Compaction Characteristics of Soils: A User Friendly Approach

Determination of compaction characteristics of soils constitutes an essential part of any mechanical ground improvement project. The compaction characteristics vary with the compaction energy used in the process of densification. Standard Proctor compaction test is conducted in the laboratory to determine the compaction characteristics of soils used under normal applications. However, there are many practical situations where soils in the field need to be compacted under compaction energies other than that used in the standard Proctor test. This paper addresses the issue of relating the compaction characteristics of soils with the compaction energy input. The generalized regression equations developed facilitate the user to conduct only standard Proctor compaction test in the laboratory the results of which can be used to predict the compaction characteristics at any required compaction energy level quite satisfactorily.