Masters Theses

Abstract

"Soil compaction quality control accounts for a significant portion of geotechnical practice. Often the performance of a roadway can be directly linked to the quality of the compacted subgrade. A poor subgrade can result in weak areas in the road causing excessive deflections at the surface, ultimately leading to a pot hole or uneven surface and an unpleasant ride for the travelers. Vehicles passing over a section of highway causes small strains in the founding soil. These strains accumulate over time. A better understanding of how the compacted soil responds at small strains could shed light on improving the quality of the soil in turn improving the quality of the roadway. In this study, the small strain moduli of compacted low plastic silt was investigated under varying moisture contents and dry densities. An ultrasonic pulse velocity testing system was used to determine the dynamic elastic moduli of the soil specimen. Detailed procedures on how to filter the ultrasonic pulse velocity results and determine wave arrival times were established. Trends in the dynamic elastic moduli versus dry density and moisture content were studied. A Briaud Compaction Device (BCD) was also used to determine the BCD Low- Strain Modulus. The BCD is a non-destructive test that can be used in both the laboratory and field as a means of quickly determining a modulus. The use of the BCD as a compaction quality control tool was investigated. BCD repeatability and the established trends suggest that the BCD could be benefit for compaction quality control. The BCD modulus was also compared to the dynamic elastic moduli producing trends with good correlation"--Abstract, page iv.

Advisor(s)

Ge, Yu-Ning (Louis)

Committee Member(s)

Hoffman, David J.
Stephenson, Richard Wesley

Department(s)

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering

Degree Name

M.S. in Civil Engineering

Sponsor(s)

Missouri Transportation Institute

Publisher

Missouri University of Science and Technology

Publication Date

Fall 2008

Journal article titles appearing in thesis/dissertation

  • Ultrasonic pulse velocity testing on compacted silt
  • Laboratory evaluation of the Briaud Compaction Device

Pagination

ix, 63 pages

Rights

© 2008 David M. Weidinger, All rights reserved.

Document Type

Thesis - Open Access

File Type

text

Language

English

Subject Headings

Nondestructive testingPavements -- TestingSiltSoil compaction -- Testing

Thesis Number

T 9448

Print OCLC #

313412867

Electronic OCLC #

262845525

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