Compaction of soils Compaction of soils

CE 206 CE 206 Geotechnical Engineering Geotechnical Engineering --II

Department of Civil Engineering
Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati
Compaction
Deined as the process by which the soil particles are
artiicially rearranged and packed together into a state o
closer contact by mechanical means in order to decrease closer contact by mechanical means in order to decrease
its porosity and thereby increase its dry density
Degree o compaction o a soil
Characterised by its dry density
Depends upon
the moisture content the moisture content
the amount o compactie eort or energy and
the nature o the soil
Compaction and Objectives
Compaction
Many types o earth construction, such as dams, retaining walls,
highways, and airport, require man-placed soil, or ill highways, and airport, require man-placed soil, or ill
Shall be placed in compact state, i. e. in a dense state.
1he dense state is achieed through the reduction o the air oids in
the soil, with little or no reduction in the water content
must not be conused with consolidation
in which water is squeezed out under the action o a continuous static load
3
Objecties:
Decrease uture settlements
Increase shear strength
Decrease permeability
Compaction versus Consolidation
General Compaction Methods
Coarse-grained soils Fine-grained soils
Falling weight and hammers
L
a
b
o
r
a
t
o
r
y
Vibrating hammer
Hand-operated vibration plates
Motorized vibratory rollers
Kneading compactors
Static loading and press
Hand-operated tampers
L
a
b
o
r
a
t
o
r
y
F
i
e
l
d
Vibrating hammer
5
Rubber-tired equipment
Free-falling weight; dynamic
compaction (low frequency
vibration, 4~10 Hz)
Hand-operated tampers
Sheepsfoot rollers
Rubber-tired rollers
F
i
e
l
d
Vibration
(Holtz and Kovacs, 1981; Head, 1992)
Kneading
Densiication o soil by the application o mechanical
energy is Compaction
Leads to Leads to
Increase in shear strength
Improe the stability
Reduces compressibility and permeability
1heory of Compaction
R.R. Proctor in the early 1930`s ,1933,
building dams or the old Bureau o \aterworks and Supply in
Los Angeles Los Angeles
Deeloped the principles o compaction
Showed that there exists a deinite relationship between the soil moisture
content and the dry density on compaction
lor a speciic amount o compaction energy used, there is a particular
moisture content at which a particular soil attains its maximum dry
density density
Such a relationship proides a satisactory practical approach or quality
control o ill construction in the ield.
7
Moisture ContentDry Density Relationship
At a particular compaction energy or eort
Laboratory compaction test
1he standard laboratory compaction test which was deeloped by
Proctor is commonly called the Proctor test
Purpose Purpose
1o determine the proper amount o mixing water to use when
compacting the soil in the ield and the resulting degree o
denseness which can be expected rom compaction at this
optimum water
Compaction
Impact compaction. A hammer is dropped seeral times on a
soil sample in a mold.
1he mass o the hammer, height o drop, number o drops,
number o layers o soil, and the olume o the mold are
speciied.
1est Lquipment
Standard Proctor test equipment
10
Das, 1998
Procedures and Results
Procedures
,1, Seeral samples o the same soil, but at dierent water contents, are
compacted according to the compaction test speciications. compacted according to the compaction test speciications.
,2, 1he total or wet density and the actual water content o each compacted
sample are measured.
M
The first four blows
The successive blows
11
,3, Plot the dry densities
d
ersus water contents w or each compacted
sample.
,4, 1he cure is called as a covactiov cvrre.
w 1
,
V
M
d
t
t
+

