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Soil mechanics II
Chapter One
Soil Compaction

OF/FTI/ALL /18 Issue No: 1

PPT 1
@ 2024 FTVT Institute All Rights Reserved
 Introduction
❖ Compaction, in general, is the densification of soil by
removal of air, which requires mechanical energy.
❖ The degree of compaction of a soil is measured in terms
of its dry unitweight.
❖ When water is added to the soil during compaction, it
acts as a softening agent on the soil particles.
❖ Soil compaction is commonly used in the construction of
embankments and the strengthening of road and runway
subgrades.
❖ The solid particles are held together by the expulsion of
air when mechanical energy is applied to the soil.
❖ As a result, the void ratio decreases and the soil density
increase.
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 The advantages of compaction
The following are some of the most significant
advantages of compaction:
• Improved soil strength.
• Enhanced load-bearing capability.
• A decrease in settlement (lower
compressibility).
• A decrease in the flow of water (water seepage).
• Less soil swelling (expansion) and collapse
(soil contraction).
• Improved soil stability.
• Frost damage is reduced.
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 Saturation (Zero-Air-Voids) Line
A line showing the relation between water content and dry
density at a constant degree of saturation S may be
established from the equation:
Gρ𝑤 Gρ𝑤
𝜌𝑑 = 𝜌𝑑 = For 100% saturation
wG wG
(1 + ) (1 + )
S 100
Substituting S = 95%, 90%, and so on, one can arrive at 𝜌𝑑 -values
for different values of water content in %. The lines thus obtained on
a plot of 𝜌𝑑 versus w are called 95% saturation line, 90% saturation
line and so on. If one substitutes S = 100% and plots the
corresponding line, one obtains the theoretical saturation line,
relating dry density with water content for a soil containing no air
voids. It is said to be ‘theoretical’ because it can never be reached in
practice as it is impossible to expel the pore air completely by
compaction.
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Saturation lines superimposed on compaction curves

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Factor Affecting Soil Compaction: Water is added to
✓ Soil Type lubricate the contact
✓ Water Content (wc) surfaces of soil particles
✓ Compaction Effort Required (Energy) and improve the
✓ grain-size distributions compressibility of the
✓ shape of the soil grains soil matrix
✓ specific gravity of soil solids, and
✓ amount and type of clay minerals, present

Types of Compaction : (Static or

Dynamic)
1- Vibration
2- Impact
3- Kneading
4- Pressure
Soil Compaction in the Field:

5- Sheep foot Roller

1- Rammers

2- Vibratory Plates

6- Dynamic Compaction

3- Smooth Rollers

4- Rubber-Tire
 Laboratory Test
❖ The most commonly used laboratory test is called the
Proctor compaction test.
❖ This test is a laboratory method of experimentally
determining the optimal moisture content at which a
given soil type will become most dense and achieve its
maximum dry density.
❖ R. R. Proctor, who in 1933 showed that the dry density
of a soil for a given compactive effort depends on the
amount of water in soil during soil compaction and his
original test is most commonly referred to as the
standard Proctor compaction test; later on, his test was
updated to create the modified Proctor compaction test.
 Type of compaction test

There are two types of compaction tests :

