Wetting and Drying Compacted Soil-Cement Mixtures: Standard Test Methods For
Wetting and Drying Compacted Soil-Cement Mixtures: Standard Test Methods For
Wetting and Drying Compacted Soil-Cement Mixtures: Standard Test Methods For
1. Scope* systems of units; that is, the absolute system and the gravita-
1.1 These test methods cover procedures for determining tional system. It is scientifically undesirable to combine the
the soil-cement losses, water content changes, and volume use of two separate sets of inch-pound units within a single
changes (swell and shrinkage) produced by repeated wetting standard. As stated in 1.4.2, this standard includes the gravita-
and drying of hardened soil-cement specimens. The specimens tional system of inch-pound units and does not use/present the
are compacted in a mold, before cement hydration, to maxi- slug unit for mass. However, the use of balances or scales
mum density at optimum water content using the compaction recording pounds of mass (lbm) or recording density in lbm/ft3
procedure described in Test Methods D 558. shall not be regarded as nonconformance with this standard.
1.2 Two test methods, depending on soil gradation, are 1.5 This standard does not purport to address all of the
covered for preparation of material for molding specimens and safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the
for molding specimens as follows: responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appro-
Sections priate safety and health practices and determine the applica-
Test Method A, using soil material passing a No. 4 bility of regulatory limitations prior to use.
(4.75-mm) sieve. This method shall be used when 100 %
of the soil sample passes the No. 4 (4.75-mm) sieve ......... 7
Test Method B, using soil material passing a 3⁄4-in. (19.0-
2. Referenced Documents
mm) sieve. This method shall be used when part of the 2.1 ASTM Standards:
soil sample is retained on the No. 4 (4.75-mm) sieve. This
test method may be used only on materials with 30 % or
C 150 Specification for Portland Cement2
less retained on the 3⁄4-in. (19.0-mm) sieve. .................. 8 C 595 Specification for Blended Hydraulic Cements2
1.3 All observed and calculated values shall conform to the D 558 Test Methods for Moisture-Density Relations of Soil-
guidelines for significant digits and rounding established in Cement Mixtures3
Practice D 6026. D 560 Test Methods for Freezing-and-Thawing Compacted
1.4 The values stated in inch-pound units are to be regarded Soil-Cement Mixtures3
as standard, except as noted below. The values given in D 653 Terminology Relating to Soil, Rock, and Contained
parentheses are mathematical conversions to SI units, and are Fluids3
provided for information only and are not considered standard. D 2168 Test Methods for Calibration of Laboratory
1.4.1 The gravitational system of inch-pound units is used Mechanical-Rammer Soil Compactors3
D 2216 Test Method for Laboratory Determination of Water
when dealing with inch-pound units. In this system, the pound
(Moisture) Content of Soil and Rock by Mass3
(lbf) represents a unit of force (weight), while the unit for
D 3740 Practice for the Minimum Requirements for Agen-
mass is slugs.
cies Engaged in the Testing and/or Inspection of Soil and
1.4.2 The slug unit of mass is almost never used in
Rock as Used in Engineering Design and Construction3
commercial practice (density, scales, balances, etc.).
D 4753 Specification of Evaluating, Selecting, and Specify-
Therefore, the standard unit for mass in this standard is
ing Balances and Scales for Use in Soil, Rock, and
either kilogram (kg) or gram (g) or both. Also, the equivalent
Construction Material Testing3
inch-pound unit (slug) is not given.
D 6026 Practice for Using Significant Digits in Geotechni-
1.4.3 It is common practice in the engineering/construction
cal Data4
profession to use pounds to represent both a unit of mass
E 11 Specification for Wire-Cloth and Sieves for Testing
(lbm) and of force (lbf). This implicitly combines two
Purposes5
separate
1
These test methods are under the jurisdiction of the ASTM Committee D18
onSoil and Rock and are the direct responsibility of Subcommittee D18.15 on 2
Annual Book of ASTM Standards, Vol 04.01.
Stabilization of Additives. 3
Current edition approved Feb. 10, 2003. Published April 2003. Originally Annual Book of ASTM Standards, Vol 04.08.
4
approved in 1939. Last previous edition approved in 1996 as D 559 – 96. Annual Book of ASTM Standards, Vol 04.09.
5
Annual Book of ASTM Standards, Vol
14.02.
1
*A Summary of Changes section appears at the end of this standard.
Copyright © ASTM International, 100 Barr Harbor Drive, PO Box C700, West Conshohocken, PA 19428-2959, United States.
