Proctor Compaction Test

Equipment/Apparatus Needed

a. 1 Proctor Mold with Collar

b. 1 Hammer
c. 1 Graduated Cylinder
d. 1 Spray bottle / Wash Bottle
e. 1 Basin
f. 1 Scoop
g. 1 Spatula
h. 1 Rubber Mat
i. Moisture Cans

Testing Procedure

1) Approximately 3 to 4 kilograms of air-dried sample was initially obtained.

2) All materials not passing sieve #4 was removed.

3) The weight of the proctor mold and the base plate was measured. The extension collar was attached after the
weight was determined.

4) Moisture was added to the soil sample and thoroughly mixed. For the succeeding trials, water was added in
3% increments.

5) The moistened soil sample was placed in three equal layers in the mold. Each layer was compacted uniformly
with 25 hammer blows dropped from a controlled height.

6) The extension collar was removed with care. The excess soil was leveled off with a metal straight edge.

7) The mass of the compacted soil sample with the mold and base plate was determined.

8) The mold's base plate was removed. A jack was used to extrude the compacted moist soil cylinder from the
mold. For the water content determination, a portion of the compacted soil sample weighing at least 100 grams
was obtained from the top, middle, and bottom sections.

9) The previous procedures were repeated with varying water contents until the weight of the compacted sample
passed a peak and decreased in density.

10) All data was recorded, and a graph illustrating the relationship between dry density and water content was
generated. The maximum dry density and optimum moisture content were determined from the graph's curve.
 Data and Results

The mold specifications, including mass, diameter, height, and volume, were initially obtained. The mass of
the empty mold was found to be 1,970 grams. The diameter and height of the mold was found to be 1/3 ft and 0.382
ft, respectively. After obtaining the diameter, the cross-sectional area of the mold was determined to be 0.0873ft 2 . The
volume of the mold was determined by multiplying the cross-sectional area by the mold's height. The volume of the
mold was found to be 1/30 ft 3 . Five trials were also made in order to determine the optimum moisture content of the
soil. A summary of the data collected is presented in table 1.

Table 1. Laboratory Test Results of a Standard Proctor.

Mold details Moisture content test results
Mass of
Mass of
Mass of Diameter Height of Volume of compacted Mass of Mass of Mass of
Mass of can +
empty of mold mold mold soil + mold moist soil can + dry dry soil
can (g) moist soil
mold (g) (ft) (ft) (𝐟𝐭 𝟑 ) (g) only (g) soil (g) only
(g)
3,673 22.11 205.94 183.83 196.33 174.22
3,798 23.85 194.20 170.35 180.54 156.69
1 1
1,970 0.382 3,927 19.74 196.24 176.50 177.92 158.18
3 30
3,983 20.03 187.43 167.40 165.71 145.68
3,982 21.99 199.59 177.60 171.11 149.12

The solid weight of the soil after the process of compaction was obtained by subtracting the mass of the mold
only to the mass of the compacted soil with the mold. With the weight of the soil and the volume of the mold, the moist
unit weight was obtained. The moisture content of the soil was also obtained from the moist mass and the dry mass of
the soil sample. After obtaining the moisture content and the moist unit weight of the soil sample, the dry unit weight
was calculated. A summary of the data collected during the experimentation process is presented on table 2.

Table 2. Calculated Data from the Laboratory Test Results of a Standard Proctor Test
Weight of soil, W Moist Unit weight, 𝜸 Dry unit weight, 𝜸𝒅
Volume of mold, V (𝐟𝐭 𝟑 ) Moisture content, w
(lb) (lb/𝐟𝐭 𝟑 ) (%) (lb/𝐟𝐭 𝟑 )
1/30 3.754 112.634 5.516 106.738
1/30 4.030 120.901 8.718 111.198
1/30 4.314 129.433 11.582 115.990
1/30 4.438 133.137 14.909 115.854
1/30 4.436 133.071 19.099 111.723
 A graph was created using the data collected during the experiment. The x-axis plotted the moisture content
of the soil sample, while the y-axis plotted the dry unit weight of the soil sample. From the graph, the dry density of the
soil sample increases as the moisture content increases. But at after a certain moisture content, the dry density of the
soil sample decreases. The moisture content at which the dry density of the soil sample starts to decrease is estimated
to be at 12.75%. The highest possible value of the dry density of the soil sample is estimated to be at 116.44 lb/cu.ft,

118.000

116.000
Dry unit weight (lb/cu.ft)

114.000

112.000

110.000

108.000

106.000
0.000 5.000 10.000 15.000 20.000 25.000
Moisture content (%)

Figure 1. A graph showing the dry unit weight of the soil sample (lb/cu.ft) in the y-axis and its corresponding moisture content
(%) in the x-axis.
As observed during the experiment, a possible source of error could be the act of compaction itself, since a
uniform sequence in hitting the soil is not always achieved. Another source of error might be due to applying moisture
in the soil sample. For our group’s case, the soil sample that was used was already wet.

Conclusion and Recommendation

The goal in this experiment is to determine the optimum moisture content and the maximum dry density of the
soil sample. In order to attain the maximum dry density of the soil sample, a certain moisture content is noted. This
certain moisture content is referred as the optimum moisture content. In this experiment, the optimum moisture content
of the soil sample was found to be 12.75% while the maximum dry density is 116.44 lb/cu.ft.

To further improve the data obtained in the experimental process, it is recommended to have a uniform
sequence of blows for every layer. Additionally, the data used for this experiment was taken from the instructor since
the soil sample prepared in our group was initially wet. It is important to have an air-dried soil sample before doing the
experiment.

Appendix A: Testing Results with Complete Computation

Table A.1 Computing the volume of mold

Mold details

Mass of Empty Mold (g) Diameter of mold (ft) Height of mold (ft) Volume of mold, (ft3)

Given Given Given (diameter)24 x (height)

1,970 13 0.382 (13)24 x (0.382) = 130

Table A.2 Computing the mass of moist and dry soil

Moisture content test results

Mass of compacted soil + mold

Mass of
(g) Mass of Mass of
can + Mass of moist soil ONLY Mass of dry soil ONLY
can can +
moist soil (g) (g)
(g) dry soil (g)
(g)

(Mass of can + (Mass of can +

Given Given Given Given
moist soil) - (Mass of can) dry soil) - (Mass of can)

3,673 22.11 205.94 205.94 - 22.11 = 183.83 196.33 196.33 - 22.11 = 174.22

3,798 23.85 194.20 194.20 - 23.85 = 170.35 180.54 180.54 - 23.85 = 156.69

3,927 19.74 196.24 196.24 - 19.74 = 176.50 177.92 177.92 - 19.74 = 158.18

3,983 20.03 187.43 187.43 - 20.03 = 167.40 165.71 165.71 - 20.03 = 145.68

3,982 21.99 199.59 199.59 - 21.99 = 177.60 171.11 171.11 - 21.99 = 149.12
Table A.3 Weight of soil, Moist unit weight, Moisture content, and Dry unit weight