‫بسم هللا الرحمن الرحيم‬

Palestine Technical University-Kadoorie

Faculty of Engineering and Technology

Building Engineering Department

Soil Mechanics Lab

Experiment 8 : Compaction test (Proctor test )

Instructors: Eng. Waleed Zaid

Course No. : 12310349

Student name or group: Thanaa' Marabeh

Date: 1 January 2022

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  Introduction :

For construction of highway and airport, compaction is necessary to improve the

strength of the soil. Compaction soil is defined as densification of soil by removing
air using mechanical effort.

In most specifications for earthwork, the contractor is instructed to achieve a

compacted field dry unit weight of 90 to 95% of the maximum dry unit weight
determined in the laboratory by either the standard or modified Proctor test. This is
a specification for relative compaction, which can be expressed as:

To find we use Sand cone test and we are going to use Proctor test to Determine 𝛾𝑑
𝑚ax.

Definitions:
Optimum water content:
It's the water content that results in the greatest dry density of the soil with
compacting.
Compaction:
Increase the strength of soil, which is the increase the bearing capacity of
foundation constructed over them.

Factors affecting the compaction process:

1. compaction energy
2. number of blows per layer
3. soil type
4. moisture content
The importance of compaction :
1. increase shear strength
2. increase bearing capacity
3. increase density
4. decrease permeability
5. decrease settlement

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  Theory:

 Standard:

 Objective:

1. To find the relationship between the dry density of soil and moisture, which
is formed under constant blood energy and variable soil moisture.
2. As the experiment helps us to find the maximum dry density γd max that can
be reached due to the compaction processes in the site.
3. The experiment also enables us to know the moisture that the soil must have
when we want to reach this maximum value in the site due to the
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 compaction operations.

 Equipment used:
- Compaction mold
- Proctor Hammer
- sieve #4 , #3/8 , #3/4
- Balance
- Large mixing bowl
- Form ejecting device (small
automatic hoist).
- Sharp cutting tool (scraper).
- Con
- Oven

 Procedures:
1. The sample was sieved in sieve no. #4 and around 2 Kg was taken.

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 2. Amount of water was added to the soil (5% from the weight of the soil )
and mixed until it became homogeneous.
3. The weight of mold (without the extension part) and plate (W1) was
taken and recorded in table.1.
4. The model was divided into five approximately equal parts.
5. The extension part was added.
6. The moisture soil was added in the mold after cleaning it, it’s added as
five layers, each layer was compacted with number of blows (25 or 56).
7. Extension part and overload soil were removed.
8. After fill the mode we were weighted it and take W2.
9. We calculate the density of the soil.
10.We weight the can.
11.The sample was put in the can and weight it.
12.The can and the wet soil were put in the oven for 24h and we take its
weight (weight of can and dry soil).
13.We added a new amount of water and repeated the prior steps with a
different moisture content (5%, 11%, 8%, 14%,17%).
14.After complete the experiment we want calculate the dry unit weight and
draw the relation between the moisture content and dry unit weight.

 Result :
After complete the experiment we fill Table.1

No. of Wt. of mold Wt. of Wt. of Wt. of Wt. of Wc % ɣ wet ɣd

test (w1) soil+ mold can+ wet can can+ dry
(w2) soil soil
1 3.5 5.4 45 24 40 31.25 575.7 438.6
2 3.5 7 60 24 50 38.46 1060.46 765.89
3 3.5 9 72 24 56 50 1666.44 1110.96
4 3.5 10.5 75 24 57 54,54 2121 1372
5 3.5 13 85 24 60 69.4 2878.78 1699

 Calculations:

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  Comment:
After compete table.1 we draw the relationship between ɣ d vs. ω % as

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 follow:

 Discussion:

We find that the maximum dry unit weight equal 1699 Kg/cm3 when the
optimum moisture content equal approximately 69.4% .

 Source of error:
1. Human errors.
2. The water that added to the soil in the final iteration large than the actual
percent that should be added.

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