechnical classification of soils as presented in the
following sections. They include the letter ‘N’ to indicate
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120 Indian Geotech J (April–June 2012) 42(2):118–123

Table 1 Modified soil classification chart for coarse grained soils

Field Identification
Division

procedures (excluding
Group
Subdivision particles larges than 80 Typical names Laboratory classification criteria
symbol
mm and basing fractions
on estimated weights)
Wide range in grain sizes
Well-graded gravels, gravel CU = (D60 / D10) Greater than 4
fraction is larger than 4.75 mm IS sieve

and substantial amounts of

Depending on percentage of fines (fraction smaller than 75 micron IS sieve) coarse

Use grain size curve in identifying the fractions as given under field identification
Clean GW sand mixtures, little or no
all intermediate particle CC = [D302 / (D10 x D60)] Between 1 and 3
gravels fines
sizes.
More than half of Coarse

(little or
More than half of the material is larger than 75 micron IS sieve size

Predominantly one size or a Poorly graded gravels,

Determine percentages of gravel and sand from grain size curves.

no fines) Not meeting all gradation requirements for

5% – 12%: Border line cases; requiring use of dual symbols.

range of sizes with some GP gravel sand mixtures, little
GW
intermediate sizes missing or no fines
Gravels

Fines with low plasticity (for Atterberg limits Limits plotting

size

Silty gravels, poorly graded

identification procedures, GM below ‘A’ line, or IP above ‘A’ line with
Gravels gravel-sand-silt mixtures

grained soils are classified as follows:

see ML and MI below) <4 IP between 4 and 7
with fines
Plastic fines (for Clayey gravels, poorly Atterberg limits are border line
(appreciab
cases requiring use

> 12%: GM, GC, SM, SC

identification procedures, GC graded gravel-sand-clay above ‘A’ line, with

<5%: GW, GP, SW, SP

le
Coarse-grained soils

see CL and CI below) mixtures IP > 7 of dual symbols

amount of
fines) Possible to determine wL only or
Gravels with non-plastic
GMN Non-plastic silty gravels not possible to determine wL and wP on
fines
minus 425 µm fraction
Wide range in grain sizes CU = (D60 / D10) Greater than 6
Well graded sands, gravelly
Clean and substantial amounts of SW
More than half of coarse fraction is
smaller than 4.75 mm IS sieve sizs

sands, little or no fines CC = [D302 / (D10 x D60)] Between 1 and 3

sands all intermediate particle sizes
(little or Predominantly one size or a Poorly graded sands,
no fines) Not meeting all gradation requirements for
range of sizes with some SP gravelly sands, little or no
SW
intermediate sizes missing fines
Fines with low plasticity (for Atterberg limits Limits plotting
Sands

Silty sands, poorly graded

identification procedures, SM below ‘A’ line, or IP above ‘A’ line with
sand-silt mixtures
Sands see ML and MI below) <4 IP between 4 and 7
with fines Plastic fines (for Atterberg limits are border line
Clayey sands, poorly graded
(appreciab identification procedures, SC above ‘A’ line, with cases requiring use
sand-clay mixtures
le amount see CL and CI below) IP > 7 of dual symbols
of fines) Possible to determine wL only or
Sands with non-plastic
SMN Non-plastic silty sands not possible to determine wL and wP on
fines
minus 425 µm fraction

the non-plastic nature of such soils. New additional Fine Grained Soils
groups and group symbols are shown in bold letters in the
tables. Fine grained soils can be grouped broadly into following
two categories.
Coarse Grained Soils
• Inorganic clays, plastic inorganic silts and organic silts
and clays:
In this category, the existing groups of soils are GW, GP,
GM, GC, SW, SP, SM, SC and border line cases requiring These soils can be classified into three groups based on
dual symbols. In addition to these, following two groups their liquid limit as soils with low plasticity (wL \ 35 %),
are proposed to be included in this category (Table 1; soils with medium plasticity (35 % \ wL \ 50 %) and
Fig. 1). soils with high plasticity (wL [ 50 %) (Table 2; Fig. 2).
Further, subgrouping of these soils requires the use of
• GMN: Soils coming under this category can be
plasticity chart as indicated in Table 2. A soils with
described as non-plastic silty gravels, poorly graded
wL [ 50 % can be further categorised into soils with high
gravel-sand-silt mixtures. All coarse grained soils that
plasticity (i.e. 50 % \ wL \ 70 %), soils with very high
do not meet the plasticity requirements to be classified
plasticity (i.e. 70 % \ wL \ 90 %) and soils with extre-
as GM and GC belong to this group.
mely high plasticity (i.e., wL [ 90 %) as per the existing
• SMN: Soils coming under this category can be
British Standard codal provisions [4], if desired.
described as non-plastic silty sands, poorly graded
sand-silt mixtures. All coarse grained soils that do not • Non-plastic inorganic silts;
meet the plasticity requirements to be classified as SM
These soils are characterised by the absence of the
and SC belong to this group.
plasticity (i.e., it is not possible to determine wP or both wL
Apart from these two new group symbols, dual symbols and wP). For such soils, the letters L, I and H are used
involving GMN and SMN can also be used depending upon to indicate dominant coarse silt size fractions, medium
the situation. silt size fractions and (fine silt ? clay) size fractions

