PrincGeoEng 10e Ch06 PowerPoint

Chapter 6
Soil Compaction
Braja M. Das, Principles of Geotechnical Engineering, Tenth Edition. © 2022 Cengage. All Rights Reserved. May not
be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
Introduction
• Compaction increases the strength characteristics of soils, which increase

the bearing capacity of foundations constructed over them
• Decreases the amount of settlement of structures
• Increases the stability of embankment slopes
• Decrese permeability
© 2022 Cengage. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly
accessible website, in whole or in part.
Compaction–General Principles (1 of 2)
• Compaction is the densification of soil by removal of air, which requires

mechanical energy.
• Compaction is measured in terms of its dry unit weight.
• Water acts as a softening agent on soil particles.
• Initially, the dry unit weight after compaction increases as moisture content
increases.
• Beyond a certain moisture content

w = w2, any increase in moisture
content tends to reduce the dry unit
weight.
• This occurs because water takes up
the spaces that would have been
occupied by the solid particles.
• Optimum moisture content is the
moisture content at which the
maximum dry unit weight is
attained. Figure 6.1 Principles of compaction
Standard Proctor Test
• Proctor compaction test: laboratory test used

to obtain the maximum dry unit weight of
compaction and the optimum moisture content.
• Procedure:
• Soil is compacted in a mold that has a volume of 944 cm3
(1/30 ft3); the diameter of the mold is 101.6 mm (4 in.)
• The mold is attached to a baseplate at the bottom and to an
extension at the top
• Soil is mixed with varying amounts of water and then
compacted in three equal layers by a hammer that delivers
25 blows to each layer
• The hammer has a mass of 2.5 kg (5.5 lb) and has a drop
of 305 mm (12 in.)
• For each test, the moist unit weight of compaction, γ, can be calculated as:
where W = weight of the compacted soil in the mold

Vm = volume of the mold [944 cm3 (1/30 ft3)]
• For each test with the known moisture content, the dry unit weight can be calculated
as:
where w(%) = percentage of moisture content

Field Compaction - Compaction Equipment
• The four most common types of rollers are:

1. Smooth-wheel rollers (or smooth-drum rollers)
2. Pneumatic rubber-tired rollers
3. Sheepsfoot rollers
4. Vibratory rollers
• Handheld vibrating plates may be used for compaction over a small area.
Principles of Geotechnical Engineering, 9E Das/Sobhan
Smooth-wheel rollers
•Smooth-wheel rollers are useful

for proof rolling subgrades and for
finishing operations of fills with
sandy and clayey soils
•Contact pressures can be up to
310-380 kN/m2
(45-55 lb/in2)
10 © 2018 Cengage Learning®. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
Pneumatic rubber-tired rollers
•Pneumatic rollers are also useful

for compacting sandy and clayey
soils
•Contact pressures range from
600-700 kN/m2
(85-100 lb/in2)
Sheepsfoot Rollers
•Sheepsfoot rollers have

small projections, which
make them more effective at
compacting clayey soils
•Contact pressures range
from 1400-7000 kN/m2
(200-1000 lb/in2)
Vibratory Rollers
•Vibratory rollers help compact granular

soils
•Vibrators may be attached to other types
of rollers
•Weights are rotated off-center to
produce vibration
Field Compaction and Factors Affecting Field Compaction (1 of 2)
• Soil is spread in layers.

• A predetermined amount of water is
sprayed on each layer (lift) of soil,
after which compaction is initiated
by the desired roller.
Figure 6.22 Spraying of water on each lift of soil before compaction

in the field (Courtesy of Dr. Nagaratnam Sivakugan, James Cook
University, Townsville, Australia)
Specifications for Field Compaction
• The relative compaction, R, is defined as:
• In terms of relative density, Dr:
where:
Determination of Field Unit Weight of Compaction
• In the field, it is useful to measure the specified unit weight as compaction

work is progressing.
• Standard procedures for determining field unit weight of compaction:
1. Sand cone method
2. Rubber balloon method
3. Nuclear method
Example 1
• Specifications on a job required a fill using borrow soil to be compacted at 95%

