Other soil parameters

 » Angle of friction
 » Cohesion
 » Dry unit weight
 » Young's modulus
 » Void ratio
 » Soil Permeability coefficient
 » Soil porosity

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Soil friction angle

Geotechdata.info - Updated 14.12.2013

Soil friction angle is a shear strength parameter of soils. Its definition is derived from the Mohr-Coulomb
failure criterion and it is used to describe the friction shear resistance of soils together with the normal
effective stress.

In the stress plane of Shear stress-effective normal stress, the soil friction angle is the angle of inclination
with respect to the horizontal axis of the Mohr-Coulomb shear resistance line.

Typical values of soil friction angle for different soils according to USCS

Some typical values of soil friction angle are given below for different USCS soil types at normally
consolidated condition unless otherwise stated. These values should be used only as guidline for
geotechnical problems; however, specific conition of each engineering problem often needs to be
considered for an appropriate choice of geotechnical parameters.

Soil friction angle [°]

Description USCS Reference
min max Specific value
Well graded gravel, sandy gravel, with little or
GW 33 40 [1],[2],
no fines
Poorly graded gravel, sandy gravel, with little
GP 32 44 [1],
or no fines
(GW,
Sandy gravels - Loose 35 [3 cited in 6]
GP)
(GW,
Sandy gravels - Dense 50 [3 cited in 6]
GP)
Silty gravels, silty sandy gravels GM 30 40 [1],
Clayey gravels, clayey sandy gravels GC 28 35 [1],
Well graded sands, gravelly sands, with little
SW 33 43 [1],
or no fines
Well-graded clean sand, gravelly sands -
SW - - 38 [3 cited in 6]
Compacted
Well-graded sand, angular grains - Loose (SW) 33 [3 cited in 6]
Well-graded sand, angular grains - Dense (SW) 45 [3 cited in 6]
Poorly graded sands, gravelly sands, with little
SP 30 39 [1], [2],
or no fines
Poorly-garded clean sand - Compacted SP - - 37 [3 cited in 6]
Uniform sand, round grains - Loose (SP) 27 [3 cited in 6]
Uniform sand, round grains - Dense (SP) 34 [3 cited in 6]
Sand SW, SP 37 38 [7],
Loose sand (SW, SP) 29 30 [5 cited in 6]
Medium sand (SW, SP) 30 36 [5 cited in 6]
Dense sand (SW, SP) 36 41 [5 cited in 6]
Silty sands SM 32 35 [1],
Silty clays, sand-silt mix - Compacted SM - - 34 [3 cited in 6]
Silty sand - Loose SM 27 33 [3 cited in 6]
Silty sand - Dense SM 30 34 [3 cited in 6]
Clayey sands SC 30 40 [1],
Calyey sands, sandy-clay mix - compacted SC 31 [3 cited in 6]
Loamy sand, sandy clay Loam SM, SC 31 34 [7],
Inorganic silts, silty or clayey fine sands, with ML 27 41 [1],
slight plasticity
Inorganic silt - Loose ML 27 30 [3 cited in 6]
Inorganic silt - Dense ML 30 35 [3 cited in 6]
Inorganic clays, silty clays, sandy clays of low
CL 27 35 [1],
plasticity
Clays of low plasticity - compacted CL 28 [3 cited in 6]
Organic silts and organic silty clays of low
OL 22 32 [1],
plasticity
Inorganic silts of high plasticity MH 23 33 [1],
Clayey silts - compacted MH 25 [3 cited in 6]
Silts and clayey silts - compacted ML 32 [3 cited in 6]
Inorganic clays of high plasticity CH 17 31 [1],
Clays of high plasticity - compacted CH 19 [3 cited in 6]
Organic clays of high plasticity OH 17 35 [1],
ML, OL,
Loam 28 32 [7],
MH, OH
ML, OL,
Silt Loam 25 32 [7],
MH, OH
ML, OL,
Clay Loam, Silty Clay Loam CL, MH, 18 32 [7],
OH, CH
OL, CL,
Silty clay 18 32 [7],
OH, CH
CL, CH,
Clay 18 28 [7],
OH, OL
Peat and other highly organic soils Pt 0 10 [2],

