Plastic limit: The boundary between the plastic and semi-solid states Liquid limit: The boundary between the liquid and plastic states Approximately sixty years ago, Albert Atterberg defined the boundaries of four states in terms of 'limits' called Atterberg Limits which are as follows: Atterberg Limits Definitions The behavior of the soil, therefore, is related to the amount of water in the system.
Increasing the thickness of the water films permits the particles to slide past one another more easily. If the addition of water is continued, the thickness of the water film on a particle increases. When water is added to a dry soil, each particle is covered with a film of adsorbed water. A fine-gained soil can exist in any of several states which state depends on the amount of water in the soil system.
