Types of soil tests for road construction project requires the site investigation

to be carried out to understand the soil profile. For road construction works,
the properties of soil at subgrade level are required.
The common soil test for road construction includes classification of soil,
particle size distribution, moisture content determination, specific gravity,
liquid limit and plastic limit tests. Moisture content, particle size and specific
gravity tests on soils are used for the calculation of soil properties such as
degree of saturation.
The soil tests can be laboratory tests or in-situ tests. The laboratory tests
should be carried out on every sample taken for determination of particle
size and moisture content.

Types of Soil Tests for Road Construction:

Following are the various types of soil tests for pavement construction:

In-situ Moisture Content

The moisture content of soil test is carried out in laboratory. It is expressed
as percentage of water in soil to its dry mass. The moisture content in a soil
signifies the various properties of soil such as compaction, permeability,
particle size etc.

Specific gravity of soil

Specific gravity of soil is the ratio of the weight of soil in air of a given
volume at a standard temperature to the weight in air of an equal volume of
distilled water at the same stated temperature. This test is also carried out
in laboratory.

Particle Size Distribution (By wet sieving & pipette method)

This test determines the particle size distribution of soil from the coarse sand
size down to fine clay size. The data from particle size distribution test is
used to determine suitability of soil for road construction, air field etc. This
test can also be used to predict soil water movement although permeability
tests are more generally used.

Compaction test Proctor test

This soil compaction test also called as Proctor test is used for the
determination of the mass of dry soil per cubic metre when the soil is
compacted over a range of moisture contents, giving the maximum dry
density at optimum moisture content. Thus this test provides the compaction
characteristics of different soils with change in moisture content. This is
achieved by densification of soil by reducing the air voids.
The degree of is measured in terms of its dry density of soil. The dry density
is maximum at the optimum water content.

California Bearing Ratio (CBR) Test

California Bearing Ratio test is conducted in laboratory. This tests provides
the load penetration resistance of soil. CBR value is obtained by measuring
the relationship between force and penetration when a cylindrical plunger is
made to penetrate the soil at a standard rate.
The CBR test is used for the evaluation of subgrade strength of roads and
pavements. The CBR value obtained by this test is used with the empirical
curves to determine the thickness of pavement and its component layers.
This is the most widely used method for the design of flexible pavement.
Even though provision of subsoil drains reduces the effect of water on
subgrade, fully soaked CBR tests shall be considered to be appropriate for
road construction projects.
Following points should be taken care of while soil testing for road
construction:

Sampling and Testing: Sampling of soil for tests in laboratory or insitu is to be carefully done by experienced engineer. The
requirement for the various mass / volume of soil at different points
of a road project shall be followed as per the specification and
standard codes.

Test Data Logging: Logging of all the soil sample and test data shall
be done by trained staff who has the knowledge of soil properties
and tests results.

Testing Frequency: The testing frequency of soil shall be as per

input from Engineer. The decision on the testing frequency is usually
taken on the basis of results obtained from the previous tests.