Liquid Limit and Specific Surface of Clay Particles

Abstract In this paper a new method for determining the liquid limit of nonexpanding soils is presented. The liquid limit value primarily depends on the type and quantity of clay minerals in soils. This relationship, however, has never been presented in general analytical form that would enable a consistent determination of the influence of mineralogical properties of different soils on the liquid limit. The findings described in the article define those mineralogical properties of soils, which determine the quantity of water at the liquid limit. It was found that the water content at the liquid limit depends on the size and the quantity of clay grains in soils that contain only nonexpanding minerals. In case of expanding minerals in soils, the size and the quantity of clays determine only the quantity of intergrain water, while the total water content depends on the quantity of interlayer water also.