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D 559 –
E 145 Specifications for Gravity-Convection and Forced- 6
Annual Book of ASTM Standards, Vol 14.04.
7
Ventilation Ovens6 Soil-Cement Laboratory Handbook, Portland Cement Assn., 1971.
3. Terminology
3.1 For common definitions of terms used in this standard,
refer to Terminology D 653.
4. Significance and Use
4.1 These test methods are used to determine the resistance
of compacted soil-cement specimens to repeated wetting and
drying. These test methods were developed to be used in
conjunction with Test Methods D 560 and criteria given in the
Soil-Cement Laboratory Handbook7 to determine the mini-
mum amount of cement required in soil-cement to achieve a
degree of hardness adequate to resist field weathering.
NOTE 1—The quality of the result produced by this standard is
dependent on the competence of the personnel performing it, and the
suitability of the equipment and facilities used. Agencies that meet the
criteria of Practice D 3740 are generally considered capable of competent
and objective testing/sampling/inspection/etc. Users of this standard are
cautioned that compliance with Practice D 3740 does not in itself assure
reliable results. Reliable results depend on many factors; Practice D 3740
provides a means of evaluating some of those factors.
5. Apparatus
5.1 Mold—A cylindrical metal mold having a volume of
1⁄30 6 0.00040 ft3 (944 6 11 cm3) with an internal diameter
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D 559 –
5.2.3 Rammer Face—Strength and resistance to wetting- 5.16 Pans and Carriers—Suitable pans for handling mate-
and-drying of specimens compacted with the sector face rials and carriers or trays for handling test specimens.
rammer may differ from that of specimens compacted with
the circular face rammer. Therefore, the sector face rammer
shall not be used unless previous tests on like soil-cement
mixtures show that similar resistance to wetting and drying is
obtained with the two types of rammers.
5.3 Sample Extruder—A jack, lever frame, or other
device adapted for the purpose of extruding compacted
specimens from the mold. Not required when a split-type
mold is used.
5.4 Balances—A balance or scale conforming to the re-
quirements of Class GP5 with a readability of 1g in
Specifi- cation D 4753, except that a Class GP2 balance of
0.1g readability is required for water content determination.
5.5 Drying Ovens—Thermostatically controlled,
preferably forced-draft type, meeting the requirements of
Specification E 145 and capable of maintaining a uniform
temperature of 110 6 5 °C (230 6 9 °F) throughout the
chamber for the water content specimens, and a
temperature of 71 6 3 °C (160 6 5 °F) throughout the
drying chamber for drying com- pacted soil-cement
specimens.
5.6 Moist Room—A moist room or suitable covered
con- tainer capable of maintaining a temperature of 70 6
3°F (21 6 1.7°C) and a relative humidity of 100 % for 7-
day storage of compacted specimens.
5.7 Water Bath—Suitable tank for submerging compacted
specimens in water at room temperature.
5.8 Wire Scratch Brush—A wire scratch brush made of 2
by 1⁄16-in. (50.800 by 1.588-mm) flat No. 26 gage (0.46-mm)
wire bristles assembled in 50 groups of 10 bristles each and
mounted to form 5 longitudinal rows and 10 transverse rows
of bristles on a 7-1⁄2 by 2-1⁄2-in. (190.0 by 63.5-mm)
hardwood block.
5.9 Straightedge—A stiff metal straightedge of any
conve- nient length but not less than 10-in. (250-mm).
The total length of the straightedge shall be machined
straight to a tolerance of 6 0.005-in (60.1-mm). The
scraping edge shall be beveled, if it is thicker than 1⁄8-in
(3-mm).
5.10 Sieves—3-in. (75-mm), 3⁄4-in. (19.0-mm), and No. 4
(4.75-mm) sieves conforming to the requirements of Specifi-
cation E 11.
5.11 Mixing Tools—Miscellaneous tools such as mixing
pan, and trowel, or a suitable mechanical device for
thoroughly mixing the soil with cement and water.
5.12 Butcher Knife—A butcher knife approximately 10 in.
(250 mm) in length for trimming the top of the specimens.
5.13 Scarifier—A six-pronged ice pick or similar
apparatus to remove the smooth compaction plane at the top
of the first and second layers of the specimen.
5.14 Container—A flat, round pan for moisture
absorption by soil-cement mixtures, about 12 in. (305 mm)
in diameter and 2 in. (50 mm) deep.
5.15 Measuring Device—A measuring device suitable for
accurately measuring the heights and diameters of test speci-
mens to the nearest 0.01 in. (0.20 mm).
