Effects of Compaction Energy on Soils for Earthwork Construction in Sa Kaeo Province

Abstract

The objective of this research was to study effects of energy applied to soil compaction used in construction. Soil samples were collected in four areas of construction sites in Sa Kaeo province to perform compaction test and CBR in the laboratory in order to evaluate relations between soil types, maximum dry density, optimum moisture content along with the values of CBR and soil swelling, based on changes of the energy on 3 levels such as 290 kJ/m3, 604 kJ/m3 and 2,748 kJ/m3. The results revealed that the maximum dry densities increased with compaction energy while optimum moisture content decreased accordingly. It is also found that the properties of compacted soils such as soil consistency (liquid limit and plasticity index), soil swelling, CBR were in linear relations to the quantity of soil particles smaller than 0.075 mm besides the compaction energies. The results thus can be used to predict the maximum dry density, optimum moisture content, swelling and CBR in order to control quality for the appropriate design and earthwork constructions.