03/02/2021

Experiment No. 5

Hussein Jalal

Compaction
Many types of earth construction, such as dams, retaining walls, highways,
and airport, require man-placed soil, or fill. To compact a soil, that is, to
place it in a dense state.
The dense state is achieved through the reduction of the air voids in the soil,
with little or no reduction in the water content. This process must not be
confused with consolidation, in which water is squeezed out under the
action of a continuous static load.
COMPACTION
Compactive effort

+ water =

Methods of field compaction

• There are three method in field compaction

• Rolling
• Ramming
• Vibration

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Theory of Compaction

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Laboratory Test

Significance

• Increase in shear strength

• Increase in density
• Decrease in shrinkage
• Decrease in permeability
• Decrease in settlement (compressibility)
• Decrease void ratio

Origin
• The fundamentals of compaction of fine-grained soils
are relatively new. R.R. Proctor in the early 1930’s
was building dams for the old Bureau of Waterworks
and Supply in Los Angeles, and he developed the
principles of compaction in a series of articles in
Engineering News-Record. In his honor, the standard
laboratory compaction test which he developed is
commonly called the proctor test.

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Compaction Laboratory Tests

Standard Proctor Test

Standard Proctor Test

•Volume of mold: 944 cm3

•Weight of hammer: 2.5 kg
•Height of drop: 304.8 mm
•Number of layers: 3
•Number of blows / layer: 25

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Equipments
1. Proctor mould with a detachable collar assembly and base
plate.
2. Manual rammer weighing 2.5 kg and equipped to provide a
height of drop to a free fall of 30 cm.
3. Sample Extruder.
4. A sensitive balance.
5. Straight edge.
6. Squeeze bottle
7. Mixing tools such as mixing pan, spoon, trowel, spatula etc.
8. Moisture cans.
9. Drying Oven

Test Procedures

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Obtain 3 kg of soil passing No. 4 sieve

Mix the soil with water

Assemble the compaction mold

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Add soil to the mold (about half full)

Compact the soil by 25 blows

After placing and compacting the third layer,

remove the extension collar and cut the excess
soil

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Weigh the compacted soil with mold

and it’s base

Remove the soil from mold

Take soil moisture content samples

from top and bottom

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Sequence of blows using hand rammer

Calculations

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Compaction Curve

Modified Compaction Test

This test is the same as the Standard Proctor Test with
the following exceptions:
1.Height of drop = 45.72cm
2.hammer weight = 4.54 Kg
3.Number of layers = 5 layers
• Compaction energy E2= 2700 kN-m/m3

Standard Vs. Modified

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Alternative Proctor Test Methods

Factors affect Compaction

1.Compaction effort
2.Soil type and gradation
3.Moisture content

Compaction effort

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Effects of Soil Types on Compaction

•The soil type-that is, grain-size distribution, shape of the soil grains,
specific gravity of soil solids, and amount and type of clay minerals
present.

Notes
• To obtain five well-placed points on the
compaction curve, the water content is
selected low for the first test point and is
gradually increased for the other points. It
should be about 4 to 5% below the optimum
water content for the first point, and 4 to 5%
above the optimum water content for the fifth
and last point.

Any Questions?

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Elephant and Compaction

Question?
He He! I’m smart.
The compaction result is not
good. Why?

Heavy Weight

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