sticky limit test (Atterberg), published standard test method

[SpeedBumps]

I am trying to find a published standard test method for the "sticky limit" test. The closest document I could find was the current version of "Standard Test Methods for Liquid Limit, Plastic Limit and Plasticity Index of Soils,"
ASTM D4318-00. It only mentions the sticky limit in its definition of Atterberg limits: " Originally, six 'limits of consistency' of fine-grained soils were defined by Albert Atterberg: the upper limit of viscous flow, the liquid limit, the sticky limit, the cohesion limit, the plastic limit, and the shrinkage limit. In current engineering usage, the term usually refers only to the liquid limit, plastic limit, and in some references, the shrinkage limit."

Is anyone aware of any organization/publication that has a standard test method for the "sticky limit" test? (No success with ASTM or ANSI).

Also, any suggestions for sources for published papers that evaluate the correlation between sticky limit and other properties of clay like undrained shear strength, other Atterberg limits, clay minerology or over consolidation ratio. (I was unable to find any mention of the "sticky limit" in the Geotechnical Testing Journal and various ASCE journals).

Thank you.

Gerard

 

[VAD]

SpeedBumps:

I thought I heard the term before back in 1971 when a friend doing agricultural soil science discussed this with me in relation to Atterberg limits. I did a quick search and found it defined inFoundations, Retaining Walls and Earth Structures by Tschebotarioff. He says it is used in Agricultural soil science it is the water content at which a soil ceases to stick to metal. As I remember now the question that was posed to me in 1971 was in connection with tiiage of soil. You may wish to search in the agricultural area as I am not sure that typical civil engineering literature talks about this test.

Hope this helps.

 

[SpeedBumps]

Thank you VAD.

You're probably right. I did see a few agricultural and soil remediation references to a sticky limit, but I was hoping to uncover a standard test method or publication with a geotechnical application.

 

[BigH]

One thing to keep in mind, if my few grey cells are in some semblence of working order - the agricultural definition of water content is different than the civil engineering definition. It is mass of water divided by total mass (mass dry soil plus water) rather than mass water/mass dry soil. Keep this in mind when reviewing agricultural data.
and to VAD for having a handle on this!