MEASURING THE VARIABILITY OF COMPACTED EMBANKMENTS

THE METHODS AND RESULTS ARE PRESENTED OF MEASURING THE VARIABILITY OF PERCENT COMPACTION AND MOISTURE CONTENT OF COMPACTED EMBANKMENTS IN ACCEPTABLE HIGHWAY CONSTRUCTION IN NORTH DAKOTA. SEPARATE FROM THE STATE HIGHWAY DEPARTMENT'S CONTROL SAMPLING, RANDOMLY LOCATED SAMPLES WERE TAKEN ON EACH OF THREE TYPICAL CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS. AT EACH SAMPLE LOCATION, THE FOLLOWING DUPLICATE SAMPLES WERE TAKEN: (1) IN-PLACE DENSITY USING THE WATER-BALLOON METHOD, (2) IN-PLACE MOISTURE BY DRYING TWO SOIL SAMPLES, (3) MOISTURE AND DENSITY USING A NUCLEAR MOISTURE-DENSITY GAGE IN BOTH DIRECT TRANSMISSION AND BACKSCATTER POSITIONS, AND (4) A SACK SAMPLE FOR DETERMINATION OF MAXIMUM DENSITY. FOR COMPARISON, STATE HIGHWAY DEPARTMENT DATA COLLECTED DURING THE SAME CONSTRUCTION PERIOD ARE ALSO REPORTED. THE MAJOR CONCLUSIONS ARE THAT (1) THE VARIABILITY IN PERCENT COMPACTION IS LARGE - FOR EXAMPLE, EVERY THIRD SAMPLE WILL DEVIATE FROM THE AVERAGE BY AT LEAST 3 TO 5 PERCENT, (2) THE AVERAGE PERCENT COMPACTION WAS VERY NEAR THE REQUIRED MINIMUM, (3) THE HIGHER IN-PLACE DENSITIES AND LOWER STANDARD DEVIATIONS OF THE HIGHWAY DEPARTMENT RESULTS COULD HAVE RESULTED FROM THE USE OF REPRESENTATIVE SAMPLES OR FROM RESAMPLING, (4) A LABORATORY CALIBRATION OF THE TWO NUCLEAR DENSITY GAGES INDICATED VERY CLOSE AGREEMENT WITH THE MANUFACTURER'S CURVES, (5) THE NUCLEAR INSTRUMENT, WHEN IN THE DIRECT TRANSMISSION POSITION, IS A MUCH MORE RELIABLE INDICATOR OF FIELD DENSITY THAN WHEN IN A BACKSCATTER POSITION AND IS SLIGHTLY MORE RELIABLE THAN THE CONVENTIONAL WATER-BALLOON TESTS; AND (6) THE AIR-GAP PROCEDURE WAS MORE RELIABLE THAN THE STANDARD BLOCK ONLY ON THAT PROJECT BELIEVED TO HAVE A LARGER VARIATION IN CHEMICAL CONTENT OF THE SOIL. /AUTHOR/

• Record URL:
  http://onlinepubs.trb.org/Onlinepubs/hrr/1969/290/290-003.pdf
• Supplemental Notes:
  • Paper sponsored by Committee on Soil and Rock Properties and presented at the 48th Annual Meeting. Distribution, posting, or copying of this PDF is strictly prohibited without written permission of the Transportation Research Board of the National Academy of Sciences. Unless otherwise indicated, all materials in this PDF are copyrighted by the National Academy of Sciences. Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
• Authors:
  • Jorgenson, James L
• Publication Date: 1969

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Features: Appendices; Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: pp 23-34
• Monograph Title: Nuclear testing, construction variability, materials control and acceptance
• Serial:
  • Highway Research Record
  • Issue Number: 290
  • Publisher: Highway Research Board

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Chemical properties; Compaction; Density; Embankments; Field density; Field tests; In place density; Measurement; Moisture content; Nuclear tests; Randomization; Road construction; Samples; Soil compaction; Soils; Variables
• Old TRIS Terms: Density measurement; Embankment compaction; Insitu methods; Percent compaction
• Subject Areas: Construction; Data and Information Technology; Geotechnology; Highways;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00215222
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS, TRB
• Created Date: Dec 29 1994 12:00AM