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D 559 –
Metric Equivalents
in. mm
0.016 0.41
0.026 0.66
1
⁄32 0.80
1
⁄16 1.6
1
⁄8 3.2
1
⁄4 6.4
11
⁄32 8.7
3
⁄8 9.5
1
⁄2 12.7
5
⁄8 15.9
2 50.8
21 ⁄2 63.5
4 101.6
41 ⁄4 108.0
41 ⁄2 114.3
4.584 116.43
6 152.4
61 ⁄2 165.1
8 203.2
ft3 cm
1
⁄30 944
0.004 11
1
⁄13 333 2124
0.0009 25
NOTE 1—The tolerance on the height is governed by the allowable volume and diameter tolerances.
NOTE 2—The methods shown for attaching the extension collar to the mold and the mold to the base plate are recommended. However, others methods
are acceptable, providing the attachments are equally as rigid as those shown.
FIG. 1 Cylindrical Mold
5.17 Graduate—A graduated cylinder of 250-mL capacity and cleaning. Unless a desiccator is used, containers with
for measuring water. close fitting lids shall be used for testing specimens having a
5.18 Water Content Containers—Suitable containers made mass of about 200g; while for specimens having a mass
of material resistant to corrosion and change in mass greater than about 200g, containers without lids may be used.
upon repeated heating, cooling, exposure to materials of One container is needed for each water content
varying pH, determination.
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D 559 –
6. Calibration dry
6.1 Perform calibrations before initial use, after repairs or
other occurrences that might affect the test results, at intervals
not exceeding 500 test specimens, or annually, whichever
occurs first, for the following apparatus:
6.1.1 Balance—Evaluate in accordance with Specification
D 3740.
6.1.2 Molds—Determine the volume as described in D 698,
Annex 1.
6.1.3 Manual Rammer—Verify the free fall distance, ram-
mer mass, and rammer force in accordance with Section 5.2.
Verify the sleeve requirements in accordance with Section
5.2.1.
6.1.4 Mechanical Rammer—Calibrate and adjust the me-
chanical rammer in accordance with Test Method D 2168.
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D 559 –
NOTE 5—Mass determinations of specimen No. 2 before and after to constant mass to determine the water content to check
brushing are usually made at the end of each cycle when conducting
research and making special investigations.
against design water content.
8.2.3 Form a second specimen as rapidly as possible in the
7.3.5 The No. 1 specimen may be discontinued prior to 12 same manner.
cycles should the measurements become inaccurate due to 8.2.4 Determine and record the mass of each compacted
soil-cement loss of the specimen. specimen to check against design density, identify, measure
NOTE 6—If it is not possible to run the cycles continuously because of the No. 1 specimen (Note 2), place in the moist room, and
Sundays, holidays, or for any other reason, hold the specimens in the measure the No. 1 specimen again at the end of the 7-day
oven during the layover period if possible. storage period as described for Test Method A in 7.2.3-7.2.7
7.3.6 After 12 cycles of test, dry the specimens to constant (Note 3).
mass at 230°F (110°C) and determine and record the mass of 8.3 Procedure:
the specimens. 8.3.1 Proceed as directed in Test Method A (see 7.3).
7.3.7 The data collected will permit calculations of volume 9. Calculation
and water content changes of specimen No. 1 and the soil-
cement losses of specimen No. 2 after the prescribed 12 cycles 9.1 Calculate the volume and water content changes and
of test. the soil-cement losses of the specimens as follows:
9.1.1 Calculate the difference between the volume of speci-
8. Test Method B—Using Soil Material Passing a 3⁄4-in. men No. 1 at the time of molding and subsequent volumes as
(19.0-mm) Sieve a percentage of the original volume.
9.1.2 Calculate the water content of specimen No. 1 at the
8.1 Preparation of Material for Molding Specimens: time of molding and subsequent water contents as a
8.1.1 Prepare the soil sample in accordance with Test percentage of the original oven-dry mass of the specimen.
Method B of Test Methods D 558. 9.1.3 Correct the oven-dry mass of specimen No. 2 as
8.1.2 Select and maintain separate representative samples obtained in 7.3.6 for water that has reacted with the cement
of soil passing the No. 4 (4.75-mm) sieve and of saturated, and soil during the test and is retained in the specimen at
surface-dry aggregate passing the 3⁄4-in. (19.0-mm) sieve and 230°F (110°C), as follows:
retained on the No. 4 (4.75-mm) sieve so that the total sample
will be enough to provide two (Note 2) compacted specimens Corrected oven2dry mass 5 ~A/B! 3 100 (1)
and required water content samples. The percentage, by oven-
dry mass, of aggregate passing the 3⁄4-in. (19.0-mm) sieve and where:
retained on the No. 4 (4.75-mm) sieve shall be the same as the A = oven-dry mass after drying at 230°F (100°C), and
percentage passing the 3-in. (75-mm) sieve and retained on B= percentage of water retained in specimen plus 100.