Correlation between SPT-N value, friction angle, and relative

density

Correlation between SPT-N value and friction angle and Relative density (Meyerhoff
1956)
 SPT N3 Relative Density Friction angle
Soi packing
[Blows/0.3 m - 1 ft] [%] [°]
<4 Very loose < 20 < 30
4 -10 Loose 20 - 40 30 - 35
10 - 30 Compact 40 - 60 35 - 40
30 - 50 Dense 60 - 80 40 - 45
> 50 Very Dense > 80 > 45

REFERENCES

1. Swiss Standard SN 670 010b, Characteristic Coefficients of soils, Association of Swiss Road and
Traffic Engineers
2. JON W. KOLOSKI, SIGMUND D. SCHWARZ, and DONALD W. TUBBS, Geotechnical
Properties of Geologic Materials, Engineering Geology in Washington, Volume 1, Washington
Division of Geology and Earth Resources Bulletin 78, 1989, Link
3. Carter, M. and Bentley, S. (1991). Correlations of soil properties. Penetech Press Publishers,
London.
4. Meyerhof, G. (1956). Penetration tests and bearing capacity of cohesionless soils. J Soils
Mechanics and Foundation Division ASCE, 82(SM1).
5. Peck, R., Hanson,W., and Thornburn, T. (1974). Foundation Engineering Handbook. Wiley,
London.
6. Obrzud R. & Truty, A.THE HARDENING SOIL MODEL - A PRACTICAL GUIDEBOOK Z
Soil.PC 100701 report, revised 31.01.2012
7. Minnesota Department of Transportation, Pavement Design, 2007

Citation :
Geotechdata.info, Angle of Friction, http://geotechdata.info/parameter/angle-of-friction.html (as of
September 14.12.2013).
Soil Cohesion
Geotechdata.info - Updated 31.10.2014

The cohesion is a term used in describing the shear strength soils. Its definition is mainly derived from the
Mohr-Coulomb failure criterion and it is used to describe the non-frictional part of the shear resitance
which is independent of the normal stress. In the stress plane of Shear stress-effective normal stress, the
soil cohesion is the intercept on the shear axis of the Mohr-Coulomb shear resistance line

Typical values of soil cohesion for different soils

Some typical values of soil cohesion are given below for different soil types. The soil cohesion depends
strongly on the consistence, packing, and saturation condition. The values given below correspond to
normally consolidated condition unless otherwise stated. These values should be used only as guidline for
geotechnical problems; however, specific conition of each engineering problem often needs to be
considered for an appropriate choice of geotechnical parameters.

