Abstract

The moisture content (MC) was a critical parameter that needed to be monitored in geomaterial compaction. Nuclear density gauges (NDGs) had been the practice in MC and density measurement for decades but had become less desirable due to cost, regulatory, and safety concerns. Meanwhile, lightweight deflectometers (LWDs), proposed as an alternative to NDGs, did not have a function of MC measurement. This study aimed to identify a rapid field moisture analyzer to work with LWDs for evaluating the compaction acceptance of unbound materials in situ. The study started with evaluating the effectiveness and practicability of two existing moisture analyzers recommended in references, including Aggrameter and Ohaus MB 120. After the limitations of these two analyzers were identified, a further improvement on the basis of Ohaus MB 120 was conducted to develop a rapid field moisture measurement unit. Validation through field tests demonstrated that the unit effectively mitigated field disturbances and accurately measured soil MCs. Furthermore, two key parameters during the measuring process (i.e., drying weight and switch-off criterion) were investigated to optimize the accuracy and efficiency of the new unit. The drying weights of soil samples (i.e., 10 g and 30 g for non-gravel and gravel soils, respectively) and a moderate switch-off criterion were recommended for the new unit.

Department(s)

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering

Publication Status

Full Text Access

Comments

Missouri Department of Transportation, Grant None

Keywords and Phrases

Field moisture analyzer; Moisture content measurement; Unbound geomaterials

International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)

2214-3912

Document Type

Article - Journal

Document Version

Citation

File Type

text

Language(s)

English

Rights

© 2026 Elsevier, All rights reserved.

Publication Date

01 Feb 2026

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