Liquid limit
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The Liquid Limit, also known as the upper plastic limit, and the Atterberg limit, is the water content at which a soil changes from the liquid state to a plastic state.
The change from a plastic state to a liquid state is gradual, and so any definition of a boundary limit must be somewhat arbitrary. Therefore a standard empirical definition is used. The liquid limit is the water content at which a pat of soil, cut by a standard-sized groove, will flow together for a distance of 12 mm under the impact of 25 blows in a standard liquid-limit apparatus.
It is of practical importance in areas, such as The Netherlands with soft and wet soils and Hong Kong, subject to landslides. In Hong Kong liquid limit tests are performed on a regular basis to check that hills will remain stable during the rainy season.
The liquid limit and plastic limit are used together for soil identification and classification.
See also
External links
Undergraduate worksheet from University of Maine Civil Engineering Department - Soil Mechanics Laborary (http://www.umeciv.maine.edu/cie366/atterberg_limits/default.htm)Template:Standard-stub