Cohesion [kPa]
Description USCS Reference
min max Specific value
Well graded gravel, sandy gravel, with little or
GW - - 0 [1],[2],[3],
no fines
Poorly graded gravel, sandy gravel, with little
GP - - 0 [1],[2], [3],
or no fines
Silty gravels, silty sandy gravels GM - - 0 [1],
Clayey gravels, clayey sandy gravels GC - - 20 [1],
Well graded sands, gravelly sands, with little or
SW - - 0 [1],[2], [3],
no fines
Poorly graded sands, gravelly sands, with little
SP - - 0 [1],[2], [3],
or no fines
Silty sands SM - - 22 [1],
Silty sands - Saturated compacted SM - - 50 [3],
Silty sands - Compacted SM - - 20 [3],
Clayey sands SC - - 5 [1],
Clayey sands - Compacted SC - - 74 [3],
Clayey sands -Saturated compacted SC - - 11 [3],
Loamy sand, sandy clay Loam - compacted SM, SC 50 75 [2],
Loamy sand, sandy clay Loam - saturated SM, SC 10 20 [2],
Sand silt clay with slightly plastic fines -
SM, SC - - 50 [3],
compacted
Sand silt clay with slightly plastic fines -
SM, SC - - 14 [3],
saturated compacted
Inorganic silts, silty or clayey fine sands, with
ML - - 7 [1],
slight plasticity
Inorganic silts and clayey silts - compacted ML - - 67 [3],
Inorganic silts and clayey silts - saturated
ML - - 9 [3],
compacted
Inorganic clays, silty clays, sandy clays of low
CL - - 4 [1],
plasticity
Inorganic clays, silty clays, sandy clays of low
CL - - 86 [3],
plasticity - compacted
Inorganic clays, silty clays, sandy clays of low
CL - - 13 [3],
plasticity - saturated compacted
Mixture if inorganic silt and clay - compacted ML-CL - - 65 [3],
Mixture if inorganic silt and clay - saturated
ML-CL - - 22 [3],
compacted
Organic silts and organic silty clays of low
OL - - 5 [1],
plasticity
Inorganic silts of high plasticity - compactd MH - - 10 [1],
Inorganic silts of high plasticity - saturated
MH - - 72 [3],
compacted
Inorganic silts of high plasticity MH - - 20 [3],
Inorganic clays of high plasticity CH - - 25 [1],
Inorganic clays of high plasticity - compacted CH - - 103 [3],
Inorganic clays of high plasticity - satrated
CH - - 11 [3],
compacted
Organic clays of high plasticity OH - - 10 [1],
ML, OL,
Loam - Compacted 60 90 [2],
MH, OH
Loam - Saturated ML, OL, 10 20 [2],
 MH, OH
ML, OL,
Silt Loam - Compacted 60 90 [2],
MH, OH
ML, OL,
Silt Loam - Saturated 10 20 [2],
MH, OH
ML, OL,
Clay Loam, Silty Clay Loam - Compaced CL, MH, 60 105 [2],
OH, CH
ML, OL,
Clay Loam, Silty Clay Loam - Saturated CL, MH, 10 20 [2],
OH, CH
OL, CL,
Silty clay, clay - compacted 90 105 [2],
OH, CH
OL, CL,
Silty clay, clay - saturated 10 20 [2],
OH, CH
Peat and other highly organic soils Pt - -

REFERENCES

1. Swiss Standard SN 670 010b, Characteristic Coefficients of soils, Association of Swiss Road and
Traffic Engineers
2. Minnesota Department of Transportation, Pavement Design, 2007
3. NAVFAC Design Manual 7.2 - Foundations and Earth Structures,SN 0525-LP-300-7071,
REVALIDATED BY CHANGE 1 SEPTEMBER 1986

Citation :
Geotechdata.info, Cohesion, http://geotechdata.info/parameter/cohesion (as of December 15, 2013).
Dry unit weight
Geotechdata.info - Updated 29.08.2013

Soil unit weight, as referred to as Specific weight, is the weight per unit volume of soil. It may refer to

- Wet unit weight: Unit weight of the soil when the pore are fully or partially filled with water.
- Dry unit weight: Unit weight of the soil the pores are filled only with air without any water.

Gamma_d = Gamma / (1 + w)

where

Gamma_d : dry unit weight

Gamma : unit weight
w: soil water content

Typical values of soil porosity for different soils

The soil unit weight, of course, depends on the packing, compaction, and humidity condition of the soil.
Some typical values of dry unit weight are given below for different soils. The values correspond to
normally consolidated condition unless otherwise stated. These values should be used only as guidline for
geotechnical problems; however, specific conition of each engineering problem often needs to be
considered for an appropriate choice of geotechnical parameters.

