Why is Liquid Limit / Plastic Limit important?
Why is it important for us to know understand the concepts of Atterberg Limits? How does it apply to our work as architects? Genuine question, I feel like I'm missing the connection between what I'm studying about Attenberg Limits and the real-world application of it.
I'm also wondering what a typical question about liquid limit / plastic limit might look like on the exam.
Thanks in advance!
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When reading the soil report, plastic limit, water content and liquid limit will be presented in the right columns. If the soil ( assume clay ) has a high water content (high plasticity index ) from 25 - 40 % its not suitable to support foundation ( like slab on grade or mat foundation ) the presence of water will reduce the cohesive and shear strength.
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amimehta This is a tricky subject that trips up a lot of ARE candidates because it is one that we rarely get hands-on experience with in the field. We actually cover this topic in our 'Soil Analysis' Virtual Workshop for PA, due to it being one of the most challenging ARE topics.
On the ARE, you might get asked to interpret a geotechnical report which indicates the liquid and plastic limits. You could also be asked to take it a step further - to determine the ideal foundation design given the soil conditions presented. We have a few practice questions on our free PA Practice Quiz related to this, and that will give you an idea of how this topic might be covered on the exam.
Try not to get caught up in the connections between ARE content and your real life experiences. Of course your work experience is valuable, and ARE topics often translate to real life - but not always (and not in the exact same ways you might expect). Succeeding on the ARE is all about balancing your real life experiences and knowledge, with NCARB guidelines; in other words, don't let your real life experiences cloud your judgement on the ARE - always provide the answer(s) that NCARB is looking for.
Hope this helps!
Kiara Galicinao, AIA, NCARB
Black Spectacles
ARE Community
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