CORRELATION BETWEEN LIQUID LIMIT AND SHRINKAGE LIMIT

Detailed analysis of 181 Atterberg limits test results collected from literature demonstrates that shrinkage limit is the plasticity characteristic of soil. The main factor affecting the shrinkage limit is the specific surface area of the clay minerals. As the specific surface area increases, the shrinkage limit decreases. Two models for estimating the shrinkage limit have been developed. The first model is based on the average slope of the fall cone flow curve (20/LL), while the second model uses the liquid limit to estimate the shrinkage limit of the soil. In line with AASHTO T92-88, the reproducibility of the shrinkage limit test results is ±6.8. 95% of the shrinkage limit results computed using the proposed models plotted within the statistical testing bound, indicating the robustness of the proposed model and its potential for estimating the shrinkage limit of the soil.