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Lab Services: Soil testing

Lab Services: Soil testing

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Test Method Title

Standard Test Methods for Laboratory Compaction Characteristics of Soil Using Modified Effort

Reference Number

ASTM D1557

Material

Soil

Test Property

Maximum dry density, optimum moisture content

Description of Test

A soil at a selected water content is placed in five layers into a mold of given dimensions, with each layer compacted by 25 or 56 blows of a 10-lbf (44.5-N) rammer dropped from a distance of 18-in. (457-mm), subjecting the solid to a total compactive effort of about 56,000 ft - lbf/ft3 (2700kN-m/m3). The resulting dry unit weight is determined. The procedure is repeated for a sufficient number of water contents to establish a relationship between the dry unit weight and the water content for the soil. This data, when plotted, represent a curvilinear relationship known as the compaction curve. The values of optimum water content and modified maximum dry unit weight are determined from the compaction curve.

Preferred Test Sample Size

Number of Test Specimens

5

Test Specimen Size

2300 - 5600 grams

Keywords

Compaction, density, modified effort, modified Proctor test, moisture-density curves, soil compaction, Proctor

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