Compaction a |. Compaction: [1 is compression of soil mass by mechanical means (o improve Engineering Properties. It is due to escape and compression of air present in the soil mass. Volume reduction occurs due to escape of air under short term loading under constant water content. «Permeability, void ratio, compressibility decreases. Shear strength increases ‘Compaction tests are done to determine a) amount of eompaction b) the optimum moisture content (OMC) Indian standard light compaction Test (Similar to Standard Proctor Test): © Test results used for highways, embankments, canal banks Mould volume is 1 litre, Soil in 3 layers. Each layer is given 25 hammer blows. + Hammer weight 2.60 kg and height of fall 31 om. . Indian standard Heavy Compaction Test (Gimilar to Modified Proctor Test. # Results used for modern express highways and Runways. © Mould capacity | litre, soil in $ layers, exch layer 25 hammer blows Hammer weight 4.90kg and height of fall 45 cm, “The Compactive effort in the modified proctor test is about 4.55 times than that in the standard Proctor test: 1f% soil retained on 4,75 mm IS sieve is> 20%, large mould of capacity 2.25 litres is recommended. In such case no. of blows per each layer shal! be $6 for both SPT, MPT. 2) \,_{V) Standard proctor eet ct o™ {2}, Modified proctor test Zero ais voids line (01) ‘inn ek 100% saturation line omc We soil plastic ean 140.6 1. Dry density ¥, 8 Equition of zt air void line: y,=—-— T+ mG 9, Fastots affecting compaction: 2) Water content: As wc. increase, the Ya increases, reaches max value and then decreases b) Amount of Compaction: As compactive cffort increases, the ‘ya increases and OMC decreases, ©) Type of soil: Pure Sands do not have well defined OMC 10, Soils compacted dry of optimum, have more swelling and more shear strength, 11. Soils compacted wet of optimum, have low swelling and low shear strength,12. Placement water content: It is the water content that is used actually in the field for compaction. e Under pavements, floors and for core of earthen dam, the soil shall be compacted ‘wet of optimum’ to avoid large expansion and swelling pressures. For Highways embankment and for outer shells of earthen dam, soil shall be compacted dry of optimum to have more strength and less compressibility. 13. Compaction Equipments: a) Tampers — for compacting in confined areas like trenches, behind bridge abutments etc. b) Smooth wheel rollers — for granular soils, to provide smooth surface at the end of days work to quickly drain off rain water. c) Pneumatic tyred rollers ~ for cohesive and non-cohesive soils d) Sheep foot rollers — for cohesive soils (clays) e) Vibratory compactors — for granular soils (for sands best method) 14. Relative compaction = dry density inthe field xl Max. dry density obtained in the lab 15. Proctor needie (plasticity needle) It is punched by 7.50cm in to the soil to know the penetration resistance, there by the placements water content and dry density.