= =
Derive
d
from the known
and w
Results
Lach data point on the cure represents a single compaction test,
Usually our or ie indiidual compaction tests are required to
completely determine the compaction cure completely determine the compaction cure
At least two specimens wet and two specimens dry o optimum,
and water contents arying by about 2.
Optimum water content is typically slightly less than the plastic
limit ,AS1M suggestion,.
1ypical alues
maximum dry density : 1.6 to 2.0 Mg,m
3
maximum range rom about 1.3 to 2.4 Mg,m
3
13
maximum range rom about 1.3 to 2.4 Mg,m
3
optimum water contents: 10 to 20,
maximum range o about 5 to 40.
Compactive effort
A measure o the mechanical energy applied to a soil mass
In ield:
1he number o passes or "coerages" o the roller o a certain type and 1he number o passes or "coerages" o the roller o a certain type and
weight on a gien olume o soil
In Laboratory:
impact or dynamic, kneading, and static compaction are usually
employed
vact covactiov, the most common type, a hammer is dropped seeral
times on a soil sample in a mold times on a soil sample in a mold
Compactie eort , energy
modiied test was deeloped during \orld \ar II by the
U.S. Army Corps
increasing the compactie eort tends to increase the increasing the compactie eort tends to increase the
maximum dry density, as expected, but also decrease the
optimum water content
Lffect of compaction effort
1he peak point o the compaction cure
1he peak point o the compaction cure is the point with the
maximum dry density
d max
. maximum dry density
d max
.
Corresponding to the maximum dry density
d max
is a water content
known as the optimum water content w
opt
,also known as the optimum
moisture content, OMC,.
Note that the maximum dry density is only a maximum or a speciic
compactie eort and method o compaction. 1his does not necessarily
relect the maximum dry density that can be obtained in the ield.
Zero air oids cure
18
Zero air oids cure
1he cure represents the ully saturated condition ,S ~ 100 ,
Line o optimums
A line drawn through the peak points o seeral compaction cures at
dierent compactie eorts
It will be almost parallel to a 100 S cure
Different Results
s
w
s
w
w
d
G
S
w
S
S w
S
+

=
Zero air
void
D
r
y

d
e
n
s
i
t
y

d
(
M
g
/
m
3
)
D
r
y

d
e
n
s
i
t
y

d
(
l
b
/
f
t
3
)
Line of
optimums
Modified
Proctor

d max
s s
G
s
s
d
wG Se
e 1
=
+

=
Water content w (%)
D
r
y

d
e
n
s
i
t
y

D
r
y

d
e
n
s
i
t
y

Proctor
Standard
Proctor
w
opt
Compaction curve for sands
compaction characteristics o cohesionless and reely draining
sands are somewhat dierent rom those o cohesie soils
Increase o compactie eort has much less eect Increase o compactie eort has much less eect
Vibration is considered to be the best method
Other compaction tests
Indian Standard Compaction 1ests
light compaction |IS: 220 ,Part VII,-1983|
heay compaction |IS:220 ,Part VIII,-1983| heay compaction |IS:220 ,Part VIII,-1983|
larard Miniature Compaction 1est
by kneading action`
Abbot`s Compaction 1est
Jodhpur Mini-compactor 1est
Iactors affecting compaction
1ype o soil
\ater content
Compacting eort
Compaction method
Lffects of Soil 1ypes on Compaction
1he soil type-that is, grain-size distribution, shape o the soil grains,
speciic graity o soil solids, and amount and type o clay minerals present.
23
Holtz and Kovacs, 1981; Das, 1998
Lffect of compaction on soil Structure
For a given compactive
effort and dry density, the effort and dry density, the
soil tends to be more
flocculated (random) for
compaction on the dry side
as compared on the wet side.
For a given molding water
content, increasing the
compactive effort tends to
24
compactive effort tends to
disperse (parallel, oriented)
the soil, especially on the
dry side.
Lngineering Properties
Permeability
Increasing the water content results in a decrease in permeability on the dry side o
the optimum
a slight increase in permeability on the wet side o optimum. a slight increase in permeability on the wet side o optimum.
Increasing the compactie eort reduces the permeability since it both increases the
dry density, thereby reducing the oids aailable or low, and increases the
orientation o particles
Compressibility
At the high applied stresses the sample compacted on the dry side is more
compressible than the sample compacted on the wet side
Swelling Swelling
greater or those compacted dry o optimum.
relatiely greater deiciency o water and thereore hae a greater tendency to
adsorb water and thus swell more.
Strength
Samples compacted dry o optimum tend to be more rigid and stronger than
samples compacted wet o optimum
25
Strength variation at different water contents
26
From Lambe and
Whitman, 1979
Comparison of Soil Properties between Dry of Optimum and Wet of
Optimum Compaction (Holtz and Kovacs, J98J)
Iiled Compaction
Dierent types o rollers
Smooth-wheel roller
Vibratory roller Vibratory roller
Pneumatic rubber tired roller
Sheepsoot roller
Different compaction Lquipment
29
Holtz and Kovacs, 1981
Variables-Vibratory Compaction
1here are many ariables which control the ibratory
compaction or densiication o soils.
Characteristics o the compactor: Characteristics o the compactor:
Mass, size
Operating requency and requency range
Characteristics o the soil:
Initial density
Grain size and shape
\ater content \ater content
Construction procedures:
Number o passes o the roller
Lit thickness
lrequency o operation ibrator
1owing speed
30
FieId FieId FieId FieId FieId FieId FieId FieId Compaction Compaction Compaction Compaction Compaction Compaction Compaction Compaction
ControI and Specifications ControI and Specifications ControI and Specifications ControI and Specifications ControI and Specifications ControI and Specifications ControI and Specifications ControI and Specifications ControI and Specifications ControI and Specifications ControI and Specifications ControI and Specifications ControI and Specifications ControI and Specifications ControI and Specifications ControI and Specifications
31
Control Parameters
Dry density and water content correlate well with the engineering
properties, and thus they are conenient construction control
parameters. parameters.
Since the objectie o compaction is to stabilize soils and improe
their engineering behaior, it is important to keep in mind the
desired engineering properties o the ill, not just its dry density and
water content.
1his point is oten lost in the earthwork construction control.
Design-Construct Procedures Design-Construct Procedures
Laboratory tests are conducted on samples o the proposed borrow materials
to deine the properties required or design.
Ater the earth structure is designed, the compaction specifications are
written.
lield compaction control tests are speciied, and the results o these
become the standard or controlling the project.
Specifications
Lnd-product speciications
1his speciication is used or most highways and building
oundation, as long as the contractor is able to obtain the oundation, as long as the contractor is able to obtain the
speciied relatie compaction , how he obtains it doesn`t matter,
nor does the equipment he uses.
Care the results only !
Method speciications
1he type and weight o roller, the number o passes o that 1he type and weight o roller, the number o passes o that
roller, as well as the lit thickness are speciied. A maximum
allowable size o material may also be speciied.
It is typically used or large compaction project.
33
Relative Compaction (R.C.)
% 100 . C . R
filed d