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Indian Geotech J (April–June 2012) 42(2):118–123 121

Table 2 Modified soil classification chart for fine-grained soils

Identification procedures (on fraction Group
Division

Subdivision Typical names Laboratory classification criteria

smaller than 425 micron IS sieve size) symbol
Dry Toug
Dilatancy
Strength hness
Inorganic silts and very fine sands,
Silts and None to
Inorganic clays, plastic inorganic silts, organic silts and clays

Quick None ML rock flour, silty or clayey fine

clays with low A line
sands with low plasticity
low
Inorganic clays, gravelly clays,
plasticity None to Medi 60
Medium CL sandy clays, silty clays, lean clays
and very slow um
of low plasticity

Plasticity index, Ip
50
More than half of material is smaller than 75 micron IS sieve size

Liquid limit
< 35 Organic silts and organic silty - CH
Low Slow Low OL 40
clays of low plasticity
Inorganic clays, silty or clayey fine CI
Silts and
Low
Quick to
None MI sands or clayey silts of medium
30 CL
clays with
slow
medium plasticity 20
plasticity Inorganic clays, gravelly clays, MI OH
Medium Medi
and
to high
None
um
CI sandy clays, silty clays, lean clays 10 7 ML or or
Liquid limit of medium plasticity 4 or OL OI MH
Fine-grained soils

> 35 and < Low to Organic silts and organic silty - 0

Slow Low OI 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
50 medium clays of medium plasticity
Silts and Inorganic silts, of high compressibility, Liquid limit, wL
Low to Slow to Low to
clays with MH micaceous or diatomaceous fine sandy
medium none medium or silty soils, elastic silts
high
plasticity High to Inorganic clays of high plasticity, Plasticity chart
None High CH
and very high fat clays
Liquid limit Medium None to Low to Organic clays of medium to high
> 50 OH
to high very slow medium plasticity
Hydrometer analysis on fraction
smaller than 75 μm size
Non-plastic inorganic

Use of dual symbols:

Coarse silt More than 50% of fines is in the
Non-plastic inorganic coarse silt More than 50% of fines is in the range 7.5 μm < particle size
size particle size range 20 μm < particle MLN
sized fractions ≤ 75 μm, which is also more than the percentage of combined
fractions size ≤ 75 μm
silts

medium silt and (fine silt + clay) size fractions, then use
Medium silt More than 50% of fines is in the MLN-MIN
Non-plastic inorganic medium silt
size particle size range 7.5 μm < MIN
sized fractions More than 50% of fines is in the range particle size ≤ 20 μm,
fractions particle size ≤ 20 μm which is also more than the percentage of combined coarse
(Fine silt + More than 50% of fines is in the Non-plastic inorganic (fine silt + silt and medium silt size fractions, then use MIN-MHN.
MHN
clay) size particle size range, particle size ≤ clay) sized fractions

Soil

Highly organic soils Coarse – grained Fine – grained (Silty)

(Peat) 50% or less pass 75 µm sieve More than 50% pass 75 µm sieve

Run sieve analysis

Gravel (G) Sand (S)

Greater % of coarse fraction Greater % of coarse fraction pass
retained on 4.75 mm sieve 4.75 mm sieve

Less than Between 5% More than Less than Between 5% More than
5% pass 75 and 12% pass 12% pass 5% pass 75 and 12% pass 12% pass
µm sieve 75 µm sieve 75 µm sieve µm sieve 75 µm sieve 75 µm sieve