the No. 4 (4.75-mm) sieve in the original sample. The percentage of water retained in specimen No. 2 after
8.1.3 Add to the sample passing the No. 4 (4.75-mm) sieve, drying at 110°C for use in the above formula can be assumed
the amount of cement conforming to Specification C 150 or to be equal to the water retained in specimen No. 1. When No.
Specification C 595, required for the total sample specified in 1 specimens are not molded, the foregoing data are not
8.1.2 Mix the cement and soil thoroughly to a uniform color. available and the average values prescribed in Table 1 are used.
8.1.4 Add to the sample passing the No. 4 (4.75-mm) sieve, 9.1.4 Calculate the soil-cement loss of specimen No. 2 as a
sufficient water to raise the total soil-cement mixture pre- percentage of the original oven-dry mass of the specimen as
scribed in 8.1.2 to optimum water content at time of compac- follows:
tion and facilitate moisture dispersion as described for Test Soil2cement loss, % 5 ~A/B! 3 100 (2)
Method A in 7.1.4 to 7.1.6.
8.1.5 After preparation of the mixture as described in
8.1.1-8.1.4, add the saturated, surface-dry aggregate to the where:
mixture and mix thoroughly. A = original calculated oven-dry mass minus final cor-
8.2 Molding Specimens: rected oven-dry mass, and
8.2.1 Form a specimen by immediately compacting the soil- B = original calculated oven-dry mass.
cement mixture in the mold (with the collar attached) and later 10. Report
trimming the specimen in accordance with Test Method B of
10.1 The report shall include the following:
Test Methods D 558, and in addition as the mixture for each
10.1.1 The designed optimum water content to the nearest
layer is placed in the mold, spade along the inside of the mold
0.5 %, and maximum dry unit weight of the molded specimens
with a butcher knife before compaction to obtain uniform
to the nearest 0.5 lbf/ft3,
distribution of the material retained on the No. 4 (4.75-mm)
sieve and scarify the tops of the first and second layers as TABLE 1 Average Values
Average Water Retained After
AASHTO Soil Classification
described for Test Method A of this test method. Drying at 230°F (110°C), %
8.2.2 During compaction, take from the batch a for at least 12 h or
representa- tive sample of the soil-cement mixture with a
mass of at least 500 g, determine and record the moist mass
immediately, and dry in an oven at 230 6 9°F (110 6 5°C)
8
D 559 –
A-1, A-3 1.5
A-2 2.5
A-4, A-5 3.0
A-6, A-7 3.5
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D 559 –
10.1.2 The water content and dry unit weight obtained in TABLE 2 Weight Loss of Duplicate Specimens in Wetting and
molded specimens, Drying TestA
SUMMARY OF CHANGES
In accordance with Committee D 18 policy, this section identifies the locations of changes to this standard
since the last edition (1996) that may impact the use of this test method.
(1) Changed “moisture” to “water content” in Sections 5.18, (9) Revised Sections 5.4, 5.5, 5.9 and 5.18 to conform with
7.2.4, 8.1.2, 8.1.4, 8.2.2 and Note 7 to conform with D 18 D 18 policies and guidelines.
terminology.
(9) Corrected errors with respect to significant digits.
(2) Changed referenced sections for Method A and Method B
(10) Added new Section 6 on “Calibration”. Renumbered
in Section 1.2.
subsequent sections.
(3) Added new Section 1.3 to reference D 6026. Renumbered
subsequent sections. (11) Revised Section 7.2.2 to provide clarity and to include
(4) Revised Section 1.4 to clarify units used in the test significant digits.
methods. (12) Revised Section 7.2.3 for clarity and added more specific
(5) Updated titles and added D 653, D 2216, D 4753, D 6026 instructions.
and E 145 to “Referenced Documents” section. (13) Revised last sentence in Sections 7.3.1 and 7.3.2 for
(6) Updated Note 1 statement on Practice D 3740. clarity.
(7) Added new Section 3 on “Terminology”. Renumbered (14) Revised Section 10 “Report” to add new requirements.
subsequent sections. (15) Revised Note 7.
(8) Changed “weight” to “mass” throughout standard. (16) Revised “Summary of Changes” section.
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D 559 –
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