SOIL

COMPACTION
Lec-8
SOIL MECHANICS

Soil Compaction

method of mechanically increasing the

density of soil.
in construction, this is a significant part of
the building process
if performed improperly, settlement of the
soil could occur and result in unnecessary
maintenance costs or structural failure.

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Compaction and
consolidation

The terms "compaction" and

"consolidation" both refer to
a compression of soil
resulting in a decrease of the soil's
volume.
increase soil density

Difference

Soil is made up of three main elements: solid particles,

air voids and water voids. Compaction is when an
element of outside stress squeezes the air voids from
the soil, decreasing its volume and increasing its
density. This is often done intentionally, using a method
such as a roller or a vibrating instrument. There is also
a method called "dynamic compaction," which involves
dropping a weight on the soil over and over again. The
degree of compaction depends on many different
factors: the method used to compact, the amount of
water to the amount of air in the soil, the type of soil
(silt, clay, sand or something else), and so on

In contrast, consolidation is the act of squeezing the

water voids out of the soil. While this is relatively easy
with coarse soils such as sand, it is an expensive and
time-consuming process with silts and clays. If the soil
being consolidated has never experienced an equivalent
outside stress to the one being used for consolidation, it
is considered "normally loaded," whereas if it has, it is
considered "pre-consolidated." Pre-consolidated soil is
preferred for purposes of building foundations.
Consolidation is often performed with similar
instruments to those used for compaction, only with
drains installed to drive the water away from the soil.

What is Soil?

Soil is formed in place or deposited by

various forces of nature - such as glaciers,
wind, lakes and rivers - residually or
organically.
important elements in soil compaction:
Soil type
Soil moisture content

Compaction effort required

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Why Compact?

There are five principle reasons to compact

soil:
Increases load-bearing capacity
Prevents frost damage
Provides stability
Reduces water seepage, swelling and
contraction
Reduces settling of soil

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Vibration
Impact
Kneading
Pressure

These different types of effort are found in

the two principle types of compaction
force: static and vibratory

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Static Force

Static Force = deadweight of the machine,

applying downward force on the soil
surface, compressing the soil particles.
Static compaction is confined to upper
soil layers and is limited to any
appreciable depth.
Kneading and pressure are two examples
of static compaction.

Mostly

depth

applied to 3-5 ft

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Static Compactors

Vibratory Force

Vibratory force uses a mechanism, usually enginedriven, to create a downward force in addition to
the machine's static weight.
The vibrating mechanism is usually a rotating
eccentric weight or piston/spring combination (in
rammers).
The compactors deliver a rapid sequence of blows
(impacts) to the surface, thereby affecting the top
layers as well as deeper layers.
Vibration moves through the material, setting
particles in motion and moving them closer
together for the highest density possible.

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Vibratory Compactors

Results of Poor Compaction

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Soil Types and Conditions

Every soil type behaves differently with respect to

maximum density and optimum moisture.
Each soil type has its own unique requirements
and controls both in the field and for testing
purposes.
Soil types are commonly classified by grain size,
determined by passing the soil through a series
of sieves to screen or separate the different grain
sizes.
A well-graded soil consists of a wide range of
particle sizes with the smaller particles filling
voids between larger particles.
The result is a dense structure that lends itself
well to compaction.

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Characteristics of Cohesive
Soils

dense and tightly bound together by

molecular attraction
plastic when wet and can be molded, but
become very hard when dry
proper water content, evenly distributed, is
critical for proper compaction
cohesive soils usually require a force such
as impact or pressure
silt has a noticeably lower cohesion than
clay but is still heavily reliant on water
content

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Granular soils
known for their water-draining properties
Sand
Gravels
Self drainage properties

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Characteristics of Granular
Soils

Sand and gravel obtain maximum density in

either a fully dry or saturated state
Testing curves are relatively flat so density
can be obtained regardless of water content

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Moisture vs. Soil Density

Moisture content of the soil is vital to proper compaction.

Moisture acts as a lubricant within soil, sliding the
particles together.
Too little moisture means inadequate compaction - the
particles cannot move past each other to achieve density.
Too much moisture leaves water-filled voids and
subsequently weakens the load-bearing ability.
The highest density for most soils is at a certain water
content for a given compaction effort.
The drier the soil, the more resistant it is to compaction.
In a water-saturated state the voids between particles are
partially filled with water, creating an apparent cohesion
that binds them together.
This cohesion increases as the particle size decreases (as
in clay-type soils).

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Moisture vs. Soil Density

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optimum moisture
content.(O.M.C.)

The water content corresponding to

the maximum dry unit weight or
maximum dry density is known as
optimum moisture content.(O.M.C.)

Relative Density

To a geotechnical engineer Relative

density or density index is the ratio of
the difference between the void ratios
of a cohesionless soil in its loosest
state or existing natural state to the
difference between its void ratio in the
loosest and densest states.
RD = e(max) - e x 100
e(max) - e(min)

Relative Compaction

Relative compaction means the ratio of

in-situ dry unit weight to the unit
weight of soil achieved in lab.
In-situ unit weight is found by sand
cone method in field.
Soil unit weight is found in lab by
Standard or modified proctor test.
R (%) = (DensityField / DensityMax) x
100

Soil Density Tests

Soil density tests determine if proper soil

compaction is achieved for any specific
construction application.

Why Test?
Measure density of soil for comparing the
degree of compaction.
Measure the effect of moisture on soil
density.
Provide a moisture density curve
identifying optimum moisture

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Types of Tests

Tests to determine optimum moisture content

are done in the laboratory.
The most common is the Proctor Test, or
Modified Proctor Test.
A particular soil needs to have an ideal (or
optimum) amount of moisture to achieve
maximum density.
This is important not only for durability, but
will save money because less compaction
effort is needed to achieve the desired results.

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Proctor Test (ASTM D1557-91)

determines the maximum density of a soil needed

for a specific job site
first determines the maximum density achievable for
the materials and uses this figure as a reference
it tests the effects of moisture on soil density
the soil reference value is expressed as a percentage
of density
these values are determined before any compaction
takes place to develop the compaction
specifications.
Modified Proctor values are higher because they
take into account higher densities needed for
certain types of construction projects.
test methods are similar for both tests

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Proctor Test

Proctor Test
A small soil sample is taken from the
jobsite. A standard weight is dropped
several times on the soil. The material
weighed and then oven dried for 12 hours in
order to evaluate water content

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Modified Proctor Test

This is similar to the Proctor Test except a

hammer is used to compact material for
greater impact, The test is normally
preferred in testing materials for higher
shearing strength.

Home work

Chapter 6 of text book