Average
USCS Description value References
(kN/m3)

GW Well graded gravel, sandy gravel, with little or no fines 21 ± 1 [1];

GP Poorly graded gravel, sandy gravel, with little or no fines 20.5 ± 1 [1];

GM Silty gravels, silty sandy gravels 21.5 ± 1 [1];

19.5 ±
GC Clayey gravels, clayey sandy gravels [1];
1.5
 SW Well graded sands, gravelly sands, with little or no fines 20.5 ± 2 [1];

Poorly graded sands, gravelly sands, with little or no

SP 19.5 ± 2 [1];
fines
20.5 ±
SM Silty sands [1];
2.5
18.5 ±
SC Clayey sands [1];
1.5
Inorganic silts, silty or clayey fine sands, with slight
ML [1];
plasticity

CL Inorganic clays, silty clays, sandy clays of low plasticity [1];

OL Organic silts and organic silty clays of low plasticity [1];

MH Inorganic silts of high plasticity [1];

CH Inorganic clays of high plasticity [1];

OH Organic clays of high plasticity [1];

Pt Peat and other highly organic soils [1];

REFERENCES

1. Swiss Standard SN 670 010b, Characteristic Coefficients of soils, Association of Swiss Road and
Traffic Engineers

Citation :
Geotechdata.info, Dry unit weight, http://geotechdata.info/parameter/soil-dry-unit-weight.html (as of
August 29, 2013).
Soil elastic Young's modulus
Geotechdata.info - Updated 17.09.2013

Soil Young's modulus (E), commonly reffred to as soil elastic modulus, is an elastic soil parameter and a
measure of soil stiffness. It is defined as the ratio of the stress along an axis over the strain along that axis
in the range of elastic soil behaviour. The elastic modulus is often used for estimation of soil settement and
elastic deformation analysis.

Soil elastic modulus can be estimated from laboratory or in-situ tests or based on correlation with other soil
properties. In laboratory, it can be determined from triaxial test or indirectly from oedometer test. On field,
it can be estimated from Standard penetration test, Cone penetration test , pressuremeter or indirectly from
dilatometer test.

Typical values of soil Young's molulus for different soils according

to USCS

In general, the soil stiffness and elastic modulus depends on the consistensy and packing (density) of the
soil. Typical values of soil Young's modulus are given below as guideline.

Typical values of Young's modulus for granular material (MPa) (based on Obrzud & Truty 2012
complied from Kezdi 1974 and Prat et al. 1995)

USCS Description Loose Medium Dense

GW, SW Gravels/Sand well-graded 30-80 80-160 160-320

SP Sand, uniform 10-30 30-50 50-80

GM , SM Sand/Gravel silty 7-12 12-20 20-30

Typical values of Young's modulus for cohessive material (MPa) (based on Obrzud & Truty 2012
compiled from Kezdi 1974 and Prat et al. 1995)
 Very soft to Stiff to very
USCS Description Medium Hard
soft stiff
ML Silts with slight plasticity 2.5 - 8 10 - 15 15 -40 40 - 80

ML, CL Silts with low plasticity 1.5 - 6 6 -10 10 - 30 30 -60

Clays with low-medium
CL 0.5 - 5 5 -8 8 - 30 30 - 70
plasticity
CH Clays with high plasticity 0.35 - 4 4 -7 7 - 20 20 - 32

OL Organic silts - 0.5 -5 - -

OH Organic clays - 0.5 -4 - -

REFERENCES

1. Obrzud R. & Truty, A.THE HARDENING SOIL MODEL - A PRACTICAL GUIDEBOOK Z

Soil.PC 100701 report, revised 31.01.2012
2. Kezdi, A. (1974). Handbook of Soil Mechanics. Elsevier, Amsterdam.
3. Prat, M., Bisch, E., Millard, A., Mestat, P., and Cabot, G. (1995). La modelisation des ouvrages.
Hermes, Paris.

Citation :
Geotechdata.info, Soil Young's modulus, http://geotechdata.info/parameter/soil-elastic-young-
modulus.html (as of September 17.09.2013).
Soil void ratio
Geotechdata.info - Updated 16.11.2013

Soil void ratio (e) is the ratio of the volume of voids to the volume of solids:

e = (V_v) / (V_s)

Where V_v is the volume of the voids (empty or filled with fluid), and V_s is the volume of solids.

