SOIL COMPACTION

Er. AMANPREET TANGRI

Assistant professor
Chandigarh university
 Earth constructions

Earth dam Retaining wall

Highway embankment Airport runway

 Compaction

Compaction means pressing of the soil particles close

to each other by mechanical methods.
Air is expelled from soil mass and mass density is
increased.
 Soil Compaction - Objectives
1. Increasing shear strength : the bearing capacity of
foundations;

2. Reduces compressibility
– Decreasing the undesirable settlement of structures;

– Control undesirable volume changes;

3. Reduction in hydraulic conductivity;

4. Increasing the stability of slopes.

 Reduction of volume :
Compaction or Consolidation
Compaction Consolidation
• Rapid process • Gradual process
• By mechanical means • Under sustained static load
• Expulsion of air from voids • Squeezing out of water
(water content unaltered) (decrease in water content)
• In partially saturated soil • In saturated soil
• Artificial process done to • Natural process caused by
increase soil properties weight of buildings and
structures
 Compaction tests
• Some standard compactive effort is applied to the
soil in laboratory
• Dry density (dry unit weight) increases with
increase in water content to a limit and then
decreases.
• To obtain the maximum dry unit weight of
compaction and the optimum moisture content
• The water content at which maximum dry density is
obtained => optimum moisture content
Indian standard tests (IS 2720: Part VII)
Light compaction test Heavy compaction test
• Equivalent to Standard • Equivalent to Modified
Proctor Test Proctor Test
• Volume of mould: 1000 cc • Volume of mould: 1000 cc
• Mass of hammer: 2.6 kg • Mass of hammer: 4.9 kg
• Height of drop: 310 mm • Height of drop: 450 mm
• Number of layers: 3 • Number of layers: 5
• Number of blows: 25 • Number of blows: 25
• Compactive energy: • Compactive energy:
60450 m.kg/m3 275625 m.kg/m3
 Compaction curve

g dry max

Standard proctor test

Optimum Water Content

 Compaction tests
Compactive energy
Number of
Weight of  Height of 
blows per 
Number
hammer drop of
of layers
hammer layer
E=
Volume of mold

Standard Proctor Test Modified Proctor Test

 Zero-Air-Void Unit Weight

Compaction
No More
More Compaction

Air
Air Water

Water
Water

Solids Solids Solids

(1 - n a )Gγ w Gγ w
γd  γ d  z.a.v  
1  wG 1  wG
Zero air voids line
Line of optimum
Dry density (gm/ml)  COMPACTION OF SAND

Air dry Full saturation

Maximum bulking

Water content (%) 

 FACTORS AFFECTING COMPACTION
1. Water content 2. Amount of compaction
 FACTORS AFFECTING COMPACTION
3. Type of soil 4. Method of compaction
• For same compactive energy,
dry density depend upon the
method utilized. (kneading,
dynamic or static)
• Different methods have their
own compaction curves
5. Admixtures
• To improve compaction
characteristics
• Eg: lime, cement, bitumen
etc.
 EFFECTS OF COMPACTION ON
SOIL PROPERTIES
1) Soil structure
2) Permeability
3) Swelling
4) Pore Water Pressure
5) Shrinkage
6) Compressibility
7) Stress-Strain Relationship
8) Shear Strength
EFFECT ON SOIL STRUCTURE
Soils compacted at
water content less than
optimum water content
have flocculated
structure.
Soils compacted at
water content more
than optimum water
content have dispersed
structure.
EFFECT ON SOIL STRUCTURE
 EFFECT ON PERMEABILITY
Permeability of soil depends on
void size.
As water content increases,
there is an improved orientation
of particles resulting in reduction
of void size and permeability.
Above optimum water content,
the permeability slightly
increases.
If compactive effort is increased,
the permeability decreases due
to increased dry density.
 EFFECT ON SWELLING
Soil compacted dry of
OMC
Higher water deficiency
Random orientation of
particle
Imbibes more water
Swelling is more
Soil compacted wet of
OMC
Less swelling
 EFFECT ON SHRINKAGE
Soils compacted dry of
optimum shrink less when
compared to compacted
wet of optimum.
The soils compacted wet of
optimum shrink more
because the soil particles in
dispersed structure can
pack more efficiently.
 EFFECT ON PORE WATER
PRESSURE
It is defined as pressure of ground water held
within a rock or soil, in gaps between particles
(pores).
The pore water pressure for soil compacted dry of
optimum is less than that for the same soil
compacted wet of optimum.
EFFECT ON COMPRESSIBILITY
The flocculated structure on the dry side of
optimum offers greater resistance to
compression than the dispersed structure on
wet side.
So, the soils compacted dry of optimum are
less compressible.
 EFFECT ON STRAIN-STRESS
RELATIONSHIP
The soil compacted dry of
optimum have steeper stress-
strain curve than those on wet
side.
The strength and modulus of
elasticity of soil on dry side of
optimum will be high.
Soil compacted dry of
optimum shows brittle failure.
And soils compacted on wet
side experience increased
strain
EFFECT ON SHEAR STRENGTH
In general, the soils
compacted dry of optimum
have a higher shear
strength than wet of
optimum at lower strains.
However at large strains
the flocculated structure of
soil is broken and ultimate
strength will be equal for
both dry and wet sides.
 SUMMARY
DRY SIDE WET SIDE
STRUCTURE MORE RANDOM MORE ORIENTED
PERMEABILITY MORE PERMEABLE LESS PERMEABLE
COMPRESSIBILITY MORE MORE
COMPRESSIBLE IN COMPRESSIBLE IN
HIGH PRESSURE LOW PRESSURE
RANGE RANGE
SWELLING AND SWELL MORE SHRINK MORE
SHRINKAGE
STRENGTH HIGHER LESSER
 PLACEMENT WATER CONTENT
• OMC in the field may not be same as in the
laboratory
• OMC field depends upon the compaction methods
• OMC obtained from lab tests is taken as a rough
guide for placement water content.
• For some particular purposes placement
moisture content is kept different from OMC
intentionally
 PLACEMENT WATER CONTENT
More than OMC Less than OMC
• To avoid swelling • For high shear strength
– Under pavements and and low compressibility
floors – Highway embankments
– Impervious core of an – Outer shells of earth
earth dam dams (low pore water
pressure)
 RELATIVE COMPACTION
g d ( field )
R(%)  100
g d max (lab )
• Cohesive soil • Cohesionless soil
– 95% relative compaction – 100% or more than that
can be achieved by can be obtained using
sheep-foot roller or pneumatic-tyred rollers,
pneumatic-tyred roller vibratory rollers and other
vibratory equipment
 Field compaction control
• Compaction control is done by measuring the dry
density and water content in the field
• Field dry density
– Core cutter method
– Sand replacement method
• Water content
– Sand bath method
– Alcohol method
– Calcium carbide method
– Proctor needle
PROCTOR NEEDLE
(PLASTICITY NEEDLE)
 PROCTOR NEEDLE
(PLASTICITY NEEDLE)
• A suitable needle point is screwed to the needle
shank
• After the soil has been compacted at the given
water content, proctor needle is forced 7.5 cm into
it at the rate of 1.25 cm/sec
• Maximum force is found from the compression of
spring
• Penetration resistance, R per unit area is calculated
and plotted against water content : calibration
curve
PROCTOR NEEDLE
(PLASTICITY NEEDLE)
• Soil is compacted in the
standard mould in the
field
• Penetration resistance is
determined at the field
water content
• From the calibration
curve, water content is
determined