=

Relative compaction or percent compaction
% 100 . C . R
laboratory max d

r
D 2 . 0 80 . C . R + =
Correlation between relative compaction
(R.C.) and the relative density D
r
It is a statistical result
based on 47 soil
samples.
As Dr = 0, R.C. is 80
Typical required R.C. = 90% ~ 95%
34
Destructive Methods
Methods
(a) Sand replacement method
(a)
(a) Sand replacement method
(b) Balloon
(c) Oil (or water) method
(d) Core cutter method
Calculations
Know M and V
(b)
(c)
35
Holtz and Kovacs, 1981
Know M
s
and V
t
Get
d field
and w (water content)
Compare
d field
with
d max-lab
and calculate relative compaction
R.C.
Destructive Methods (Cont.)
Check Point Method
100% saturation
Line of
optimums
D
r
y

d
e
n
s
i
t
y
,

d max
A
B
X
Y(no)
1 point Proctor test
Known compaction
curves A, B, C
Field check point X
(it should be on the
dry side of optimum)
36
Water content w %
w
opt
D
r
y

d
e
n
s
i
t
y
,

M
C
Holtz and Kovacs, 1981
Proctor Needle
An eicient and ast one or the simultaneous
determination o in-situ unit weight and in-situ moisture
content content
Also called penetration needle`
interchangeable needle tips,
ranging from 6.45 to 645 mm
2
Nondestructive
Methods
Nuclear density meter
(a) Direct transmission
(b) Backscatter
(a)
(b) Backscatter
(c) Air gap
(b)
Principles
Density
The Gamma radiation is scattered by the soil
particles and the amount of scatter is
proportional to the total density of the material.
38
Holtz and Kovacs, 1981
(c)
proportional to the total density of the material.
The Gamma radiation is typically provided by
the radium or a radioactive isotope of cesium.
Water content
The water content can be determined based on
the neutron scatter by hydrogen atoms. Typical
neutron sources are americium-beryllium
isotopes.