Examine Border line cases requiring Examine Border line cases requiring Run wL and wP
Run wL and wP
grain size dual symbols appropriate grain size dual symbols appropriate tests on – 425
tests on – 425
curve to gradation and plasticity curve to gradation and plasticity µm fraction
µm fraction
characteristics characteristics

Well Poorly Well Poorly

Below ‘A’ Limits Above ‘A’ Non-plastic Below ‘A’ Limits Above ‘A’ Non-
graded graded graded graded
line or plot in line or silty gravels, line or plot in line or plastic
hatched hatched hatched gravel-sand- hatched hatched hatched silty
zone on zone on zone on silt mixtures zone on zone on zone on sands,
plasticity plasticity plasticity plasticity plasticity plasticity sand-silt
chart chart chart chart chart chart mixtures

GW GP GM GM-GC GC GMN SW SP SM SM-SC SC SMN

Fig. 1 Flow chart for classifying the coarse grained soils

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122 Indian Geotech J (April–June 2012) 42(2):118–123

Soil

Highly organic soils Coarse – grained Fine – grained (Silty)

(Peat) 50% or less pass 75 µm sieve More than 50% pass 75 µm sieve

Run wL test on
– 425 µm sieve material

Inorganic clays, inorganic plastic Non-plastic inorganic silts

silts, organic silts and clays

L I H
wL < 35% 35% < wL < 50% wL > 50%

Below ‘A’ Limits Above ‘A’ Below Above Below Above

line or plot in line or ‘A’ line ‘A’ line ‘A’ line ‘A’ line
hatched hatched hatched on on on on
zone on zone on zone on plasticity plasticity plasticity plasticity
plasticity plasticity plasticity chart chart chart chart
chart chart chart
More More
More Border than Border than
Inorganic Organic Inorganic Organic Inorganic Organic than line 50% line 50%
50% cases fines in cases fines
fines require- the require- finer
coarser ing dual range 20 ing dual than 7.5
than 20 symbols µm – symbols µm size
µm size 7.5 µm

ML OL ML-CL CL MI OI CI MH OH CH MLN MLN- MIN MIN- MHN

MIN MHN

Fig. 2 Flow chart for classifying the fine-grained soils

respectively based on grain size distribution. To achieve
this aim, the silt size fraction of non-plastic inorganic soils
(i.e., 2 lm B particle size B 75 lm) is subdivided into
three categories. They are;
• Coarse silt size fractions (i.e., 20 lm \ particle size
B 75 lm).
• Medium silt size fractions (i.e., 7.5 lm \ particle size
B 20 lm).
• Fine silt size fractions (i.e., 2 lm B particle size
B 7.5 lm).
If more than 50 % of fines (i.e., fractions of size finer
than 75 lm) belongs to either coarse silt size category or
medium silt size category or (fine silt ? clay) size cate-
gory, then the soil is accordingly represented as MLN or
MIN or MHN respectively. If the percentage fraction under
each of these categories is less than 50 %, then dual
symbols are suggested as under.
• If coarse and medium silt size fractions comprise more
than 50 % of fines and also more than the percentage of
combined medium silt and (fine silt ? clay) size
fractions, then the soil is designated as MLN–MIN.
• Medium and (fine silt ? clay) size fractions com-
prise more than 50 % of fines and also more than
the percentage of combined coarse silt and medium
silt size fractions, then the soil is designated as MIN–
MHN.
Conclusions
Ambiguity prevails in classifying some silty soils which
are non plastic (i.e., those soils exhibiting either only liquid
limit for which plastic limit determination is not possible or
for which both liquid limit and plastic limit determination
is not possible). They can not be represented satisfactorily
through suitable group symbols as per the specifications of
many national codes of practice that follow the USCS. This
paper has brought out the need to include additional group
symbols to classify such non-plastic soils, and certain
inclusions to the existing soil classification system have
been proposed. They are
i. GMN: Non-plastic silty gravels.
ii. SMN: Non-plastic silty sands.
iii. MLN: Non-plastic inorganic coarse silt sized
fractions.
iv. MIN: Non-plastic inorganic medium silt sized
fractions.
v. MHN: Non-plastic inorganic (fine silt ? clay) sized
fractions.

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Indian Geotech J (April–June 2012) 42(2):118–123 123

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