1.The Standard Proctor Test
2.The Modified Proctor Test

1. In the Standard Proctor Test, the soil is

compacted by a 5.5 lb(2.5kg) hammer falling a
distance of one foot into a soil filled mold. The
mold is filled with three equal layers of soil, and
each layer is subjected to 25 drops of the hammer.
2 Modified Proctor Test: is identical to the Standard
Proctor Test except it employs, a 10 lb (4.5kg)
hammer falling a distance of 18 inches, and uses
five equal layers of soil instead of three.
❖ There are two types of compaction molds used
for testing. The smaller type is 4 inches in
diameter and has a volume of about 1/30 ft 3
(944 cm3), and the larger type is 6 inches in
diameter and has a volume of about 1/13.333 ft 3
(2123 cm3). If the larger mold is used each soil
layer must receive 56 blows instead of 25.
Molds
Equipment:
Molds, Manual rammer,
Extruder, Balance, Drying
oven, Mixing pan, Trowel,
#4 sieve, Moisture cans,
graduated cylinder,
Straight Edge.
 Standard/Modified Proctor Compaction Measurement
Water Content Measurement
Item / Trial Sample 1 2 3 4 5 6
MC = Mass of empty, clean can (gm) 29.38 29.14 29.80 25.16 25.25 24.21
MWC = Mass of can + moist soil (gm) 162.00 121.80 150.00 153.50 177.00 161.00
MDC = Mass of can + dry soil (gm) 155.00 115.60 140.00 140.00 158.50 143.00
MS = Mass of soil solids (gm) 125.62 86.46 110.20 114.84 133.25 118.79
MW = Mass of pore water (gm) 7.00 6.20 10.00 13.50 18.50 18.00
w= Water content (percent) 5.57% 7.17% 9.07% 11.75% 13.88% 15.15%
Dry Density Measurement
Item / Trial Sample 1 2 3 4 5 6
MM = Mass of Proctor mold (gm) 3430.0 3430.0 3430.0 3430.0 3430.0 3430.0
MMS = Mass of Proctor mold + wet soil(gm) 4600.0 5100.0 5400.0 5520.0 5250.0 4850.0
V = Volume of Proctor mold (cm3) 944.00 944.00 944.00 944.00 944.00 944.00
MS = Mass of wet soil (gm) 1170.0 1670.0 1970.0 2090.0 1820.0 1420.0
ρ = Wet density of soil (gm/cm3) 1.23 1.75 2.09 2.21 1.93 1.50
ρd = Dry density of soil (gm/ cm )
3 1.17 1.65 1.91 1.98 1.69 1.30
Optimum Water Measurement
OMC = Optimum moisture content (%) 11.00%
ρmax = MDD (gm/ cm3) 2.00
Zero-Air-Void Curve Measurement
Item / Trial Sample Data
Gs = Specific gravity of soil 2.7000
ρw = Density of water (gm/ cm3) 1.0000
ρZAV = Zero-air-void density (gm/ cm 3)
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2.05 1.96 1.92
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 Field compaction tests
When the compaction work is progressing in the field,
knowing whether the specified unit weight has been
achieved is useful. The maximum dry density sought to be
achieved in-situ is specified usually as a certain percentage
of the value obtainable in the laboratory compaction test.
Thus, control of compaction in the field requires the
determination of in-situ unit weight of the compacted fill
and also the moisture content. There are three common
methods to measure the dry density of soils in field, these
are as follows:
• Sand cone method
• Rubber balloon method
• Nuclear method
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 Determination of Field Density of Soil by Sand
Replacement Method
Objective :- To determine the field density of soil at a given location by sand
replacement method
Reference
AASHTO T-191 :- Determination of dry density of soils in place, by the sand
replacement method
Apparatus
- Sand pouring cylinder
- Calibrating can
- Metal tray with a central hole
- Dry sand
- Balance
- Moisture content bins
- Glass plate
- Metal tray
- Scraper tool
Theory and Application
❖ Determination of field density of cohesion less soil is not
possible by core cutter method, because it is not possible to
obtain a core sample. In such situation, the sand replacement
method is employed to determine the unit weight.
❖ In sand replacement method, a small cylindrical pit is excavated
and the weight of the soil excavated from the pit is measured.
❖ Sand whose density is known is filled into the pit. By measuring
the weight of sand required to fill the pit and knowing its
density the volume of pit is calculated.
❖ Knowing the weight of soil excavated from the pit and the
volume of pit, the density of soil is calculated. Therefore, in this
experiment there are two stages, namely
1. Calibration of sand density
2. Measurement of soil density
Sand replacement method

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 Observations and Calculations
Example:- Unit Weight of Sand(As Determined in The Lab.) = 1.31 g/cc
No. Sample Number or Station 0+000
1 Mass of Wet Soil from hole,Mw 1100

2 Mass of Sand + Jar before pouring, M1 (g) 5000

3 Mass of Sand + Jar after pouring, M2 (g) 3741

4 Mass of Sand in Cone, M3 (g) 373

5 Mass of Sand in Hole = M1-M2 -M3 (g) 886

6 Bulk Density = Mw x Unit Weight of Sand(g/cc)

1.63
M sand in hole
7 Mass of Wet Soil,(g) 1100
8 Mass of Dry Soil,(g) 1036
9 Mass of Moisture,(g) 64
10 Moisture Content (m), % 6.10
11 Dry Density = 100xWet Density,g/cc
1.54
100+%M
12 M.D.D (g/cc) 1.79
13 Optimum Moisture Content (%) 12.00
14 % Compaction 86.03
15 % Moisture 51