CE F243

Soil Mechanics

BITS Pilani Sayantan Chakraborty, Ph.D., AM ASCE, MIE

[email protected]
Pilani|Dubai|Goa|Hyderabad

February 3, 2025 1
 BITS Pilani
Pilani|Dubai|Goa|Hyderabad

Lecture 12
Soil Compaction
2
Learning Outcome

➢ Understand the importance of soil compaction.

➢ Determine maximum dry unit weight and optimum

moisture content.

➢ Factors affecting moisture-density relationship.

➢ Identify suitable equipment for field compaction.

➢ Soil compaction quality control tests.

3
Introduction
➢ Often the soils at a given site are less than ideal for the intended
construction. They may be weak, highly compressible, or have a higher
hydraulic conductivity than desirable.

➢ In-situ soil often needs to be stabilized/improved before engineering

structures can be constructed.

➢ In construction of engineering structures like road embankments and dams,

loose soil is hauled from borrow site and needs to be compacted at site to
achieve target engineering properties.

➢ Compaction is frequently used to enhance engineering properties by 4

application of mechanical energy to get soil grains arranged more closely.

Introduction

Ranjan, G. and Rao, A.S.R., 2007. Basic and applied soil mechanics. New Age International.
Introduction
➢ The overall objective of compaction is the improvement of the engineering
properties of the soil mass. Specifically, by compaction:
• Detrimental settlements can be reduced or prevented.
• Soil strength can be increased.
• Bearing capacity can be increased.
• Hydraulic conductivity can be decreased.

• Proper compaction can reduce volume change characteristics.

6
Introduction
➢ R.R. Proctor noted that compaction is a function of four variables:

▪ Dry density

▪ Water content

▪ Compactive effort

▪ Soil type

➢ Compactive effort is a measure of the mechanical energy applied to a soil

mass. It has units of energy per unit volume, or N-m/m3

➢ Two laboratory compaction tests are commonly used:

▪ Standard Proctor compaction (light compaction)

▪ Modified Proctor compaction (heavy compaction) 7

Laboratory Compaction

https://www.geoengineer.org/education/laboratory-testing/compaction-test
Light Compaction (Standard Proctor
Compaction)

https://theconstructor.org/geotechnical/soil-maximum-dry-density-optimum-moisture-content/18426/

For soils passing 20 mm sieve:

1000 cc mold; 2.6 kg rammer; 310 mm drop; 25 blows/layer; 3 layers

For soils containing particles up to 40 mm size

2250 cc mold; 2.6 kg rammer; 310 mm drop; 55 blows/layer; 3 layers 9
Laboratory Compaction (Light Compaction IS
2720 Part 7)
➢ Measure internal diameter and height of the mold (without collar)
➢ Weigh the empty mold with base plate
➢ Take soil passing 20 mm sieve (for 1000 cc mold) and passing 40
mm sieve (for 2250 cc mold) and mix with water at a suitable water
content
➢ Uniformly mix and compact the mixture in the mold in 3 layers with
2.6 kg hammer dropped from 310 mm with 25 blows/layer for 1000
cc mold and 55 blows/layer for 2250 cc mold
➢ Use enough soil so that not more than 6 mm of compacted soil
needs to be struck off with straight edge after removing collar
10
Laboratory Compaction (Light Compaction IS
2720 Part 7)
➢ Weigh the assembly with soil
➢ Extract soil sample and take representative samples for water
content determination
➢ Soils not susceptible to crushing may be reused for performing the
test at the next higher water content
➢ Perform tests to get at least 5 data points (over dry and wet sides
of optimum) for drawing the compaction curve

11
Heavy Compaction (Modified Proctor
Compaction)

https://theconstructor.org/geotechnical/soil-maximum-dry-density-optimum-moisture-content/18426/

For soils passing 19 mm sieve:

1000 cc mold; 4.9 kg rammer; 450 mm drop; 25 blows/layer; 5 layers

For soils containing particles up to 37.5 mm size

2250 cc mold; 4.9 kg rammer; 450 mm drop; 55 blows/layer; 5 layers 12
Factors Affecting Compaction
➢ Water content
▪ Proctor’s lubrication theory