of its standard Proctor maximum dry density. Tests indicate that this maximum
is 19.5 KN/m3 with 12% moisture. The borrow material has void ratio of 0.60
and a solid sp. gr. of 2.65.
1. Compute the dry unit weight of the compacted soil.
2. Compute the min. volume of borrow soil required to fill one cu.m.
Example 2
• A field compacted of sandy loam was found to have a wet density of 2181
kg/m³ at a water content of 10 percent. The maximum dry density of the soil
obtained in a Standard Proctor Test was 2000 kg/m³. Assume specific gravity
(Gs) to be 2.65. Compute the following:
• Dry unit weight (Yd)
• Dry unit weight at zero voids (Yz)
• Percent compaction of the field sample.
Example 3
• The following data were obtained from a field-density test on a compacted fill
of sandy clay. Laboratory moisture density test on the fill material indicated a
maximum dry density of 1924.8 kg/m³ at an optimum water content of 11
percent.
Weight of moist soil removed from test hole = 1038 g
Weight of soil after oven-drying = 914 g
Volume of test hole from rubber-balloon apparatus = 0.000479 m³
1. Determine the water content
2. Determine the dry unit weight of soil.
3. Determine the percent compaction of the fill.
Example 4
The laboratory compaction test of a certain type of soil gives a maximum dry
density of 1.486 g/cc³ with an optimum moisture content of 12.5%. The following
are the results of a field unit weight determination test using sand cone method.
Volume of soil excavated from the hole = 0.001337 m³
Weight of soil from the hole when wet = 2220 g
Weight of soil when dry = 1890 g.
1. Determine the field unit weight of soil in g/cc?
2. What is the in situ water content of soil.
3. Determine the relative compaction, is it within the allowable range for relative
of compaction of 95 ± 0.20?
Example 5
An embankment for a highway 30 m. wide and 1.5 m. in compacted thickness is
to be constructed from a sandy soil trucked from a borrow pit. The water
content of the sandy soil in the borrow pit is 15% and its void ratio is 0.69. the
specification requires the embankment to be compacted to a dry unit weight of 18
kN/m³, sp.gr. of soil = 2.7. For a 1 km. length of embankment, compute the
following.
1. Volume of borrow pit soil required to construct the embankment.
2. Determine the weight of water per truckload of sandy soil, if the capacity of 1
truckload is 10 cu.m.
SW 2 #1
A soil sample having a liquidity index of 0.87, a plasticity index of 16 and a plastic
limit of 12. The soil sample has a sp.gr. of 2.72 and a void ratio of 0.75.
1. Compute the water content of the soil.
2. Compute the degree of saturation.
3. Compute the air void ratio.
SW 2 #2
The effective unit weight of soil is 10.29 kN/m³. Void ratio of the soil is 0.62.
Compute the sp.gr. of the soil. If the water content of the soil is 14%,
• compute for the degree of saturation.
• Compute the bulk density of the soil.
SW 2 #4
A highway embankment needs 150000 cu.m. to be completed. DPWH requires
95% compaction and the contractor is to provide soil from a borrow site.
• If the optimum moisture content is 18% and the max. dry density is 18.88
kN/m³, how much borrow soil is required per cu.m. if the moisture content of
the borrow material is 15% and the wet unit weight of the borrow is 16.05
kN/m³.
• How many truckloads of borrow material are needed if the soil would have a
void ratio of 0.70 and a sp.gr. of 2.65 and the capacity of each truck is 9 cu.m..
SW 2 #3
Sieve Size Diam. Soil A Soil B
The following data for soils A and B are as
follows: No. 4 4.760 % finer % finer
No. 10 2.000 99 23
Classify the soils according to Unified
Classification System. From the Grain Size Curve, No. 40 0.420 96 19
the following were also obtained.r soils A and
No. 100 0.149 89 8
B are as follows: Sieve Size No. 4 No. 10
No. 200 0.074 79 5
• What is the classification of soil A?
Liquid limit 70 4
• What is the classification of soil B? Plastic limit 49
• What is the coefficient of uniformity Cu of 24

soil B? D10 0.023 0.50 mm
Curve, the following were also obtained. D30 0.032 5.50 mm
0.50 mm D10 5.50 mm D30 27.50 mm D60
D60 27.50 mm
Soil B % finer 0.023 0.032 23 19 8 5 4

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Chapter 6

• Compaction increases the strength characteristics of soils, which increase

• Compaction is the densification of soil by removal of air, which requires

• Beyond a certain moisture content

• Proctor compaction test: laboratory test used

where W = weight of the compacted soil in the mold

where w(%) = percentage of moisture content

• The four most common types of rollers are:

•Smooth-wheel rollers are useful

Pneumatic rubber-tired rollers

•Pneumatic rollers are also useful

•Sheepsfoot rollers have

•Vibratory rollers help compact granular

• Soil is spread in layers.

Figure 6.22 Spraying of water on each lift of soil before compaction

• The relative compaction, R, is defined as:

• In terms of relative density, Dr:

• In the field, it is useful to measure the specified unit weight as compaction

• Specifications on a job required a fill using borrow soil to be compacted at 95%

• What is the coefficient of uniformity Cu of 24

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