Soil behavior of shallow homogenous upper layer soil

Abstract

This study aims to examine the compaction nature of shallow homogeneous soil based on the results from confined and unconfined compression tests. A plate sinkage test is employed for the experiments. A big soil bin of diameter was used for the unconfined test. Meanwhile, for the confined test, a small soil bin was constructed. A plate sinkage diameter of 200 mm was utilized to apply the load. The sensors of the diameter monitor the applied load and the resulting sinkage. The existence of a firm layer within a certain depth can remarkably influence the load-bearing capacity. This work suggests that for a rigid layer in a certain depth (shallow), the pressure and load-bearing capacity modules increase steeply. The pressure-sinkage and pressure-strain curves consist of varying parts, and there is no transition zone as a deep hard layer. Therefore, the load-bearing capacity modulus (k) is altering and not constant. The soil behavior of the unconfined test is similar to the confined test. In addition, the compaction in the unconfined test is not in a conical mass with the plate as it moves, resulting in lateral deformation.

Keywords

• soil deformation
• compaction
• confined test
• plate sinkage test