Void ratio is usually used in parallel with soil porosity (n) , which is defined as the ratio of the volume of
voids to the total volume of the soil. The posoity and the void ratio are inter-related as follows:

e = n /(1-n) and n = e / (1+e)

The value of void ratio depends on the consistence and packing of the soil. It is directly affacted by
compaction. Some typical values of void ratio for different soils are given below only as general
guidelines.

Typical values of soil void ratio for different soils

Some typical values of void ratio are given below for different USCS soil types at normally consolidated
condition unless otherwise stated. These values should be used only as guidline for geotechnical problems;
however, specific conition of each engineering problem often needs to be considered for an appropriate
choice of geotechnical parameters.

Void ratio [-]

Description USCS Reference
min max Specific value
Well graded gravel, sandy gravel, with little
GW 0.26 0.46 [1],
or no fines
Poorly graded gravel, sandy gravel, with
GP 0.26 0.46 [1],
little or no fines
Silty gravels, silty sandy gravels GM 0.18 0.28 [1],
(GW-
Gravel 0.30 0.60 [2],
GP)
Clayey gravels, clayey sandy gravels GC 0.21 0.37 [1],
Glatial till, very mixed grained (GC) - - 0.25 [4 cited in 5]
Well graded sands, gravelly sands, with
SW 0.29 0.74 [1], [2],
little or no fines
Coarse sand (SW) 0.35 0.75 [2],
Fine sand (SW) 0.40 0.85 [2],
Poorly graded sands, gravelly sands, with
SP 0.30 0.75 [1], [2],
little or no fines
Silty sands SM 0.33 0.98 [1], [2],
Clayey sands SC 0.17 0.59 [1],
Inorganic silts, silty or clayey fine sands,
ML 0.26 1.28 [1],
with slight plasticity
Uniform inorganic silt (ML) 0.40 1.10 [3],
Inorganic clays, silty clays, sandy clays of
CL 0.41 0.69 [1],
low plasticity
Organic silts and organic silty clays of low
OL 0.74 2.26 [1], [3],
plasticity
(CL-
Silty or sandy clay 0.25 1.80 [3],
OL)
Inorganic silts of high plasticity MH 1.14 2.10 [1],
Inorganic clays of high plasticity CH 0.63 1.45 [1],
Soft glacial clay - - - 1.20 [4 cited in 5]
Stiff glacial clay - - - 0.60 [4 cited in 5]
Organic clays of high plasticity OH 1.06 3.34 [1], [3],
(OH-
Soft slightly organic clay - - 1.90 [4] cited in [5]
OL)
Peat and other highly organic soils Pt - - [4 cited in 5]
soft very organic clay (Pt) - - 3.00 [4] cited in [5]

REFERENCES

1. Swiss Standard SN 670 010b, Characteristic Coefficients of soils, Association of Swiss Road and
Traffic Engineers
2. Das, B., Advanced Soil Mechanics. Taylor & Francis, London & New York, 2008.
3. Hough, B., Basic soil engineering. Ronald Press Company, New York, 1969.
 4. Terzaghi, K., Peck, R., and Mesri, G., Soil Mechanics in Engineering Practice. Wiley, New York,
1996.
5. Obrzud R. & Truty, A.THE HARDENING SOIL MODEL - A PRACTICAL GUIDEBOOK Z
Soil.PC 100701 report, revised 31.01.2012

Citation :
Geotechdata.info, Soil void ratio, http://geotechdata.info/parameter/soil-void-ratio.html (as of November
16, 2013).
Soil permeability coefficient
Geotechdata.info - Updated 07.10.2013

The soil permeability is a measure indicating the capacity of the soil or rock to allow fluids to pass through
it. It is often represented by the permeability coefficient (k) through the Darcy’s equation:

V=ki

Where v is the apparent fluid velocity through the medium i is the hydraulic gradient , and K is the
coefficient of permeability (hydraulic conductivity) often expressed in m/s

K depends on the relative permeability of the medium for fluid constituent (often water) and the dynamic
viscosity of the fluid as follows.

