A SEMINAR PRESENTATION ON

METHODS OF EVALUATION OF SOIL STRENGTH

BY

AWODELE, ADEDEJI O.
(CVE/04/2864)

 In every civil engineering construction project, site investigations are

usually required to be carried out to establish various engineering properties of the soil underlying the site on which the project is to be carried out. Site investigation may vary from a simple inspection of the surface conditions of the soil with or without shallow trial pits to expensive and elaborate in- situ tests such boring, SPT, plate bearing test and laboratory tests. Strength determination is very important as it is used to determine some parameters which are used in the design or to confirm assumptions made during the design stage. The method to be utilised in determining the strength of a soil sample depends on the type of the soil, the use to which the soil is to be put, the extent to which geotechnical tests are relevant in the project, availability of required equipments and cost of the tests to be carried out.

 SOIL SHEAR STRNGTH TESTS

Direct shear tests Triaxial tests Unconfined Compression Strength tests (UCS) SOIL BEARING CAPACITY TESTS Standard Penetration Tests(SPT)

Plate bearing tests

California Bearing Ratio(CBR)

 The California Bearing Ratio was developed by the California State Highway

Department. It is in essence a simple penetration test developed to evaluate the strength of road subgrades i.e. to determine the resistance of the subgrade to deformation under the load from vehicle wheels. Or more simply put, to answer the question How strong is the ground upon which we are going to build the road?. This is done by causing a plunger of standard area to penetrate a soil sample. The force required to cause the penetration is plotted against the recorded penetration, the readings noted at regular time intervals ie observations are taken between the penetration resistance (called the test load) versus the penetration of the plunger. The penetration resistance of the plunger into a standard sample of crushed stone for the corresponding penetration is called the standard load. The California Bearing Ratio is defined as the ratio of the test load to the standard load, expressed as percentage, for a given penetration of the plunger. Mathematically, CBR = (Test load /Standard load)x 100

 APPARATUS: Automatic compaction machine, Automatic CBR machine, Compaction mould, Scoop, Tray, Brush, Straight edge, Tray, Hammer, Mallet, Measuring cylinder, Wash bottle, Hand trowel, Oven, Weighing balance, Surcharge weights.
E APPARATUS FOR CBR TESTBR test

AUTOMATIC CBR MACHINE

 6 kg of the soil material is weighed and

reserved for use in this test;

The measured out soil sample is then

spread out on a tray and the lumps are broken into smaller particles using a mallet;
An amount of water corresponding to

the OMC gotten from compacting the material is then added to the soil;

 A hand trowel is first used to work the water into the soil,

thereafter, the hand is used to thoroughly mix the soil and water together; The mould to be used for compaction is then weighed and the volume is determined;

 The mould is then fixed to the base

and the extending collar is assembled with it; The mould assembly is then oiled properly and a displacer is put on the base of the mould, a disc of filter paper is then placed on top of the displacer; An amount of soil capable of forming a 6 cm layer is then put in the mould and it is compacted in the automatic compaction machine with 25 blows of the 4.5 kg rammer dropping from a height of about 30 cm;

 The step above is then repeated for the 2nd,

3rd, 4th, and 5th layer of soil; The mould is then removed from the compaction machine, put on a mixing tray and the extension collar removed; The excess soil is then trimmed off using a steel straight edge till the surface is smooth and level with the top of the mould; A representative sample of the compacted soil is collected from the trimmed off part and kept for moisture content determination;

 The mould is then loosened from the

base and the weight is determined and recorded; The mould is then placed on a perforated base plate such that the hollow part is turned up; Two surcharge weights are then placed on top of the soil sample in the mould; The mould assembly is then soaked completely in water for 24 hours;

 The mould assembly is then removed from

the soaking tank, unloosened from its base and allowed to drain for 20 minutes; The mould assembly with 2 surcharge weights is then placed on the automatic CBR machine, where a plunger of standard area is allowed to penetrate the soil at a constant rate; The force required to give a particular penetration is then read off the CBR machine; The top two preceding steps are then repeated for the bottom of the soil in the mould; Soil samples are then taken from the top and bottom centres and kept for moisture content determination;

 The importance of geotechnical tests on soils for civil

engineering construction cannot be overemphasized. This tests are necessary not only for determining some parameters that are to be incorporated into the design but also to confirm certain assumptions made during the design stage of the project. As much as possible, all projects should be accompanied by fully documented procedures of tests carried out prior to, during and after the construction work. Legislation should be made requiring that appropriate tests be carried out before the construction plans are approved by the relevant authorities.