ISSN: 1945-7545
CODEN: GTJODJ
Published Online: 8 March 2006
Page Count: 9

A New Setup for Measuring G_o during Laboratory Compaction

Ismail, MA
Centre for Offshore Foundation Systems, The University of Western Australia, Nedlands, WA

Rammah, KI
Centre for Offshore Foundation Systems, The University of Western Australia, Nedlands, WA

(Received 17 March 2004; accepted 3 February 2006)

Abstract

Soil stabilization by compaction plays an important role in foundation engineering, both for construction and maintenance. Compaction specifications often require achievement of an in situ dry density (ρ_d) of 90–95% of the maximum value obtained from laboratory standard or modified Proctor test. However, ρ_d is not a design parameter per se; it is rather used to infer other parameters such as strength and stiffness through some empirical relationships. This paper describes a setup and procedure by which the small-strain (dynamic) shear stiffness can be measured accurately by propagating elastic shear wave through the stabilized material during laboratory compaction. The method enables measurement of the shear modulus [G_o(ij)] in both horizontal and vertical planes. The ratio between G_o in these two orthogonal planes (i.e., G_hh and G_hv) is a measure of the degree of stiffness anisotropy, and this could be used as input parameter in deformation calculations. The setup is designed so that it can be readily incorporated into the familiar Proctor test.

Keywords:
compaction, shear modulus, anisotropy, soil stabilization, Proctor test, suction

Paper ID: GTJ12633
DOI: 10.1520/GTJ12633
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