▪ At low water content soil grains offer

more resistance to compaction

▪ An increase in water content increases

water film around soil particles, lubricates
the particles and makes it easier to
compact and increase dry density

▪ Effect of lubrication is maximum at OMC https://www.geoengineer.org/education/laboratory-testing/compaction-test

▪ Beyond OMC, water starts to replace soil

particles and dry density decreases
13
Factors Affecting Compaction
➢ Water content
▪ Lambe’s soil fabric and double layer
theory
▪ At low water content, double layer not fully
developed → flocculated → attractive
inter-particle force → difficult for soil
particles to move around and get
compacted at dry of optimum
▪ Water content increases → double layer
expands → repulsive interparticle force
▪ Particles slide over one another to denser
configuration https://www.geoengineer.org/education/laboratory-testing/compaction-test

▪ Wet of optimum → no further expansion of

double layer but water occupies space
that was previously occupied by soil
grains 14
Factors Affecting Compaction
➢ Water content

15
Holtz, R.D., Kovacs, W.D. and Sheahan, T.C., 1981. An introduction to geotechnical
Ranjan, G. and Rao, A.S.R., 2007. Basic and applied soil mechanics. New Age International. engineering (Vol. 733). Englewood Cliffs: Prentice-Hall.
Factors Affecting Compaction
➢ Compactive effort
ZAV line: dry density
and moisture content
combinations that
result in S = 100%

Compaction curve
never touches ZAV
line; i.e., it is
impossible to
remove all air voids
using compaction

16

Holtz, R.D., Kovacs, W.D. and Sheahan, T.C., 1981. An introduction to geotechnical
engineering (Vol. 733). Englewood Cliffs: Prentice-Hall.
Factors Affecting Compaction
➢ Soil type

Coarse-grained soils, well graded,

compact to high dry densities,
especially if they contain some fines.

17

Holtz, R.D., Kovacs, W.D. and Sheahan, T.C., 1981. An introduction to geotechnical
engineering (Vol. 733). Englewood Cliffs: Prentice-Hall.
Factors Affecting Compaction
➢ Soil type

Poorly graded sand or uniform sands

lead to the lowest dry densities

18

Holtz, R.D., Kovacs, W.D. and Sheahan, T.C., 1981. An introduction to geotechnical
engineering (Vol. 733). Englewood Cliffs: Prentice-Hall.
Factors Affecting Compaction
➢ Soil type

In clay soils, maximum dry densities

tend to decrease with increase in
plasticity. Cohesive soils generally
have high values of OMC.
19
Factors Affecting Compaction
➢ Soil type

Fat clays with high plasticity have

very low maximum dry density and
very high optimum moisture content.

20

Holtz, R.D., Kovacs, W.D. and Sheahan, T.C., 1981. An introduction to geotechnical
engineering (Vol. 733). Englewood Cliffs: Prentice-Hall.
Effect of Compaction on Soil Fabric

At the same compactive effort, as the water content increases, the soil fabric
becomes increasingly oriented. Dry of optimum, fine-grained soils are always
flocculated, whereas wet of optimum the fabric becomes more oriented or
dispersed. The fabric at point C is more oriented than at point A. 21

Holtz, R.D., Kovacs, W.D. and Sheahan, T.C., 1981. An introduction to geotechnical
engineering (Vol. 733). Englewood Cliffs: Prentice-Hall.
Effect of Compaction on Soil Fabric

If the compactive effort is increased, the soil tends to become more oriented,
even dry of optimum. A sample at point E is more oriented than at point A. Wet
of optimum, the fabric at point D will be somewhat more oriented than at point
22
C, although the effect is less significant than dry of optimum.
Holtz, R.D., Kovacs, W.D. and Sheahan, T.C., 1981. An introduction to geotechnical
engineering (Vol. 733). Englewood Cliffs: Prentice-Hall.
Engineering Behavior of Compacted Cohesive
Soils

23

Ranjan, G. and Rao, A.S.R., 2007. Basic and applied soil mechanics. New Age International.
 BITS Pilani
Pilani|Dubai|Goa|Hyderabad

THANK YOU
24