ABSTRACT
The liquid limit (LL) is an important parameter for soil classification systems. The use of the cone penetrometer technique for measuring the liquid limit is an attractive alternative method since the percussion method is highly operator dependent. In this article, the importance of specifying the procedure and equipment used to determine the LL of a clay soil is highlighted using LL test results conducted on different clay soils. The results of LL, obtained by the percussion method proposed by Casagrande (LLc) and by the penetration cone method (LLp) on clay soils of different geological origins and plasticity were compared. The LLp values were determined using the British cone (20 mm fall cone penetration) method. The LLc values were determined using different hardnesses of Casagrande apparatus. The LL test results show that variations on the investigated methods depend on the mineralogy of the clay soil and the hardness base of the Casagrande cup. The data obtained for kaolinites and illites minerals or low LL soils yielded LLp>LLc. The results obtained for smectite minerals or soils with high LL values indicated LLp<LLc and a greater dispersion among the results. Statistical analyses of residues show that empirical LLp-LLc correlations through a linear regression analysis should be used with caution.
plasticity of clays; base hardness; cone penetration method; percussion cup; correlations
