GEOTECHNICAL

ENGINEERING 1
CVE 131
Engr. Raquel O. Masalig
SOIL COMPACTION

https://civilblog.org/2014/03/27/compaction-procedures-for-different-types-of-soils/
 SOIL COMPACTION

 What are we trying to achieve by compacting soil?

Reduce the amount of voids in the soil through expulsion of air.

 Why do we want a denser soil?

• Higher soil strength

• Higher load bearing capacity
• Less settlement
• Lower permeability
• Reduces liquefaction potential
• Increases soil stability
BASIC CONCEPT

 Maximum dry unit weight,

- the maximum unit weight that a soil can attain
using a specified means of compaction.

 Optimum Moisture Content , wopt

- the water content required to allow a soil to attain
its maximum dry unit weight following a specified
means of compaction.
STANDARD PROCTOR TEST
Compact soil into a 1/30th ft3 volume in 3 layers using 25 blows per layer with 5.5 lb hammer
dropped 12 inches (ASTM D-698 or AASHTO T-99)

DE = (5.5 Ibs)(1 fr)(25/layer 13 layers/test

The Hammer

The Mold:

14.3 mm)

the soil to a point,

beyond which the water fills the voids and begins
to take the impact stress instead of the soil.

Adding Wciter

(OL6 m
SOIL COMPACTION
Moisture-Density Relations

o Modified Proctor Test

Compact soil intoa 1/30th frs volume in 5 layers using

25 blows per layer with 10 Ib hammer dropped 18
inches (ASTM D-1557 or AASHTO T-180)
DE = (101lbs)(1.5 fr)(25/layer) (5 layers/test) = 1875 ft-lb / test

D Applies roughly 4.5x the energy as the standard

proctor test

Why do you think we needed to develop a modified

proctor test?

Compaction equipment has become much more efficient

over the years.
 SOIL COMPACTION
Effect of Higher Compactive Effort

Increasing the energy applied to the soil gives:

Higher (Ya)max

Lower Woptimum

Line of Optimums

Pounded out all of the air in the voids,

ero Air Votds) so the soil becomes saturated (i.e. S)

Cuw ve

Sinee Se G,

Properties of the Zero Air Voids Curve:

1) Roughly parallels the wet side of compaction curve
2) Roughly parallels the line of optimums
3) All compaction curves must be to the left of this line!

Increasing

Energy
 SOIL COMPACTION
Structure of Compacted Cohesive Soil

When wet of optimum, impact creates greater

alignment of particles (i.e. Dispersive soil).

httpu/www.youtube.com/wa
BWX

Dif soil particles become too aligned, then the soil can behave somewhat like a viscous fluid. This is Pumping.
Occurs due to (1) too much water and/or (2) overcompaction

o When dry of optimum, electrical double layer is thinner, lending to a more Flocculated soil structure
Dry Side

wet Side

Dispesive
Parall oiwedakion

Floceulal
 SOIL COMPACTION

Effects of Compaction on Engineering Properties

Effect on Permeability
D Increased moisture content leads to decreased soil permeability

DBest if wis within about -1% to +3% of wopt

Effect on Strength and Stiffness

aIncreased moisture content leads to decrea sed strength and stiffness

o Effect on Compressibility (..Cohesive Soils)

DAt lower pressures, wet side (dispersive) compresses more
DAt higher pressures, dry side (flocculated) compresses more
oEffect on Shrink/Swell Potential

D Increased moisture content leads to potential and , decreased swell, increased shrink potential.
 SOIL COMPACTION
Types of Compaction Equipment

1. Handheld Compactors

-Typically used to compact in tight spaces

-Usually requires smaller lifts

2. Sheepsfoot Roller

-Best for cohesive soil, poor for cohesionless

-Compacts using "kneading" action

3. Smooth Drum Roller

-Best for sands or sandy clays

-D 100 % coverage at up to 50 psi

-Typically used for finishing operations

 SOIL COMPACTION
Types of Compaction Equipment

4. Rubber Tire (Pneumatic) Roller

-Best for clayey sands, sandy clays and silts

-Four or five closely-spaced rubber wheels

-Variable pressure up to 100psi

YL203

-Up to 70% coverage

5. Vibratory Drum Roller

-Best for granular soils

-Compacts using pressure+ vibration

-Uses eccentric weights to vibrate

-Compacts from top down to depths of 2 to 3 ft
 them to the specifications (i.e., proctor density)

SOIL COMPACTION
Specification are uSually in the form of a Relative Compaction and a
Water Content Tolerance

For example: "...must be greater than 95% of Standard Proctor maximum dry
density and within +3% of optimum moisture content."

(Ya) geld x100%

(Y)m

Relative Compaction= R=

ma proctor

Relative Compaction, R

Relative Density, D,

A "Rule of Thumb"

80+0.2(D,)

(after Lee and Singh,

1971)