Absorption water content and liquid limit of soils

Consistency limits are extensively used in geotechnical engineering practic e. Besides the consistency limits, the plasticity index, liquidity index, a nd consistency index have been used to correlate with engineering propertie s. The test procedures that have been developed to determine liquid limit a re based on the strength criterion, and the liquid limit corresponds to a s hearing resistance of 1.7 to 2.0 kPa. However, the mechanisms controlling t he test procedures do not simulate the mechanisms controlling the water-hol ding capacity of soils that the liquid limit is supposed to represent. In t his paper an attempt has been made to devise a test procedure, known as the absorption test, which simulates the mechanisms controlling the water hold ing-capacity of soils. The equilibrium water content reached by the dry soi l pats starting at shrinkage limit void ratio is found to have a good corre lation with the conventional liquid limit obtained from the cone penetromet er method.