Soil Compaction

SOIL COMPACTION
Presenter : Ts. Dr. Nurmunira Muhammad

Faculty: Faculty of Civil Engineering Technology, UMPSA
Contact: muniramuhammad@umpsa.edu.my
Soil Compaction
• Why are we trying to achieve by compacting soil?
 Reduce the amount of voids in the soil by densifying it.
• Why do we want a denser soil?

 higher soil strength
Less settlement
Lower permeability
Reduces liquefaction potential
Reduced soil rut away & corrosion
Moisture-
Density
Relations
• The compaction process
need to reduce the
voids..However,
• As the curve goes down,
the soil particles getting
further apart not together
as the water keep filling
the voids.
Modified Proctor Test
• The same mold from the standard Proctor test is used
• Altered Procedure:
• The soil is compacted in 5 layers by a hammer that has a mass of 4.54 kg
• The drop of the hammer is 457 mm / 18 inch (ASTM D-1557 or AASHTO T-180)
• The number of hammer blows per layer is kept at 25
• Effect:
• Applies roughly 4.5x the energy as the standard proctor test.
• Increased compaction effort which increases the measured max dry unit weight
• Why do you think we needed to develop a modified proctor test?
To simulate compaction equipment for modern technology that

become more efficient over the years.
Factor Affecting
Compaction
• Aside from moisture content, two
important factors that affect
compaction are soil type and
compaction effort (energy per
unit volume)
• Soil type has a great influence
on the maximum dry unit
weight and optimum moisture
content
• Some soils, like sand, exhibit
compaction curves different
than a single-peaked bell curve
• Increasing the energy applied to the soil gives:
Effect of higher • Higher (
compaction effort • Lower
Structure of Compacted Cohesive Soil
• When wet of optimum, impact creates greater
alignment of particles (i.e. Dispersive soil).
 If soil particles become too aligned, then
the soil can behave somewhat like a viscous
fluid.
Occurs due to ; too much water and/or
too much energy (over compacting the
soil)
• When dry of optimum, electrical double layer is
thinner. Lending to a more flocculated soil
structure.
Effect of Compaction on Structure of Clay
Soil
Point A:
Flocculent Structure
Point B:
Lower degree of flocculation and a
higher dry unit weight
Point C:
Greater degree of particle orientation
and a relatively dispersed structure
Point D:
Highly oriented particles with even
dispersion
Point E:
Tighter particle spacing and
parallelism
Das/Sobhan. Principles of Geotechnical
Engineering, SI, 9E
Effects of Compaction on Engineering
Properties
• Effect on Permeability
• Increased moisture content leads to decreased soil permeability.
• Best if w is within about -1% to +3% of wopt.
• Effect on Strength and Stiffness
• Increased moisture content leads to decreased strength and stiffness. (viscous soil)
• Effect on Compressibility ( Cohesive Soils)
• Al lower pressure (compaction on shallow ground), wet side (dispersive) compresses more.
• At higher pressures (big compaction area, soil layering), wet side compress less but dry side
(flocculated) compresses more.
• Effect on shrink/swell potential
• Increased moisture content leads to decreased swell potential and increased shrink potential.
Types of
Compaction
Equipment
Types of
Compaction
Equipment
Field Compaction
• 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
• Factors to achieve desired unit weight of compaction:
 Soil type & moisture content
 Thickness of lift
 Intensity of pressure applied by compacting equipment and

area over which the pressure is applied
 Number of roller passes
Evaluation of Compaction
• In the field, engineers will measure and w and compare them to the
specifications (i.e., proctor density).
• Specification are usually in the form of a Relative Compaction and a Water
Content Tolerence
• For example: ” … must be greater than 95% of Standard Proctor maximum dry density
and within + 3% of optimum moisture content.”
Relative Compaction =
Relative Compaction, R Relative Density, Dr

Relative Compaction Empirical Equations
•In terms of relative density, Dr:
where:
Determination of Field Unit Weight of
Compaction
• Engineers use different methods to measure (yd)field and w.
Sand Cone Method

Determination of Field Unit Weight of
Compaction
The Rubber Balloon Method
• This procedure is similar to the sand cone

method
• However, the volume of the hole is measured
using a rubber balloon filled with water from a
calibrated vessel
Determination of Field Unit Weight of Compaction
Evaluation of Soils as Compaction Material
Principles of Geotechnical Engineering, SI, 9E Das/Sobhan

Special Compaction Techniques
• Special compaction techniques are used for deep compaction of in-place
soils
• These include:
• Vibroflotation
• Dynamic compaction
• Blasting
19
Vibroflotation
• The Vibroflot unit contains an
eccentric weight and vibrates
horizontally
• There are openings at the
bottom and top for water jets
• The unit compacts a cylindrical
zone of about 2 m radius
each time it is lowered
20
Dynamic compaction
• This process consists primarily of
dropping a heavy weight (80 to 360 kN)
repeatedly on the ground at regular
intervals between a height of 7.5 and
30.5 m
• Degree of compaction depends on:
• Weight of hammer
• Height of hammer drop
• Spacing of locations at which the hammer
is dropped
21
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Blasting
• Blasting involves detonating explosive
charges at a depth below the surface in
saturated soil
• Three to five successful detonations are
usually necessary
• Compaction up to a depth of 18 m over
a large area can easily be achieved
• The charges are usually placed at a depth
of about two-thirds of the thickness of the
soil layer desired to be compacted
22
Summary
• The Proctor test is used to determine the maximum dry
unit weight of compaction and optimum moisture content
• Empirical relationships exist to estimate the maximum dry
unit weight and optimum moisture content of a soil
• Smooth-wheel, rubber-tired, sheepsfoot, and vibratory
rollers are generally used for field compaction
• Vibroflotation, dynamic compaction, and blasting are
special compaction techniques
23

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Presenter : Ts. Dr. Nurmunira Muhammad

• Why do we want a denser soil?

• Why do you think we needed to develop a modified proctor test?

To simulate compaction equipment for modern technology that

• A predetermined amount of water is sprayed on each layer (lift) of soil, after

 Intensity of pressure applied by compacting equipment and

Relative Compaction, R Relative Density, Dr

Sand Cone Method

• This procedure is similar to the sand cone

Principles of Geotechnical Engineering, SI, 9E Das/Sobhan

Principles of Geotechnical Engineering, SI, 9E Das/Sobhan

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