BCD: A Soil Modulus Device for Compaction Control
Publication: Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 132, Issue 1
Abstract
There is a trend toward using the modulus as an alternative to dry density in compaction control because of the undesirable nuclear source in the current field density gage and because a modulus is often used in the design of roadway bases and compacted fills. The Briaud compaction device (BCD) is a new instrument used to obtain a soil modulus in only a few seconds; it consists of leaning on a rod equipped with a thin circular metal plate at the bottom end and recording the bending of that plate under a standard load. This article describes the theory and the experiments that have been performed to validate the new instrument. This validation is based on a comparison to a simple plate test and on a numerical simulation of the BCD test. A recommended procedure is outlined in the conclusions. The BCD is used in the lab on top of the soil in the Proctor mold to obtain the lab modulus versus water content curve and select a target value. Then the BCD is used in the field to verify that the target modulus has been achieved.
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Acknowledgments
This research project was sponsored by the Spencer J. Buchanan Chair in the Department of Civil Engineering at Texas A & M University and by the Texas Transportation Institute. Matt Potter, Andrew Fawcett, and Sammy Pirano from TMRF built the BCD prototype. We also wish to thank Nick Jaynes, Patrick Briaud, and Kim Knesek for their help in the field work and the laboratory work.
References
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 132 • Issue 1 • January 2006
Pages: 108 - 115
Copyright
© 2006 ASCE.
History
Received: Jun 18, 2004
Accepted: Jun 23, 2005
Published online: Jan 1, 2006
Published in print: Jan 2006
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