K= (Gamma_w)*K/ (eta)

where Where Gamma_w is the unit weight of water Eta is the dynamic viscosity of water K is an absolute
coefficient depending on the characteristics of the medium (m2)

The permeability coefficient can be determined in the laboratory using falling head permeability test, and
constant head permeability test. On the field, the permeability can be estimated using Lugeon test.

Typical values of soil permeability

Some typical values of permeability coefficient are given below for different soil types. It refers to
normally consolidated condition unless otherwise mentioned. These values should be used only as guidline
for geotechnical problems; however, specific conition of each engineering problem often needs to be
considered for an appropriate choice of geotechnical parameters.

min max
Description USCS Specific value (m/s) Reference
(m/s) (m/s)
Well graded gravel, sandy gravel,
GW 5.00E-04 5.00E-02 [1],
with little or no fines
Poorly graded gravel, sandy
GP 5.00E-04 5.00E-02 [1],
gravel, with little or no fines
Silty gravels, silty sandy gravels GM 5.00E-08 5.00E-06 [1],
Alluvial sand and gravel (GM) 4.00E-04 4.00E-03 [2&3 in 4]
Clayey gravels, clayey sandy
GC 5.00E-09 5.00E-06 [1],
gravels
Well graded sands, gravelly
SW 1.00E-08 1.00E-06 [1],
sands, with little or no fines
Very fine sand, very well sorted (SW) 8.40E-05 [5] ,
Medium sand, very well sorted (SW) 2.23E-03 [5] ,
Coarse sand, very well sorted (SW) 3.69E-01 [5] ,
Poorly graded sands, gravelly [1], [2&3 in
SP 2.55E-05 5.35E-04
sands, with little or no fines 4]
Clean sands (good aquifers) (SP-SW) 1.00E-05 1.00E-02 [5],
Uniform sand and gravel (SP-GP) 4.00E-03 4.00E-01 [2&3 in 4]
Well graded sand and gravel (GW-
4.00E-05 4.00E-03 [2&3 in 4]
without fines SW)
Silty sands SM 1.00E-08 5.00E-06 [1],
Clayey sands SC 5.50E-09 5.50E-06 [1], [5]
Inorganic silts, silty or clayey fine
ML 5.00E-09 1.00E-06 [1],
sands, with slight plasticity
Inorganic clays, silty clays, sandy
CL 5.00E-10 5.00E-08 [1],
clays of low plasticity
Organic silts and organic silty
OL 5.00E-09 1.00E-07 [1],
clays of low plasticity
Inorganic silts of high plasticity MH 1.00E-10 5.00E-08 [1],
Inorganic clays of high plasticity CH 1.00E-10 1.00E-07 [1],
(ML-
Compacted silt 7.00E-10 7.00E-08 [2&3 in 4]
MH)
Compacted clay (CL-CH) - 1.00E-09 [2&3 in 4]
Organic clays of high plasticity OH 5.00E-10 1.00E-07 [1],
Peat and other highly organic
Pt - -
soils

Empirical relations for dtermine the soil permeability coefficient

For Sands, the coefficient of permeability can be estimated from the Hazen's equation:

is the effevtive size in mm.

REFERENCES

1. Swiss Standard SN 670 010b, Characteristic Coefficients of soils, Association of Swiss Road and
Traffic Engineers
2. Carter, M. and Bentley, S. (1991). Correlations of soil properties. Penetech Press Publishers,
London.
3. Leonards G. A. Ed. 1962, Foundation ENgineering. McGraw Hill Book Company
4. Dysli M. and Steiner W., 2011, Correlations in soil mechanics, PPUR
5. West, T.R., 1995. Geology applied to engineering. Prentice Hall, 560 pp.

