Liquid limit determination of various sand clay mixtures by Casagrande and fall cone test methods

Abstract

This study aims to evaluate the liquid limit of various sand-clay mixtures obtained from both Casagrande and fall-cone test. Two types of clay (bentonite/kaolinite) were mixed with quartz and fine sand (FS) at mixture ratios of 0%, 10%, 20%, 30%, 40%, 50%, 60%, 70%, 80%, 90%, and 100% by dry weight. The results indicated that fall cone penetration was governed by the water content of sand-clay mixtures. Cone penetration of sand decreased with 30% kaolinite addition whereas then increased interval between 30% to 100% kaolinite, but for bentonite, it increased from 0% to 100% bentonite content at constant water contents. Different equations between Casagrande and fall cone tests were proposed for different mixture types. Liquid limit values for both methods were found to be greater for bentonite-sand mixtures that kaolinite-sand mixtures.