Soil Compaction: DR Waleed Khaled Eid Civil Engineering Department Faculty of Engineering & Petroleum
Soil Compaction: DR Waleed Khaled Eid Civil Engineering Department Faculty of Engineering & Petroleum
Soil Compaction: DR Waleed Khaled Eid Civil Engineering Department Faculty of Engineering & Petroleum
1
2
Outline
1. Compaction
2. Theory of Compaction
3. Laboratory Compaction
4. Properties and Structure of Compacted Fine-
Grained Soils
5. Field Compaction Equipment and Procedures
6. Field Compaction Control and Specifications
3
1. Compaction
4
2. Theory of Compaction
Purpose
The purpose of a laboratory compaction test is to
determine the proper amount of mixing water to use
when compacting the soil in the field and the
resulting degree of denseness which can be expected
from compaction at this optimum water content.
Impact compaction
The proctor test is an impact compaction. A hammer
is dropped several times on a soil sample in a mold.
The mass of the hammer, height of drop, number of
drops, number of layers of soil, and the volume of
the mold are specified.
5
3. Laboratory Compaction
Standard & Modified Proctor test
equipment
Das, 1998 6
3. Laboratory Compaction
7
3. Laboratory Compaction
8
3. Laboratory Compaction
9
3. Laboratory Compaction
Height of Number of
Weight of
hammer
drop of
blows per layer Number of
hammer layers
E=
Volume of mold
10
3. Laboratory Compaction
Procedures
(1) Several samples of the same soil, but at different water contents, are
compacted according to the compaction test specifications.
(2) The total or wet density and the actual water content of each
compacted sample are measured.
(3) Plot the dry densities d versus water contents w for each compacted
sample. The curve is called as a compaction curve.
11
3. Laboratory Compaction
Holtz and Kovacs, 1981
Results
Modified
Proctor
Standard
Proctor
wopt
Water content w (%)
12
3. Laboratory Compaction
The peak point of the compaction curve:
The peak point of the compaction curve is the point
with the maximum dry density d max. Corresponding
to the maximum dry density d max is a water content
known as the optimum water content wopt (also
known as the optimum moisture content, OMC).
Note that the maximum dry density is only a
maximum for a specific compactive effort and
method of compaction. This does not necessarily
reflect the maximum dry density that can be obtained
in the field.
13
3. Laboratory Compaction
Lubrication or
Why bell shape? loss of suction??
Below wopt (dry side of optimum):
As the water content increases, the
particles develop larger and larger (wopt, d max)
water films around them, which tend
to “lubricate” the particles and make d
them easier to be moved about and
reoriented into a denser configuration.
14
3. Laboratory Compaction
Lubrication or
At wopt: loss of suction??
The density is at the maximum, and it
does not increase any further.
(wopt, d max)
Above wopt (wet side of optimum):
d
Water starts to replace soil particles in
the mold, and since w << s the dry
density starts to decrease.
w
15
3. Laboratory Compaction
Notes on Results:
➢ Optimum water content is typically slightly less
than the plastic limit (ASTM suggestion).
➢ Typical values of maximum dry density are
around 1.6 to 2.0 Mg/m3 with the maximum range
from about 1.3 to 2.4 Mg/m3. Typical optimum
water contents are between 10% and 20%, with an
outside maximum range of about 5% to 40%.
➢For a given
compactive effort
and dry density, the
soil tends to be
more flocculated
(random) for
compaction on the
dry side as
compared on the
wet side.
17
4. Structure of Compacted Clays
➢For a given
molding water
content, increasing
the compactive
effort tends to
disperse (parallel,
oriented) the soil,
especially on the
dry side.
18
4. Engineering Properties-Permeability
19
4. Engineering Properties-Permeability
• Increasing the
compactive effort
reduces the
permeability since it
both increases the dry
density, thereby
reducing the voids
available for flow, and
increases the
orientation of particles.
20
4. Engineering Properties-Strength
Swell more,
Swelling *Shrink more
higher water
deficiency
Strength Higher
22
5. Field Compaction Equipment
1. Static Rollers:
A. Smooth Steel Rollers
B. Pneumatic Rubber-Tired Rollers
C. Sheepfoot Rollers
D. Tamping Foot Rollers
E. Grid Rollers
23
5. Field Compaction Equipment
24
5. Field Compaction Equipment
25
5. Field Compaction Equipment
26
5. Field Compaction Equipment
27
5. Field Compaction Equipment
28
5. Field Compaction Equipment
29
5. Field Compaction Equipment
30
5. Field Compaction Equipment
31
5. Field Compaction Equipment
32
5. Field Compaction Equipment
D. Impact Roller
33
5. Field Compaction Equipment
34
5. Roller Passes
When compacting
past five or so
coverages, there is
not a great increase
in density
40
6. Determine the Water Content (in Field)
100% saturation
Line of Control
optimums
(1) Relative compaction
d max
(2) Water content (dry side
or wet side)
90% R.C.
Dry density, d
a wopt b c 41
Water content w %
6. Determine the Relative Compaction in the Field
42
6. Destructive
Methods
(a)
Methods
(a) Sand cone
(b) Balloon
(c) Oil (or water) method
(b)
Calculations
•Know Ms and Vt
•Get d field and w (water content) (c)
•Compare d field with d max-lab
and calculate relative compaction
R.C.
43
6. Nondestructive
Methods (a)
(b)
(c)
44
References
Main References:
Holtz, R.D. and Kovacs, W.D. (1981). An Introduction to Geotechnical
Engineering, Prentice Hall. (Chapter 5)
Others:
Das, B.M. (1998). Principles of Geotechnical Engineering, 4th edition,
PWS Publishing Company.
Lambe, T.W. and Whitman, R.V. (1979). Soil Mechanics, SI Version,
John Wiley & Sons.
Schaefer, V. R. (1997). Ground Improvement, Ground Reinforcement,
Ground Treatment, Proceedings of Soil Improvement and
Geosynthetics of The Geo-Institute of the American Society of Civil
Engineers in conjunction with Geo-Logan’97. Edited by V.R.
Schaefer.
45