Atterberg Limits, Particle size Analysis

Particle Size Distribution of soils provide a quantitative evaluation of the particle-size distribution of material smaller than 75μm obtained with typical evaluations of fine-grained soils. The test is used in conjunction with a standard sieve analysis of fine-grained soils to provide a complete particle-size distribution curve.
Atterberg limit is a basic measure of the critical water content of fine-grained soils. Depending on the water content of a soil, it may appear in four states: solid, semi-solid, plastic or liquid. Atterberg limits are determined with a series of laboratory tests that classify the properties of silt and clay soils at different moisture contents. These tests include shrinkage limit, plastic limit, and liquid limit.