Citation :
Geotechdata.info, Soil void ratio, http://geotechdata.info/parameter/permeability.html (as of October 7,
2013).
Soil porosity
Geotechdata.info - Updated 18.11.2013

Soil porosity (n) is the ratio of the volume of voids to the total volume of the soil:

n = (V_v) / V

Where V_v is the volume of the voids (empty or filled with fluid), and V is the total volume of the soil.

Porosity is usually used in parallel with soil void ratio (e) , which is defined as the ratio of the volume of
voids to the volume of solidsl. The posoity and the void ratio are inter-related as follows:

e = n /(1-n) and n = e / (1+e)

The soil prosoity depends on the consistence and packing of the soil. It is directly affacted by compaction.

Typical values of soil porosity for different soils

Some typical values of soil porosity are given below for different USCS soil types at normally consolidated
condition unless otherwise stated. These values should be used only as guidline for geotechnical problems;
however, specific conition of each engineering problem often needs to be considered for an appropriate
choice of geotechnical parameters.

Porosity [-]
Description USCS Reference
min max Specific value
Well graded gravel, sandy gravel, with
GW 0.21 0.32 [1],
little or no fines
Poorly graded gravel, sandy gravel, with
GP 0.21 0.32 [1],
little or no fines
Silty gravels, silty sandy gravels GM 0.15 0.22 [1],
(GW-
Gravel 0.23 0.38 [2],
GP)
Clayey gravels, clayey sandy gravels GC 0.17 0.27 [1],
Glatial till, very mixed grained (GC) - - 0.20 [4 cited in 5]
Well graded sands, gravelly sands, with SW 0.22 0.42 [1], [2],
little or no fines
Coarse sand (SW) 0.26 0.43 [2],
Fine sand (SW) 0.29 0.46 [2],
Poorly graded sands, gravelly sands, with
SP 0.23 0.43 [1], [2],
little or no fines
Silty sands SM 0.25 0.49 [1], [2],
Clayey sands SC 0.15 0.37 [1],
Inorganic silts, silty or clayey fine sands,
ML 0.21 0.56 [1],
with slight plasticity
Uniform inorganic silt (ML) 0.29 0.52 [3],
Inorganic clays, silty clays, sandy clays of
CL 0.29 0.41 [1],
low plasticity
Organic silts and organic silty clays of
OL 0.42 0.68 [1], [3],
low plasticity
(CL-
Silty or sandy clay 0.20 0.64 [3],
OL)
Inorganic silts of high plasticity MH 0.53 0.68 [1],
Inorganic clays of high plasticity CH 0.39 0.59 [1],
Soft glacial clay - - - 0.55 [4 cited in 5]
Stiff glacial clay - - - 0.38 [4 cited in 5]
Organic clays of high plasticity OH 0.50 0.75 [1], [3],
(OH-
Soft slightly organic clay - - 0.66 [4] cited in [5]
OL)
Peat and other highly organic soils Pt - - [4 cited in 5]
soft very organic clay (Pt) - - 0.75 [4] cited in [5]

REFERENCES

1. Swiss Standard SN 670 010b, Characteristic Coefficients of soils, Association of Swiss Road and
Traffic Engineers
2. Das, B., Advanced Soil Mechanics. Taylor & Francis, London & New York, 2008.
3. Hough, B., Basic soil engineering. Ronald Press Company, New York, 1969.
4. Terzaghi, K., Peck, R., and Mesri, G., Soil Mechanics in Engineering Practice. Wiley, New York,
1996.
 5. Obrzud R. & Truty, A.THE HARDENING SOIL MODEL - A PRACTICAL GUIDEBOOK Z
Soil.PC 100701 report, revised 31.01.2012

Citation :
Geotechdata.info, Soil void ratio, http://geotechdata.info/parameter/soil-void-ratio.html (as of November
16, 2013).