COMPACTION BY STANDARD PROCTOR TEST
OBJECTIVE:
To Perform the Standard Compaction Test and to determine the moisture Density
Relationship for a given compactive effort on a particular soil.
For determination of maximum dry density and optimum moisture content of soil,
standard proctor test is performed. For construction of highways, airports, and other
structures, it is often necessary to compact soil to improve its strength. Proctor (1933)
developed a laboratory compaction test procedure to determine the maximum dry
unit weight of compaction of soils. This test is referred to as the standard Proctor
compaction test and is based on the compaction of the soil fraction passing No, 4
U.S. sieve.
APPARATUS
i. Compaction mold
ii. No.4 U.S. sieve
iii. Standard Proctor hammer (5.5lb)
iv. Balance sensitive up to 0.01 lb
v. Balance sensitive up to 0.1 g
vi. Large flat pan
vii. Jack
viii. Steel straight edge
ix. Moisture cans
x. Drying oven
xi. Plastic squeeze bottle with water
Proctor compaction mold and hammer.
A schematic diagram of the Proctor compaction mold, which is 4 in. (101.6mrn)
in diameter and 4.584 in. (116.4) in height. There is a base plate and an extension
that can be attached to the top and bottom of the mold, respectively. The inside of
the mold is 1/30 ft3 (943.9 cm3).
Figure below shows the schematic diagram of a standard Proctor hammer. The
hammer can be lifted and dropped through a vertical distance of 12 in. (304.8 mm).
Fig: Schematic diagram of mold and hammer
Procedure
1) Obtain about 10 lb (4.5 kg) of air-dry soil on which the compaction test is to be
conducted. Break all the soil lumps.
2) Sieve the soil on a No.4 U.S. sieve. Collect all of the material passing through
the sieve in a large pan. This should be about 6lb (2.7 kg) or more. .
3) Add enough water to the material and mix it in thoroughly to bring the moisture
content up to about 5%.
4) Determine the weight of the Proctor mold + base plate (not the extension), W1
(lb).
5) Now attach the extension to the top of the mold.
6) Pour the moist soil into the mold in three equal layers. Each layer should be
compacted uniformly by the standard Proctor hammer 25 times before the next
layer of loose soil is poured into the mold.
7) Remove the top attachment from the mold. Be careful not to break off any of the
compacted soil inside the mold while removing the top attachment.
8) Using a straight edge, trim the excess soil above the mold. Now the top of the
compacted soil will be even with the top of the mold.
9) Determine the weight of the mold + base plate +compacted moist soil in the mold,
W2 ( lb. ).
10) Remove the base plate from the mold. Using a jack, extrude the compacted soil
cylinder from the mold.
11) Take a moisture can and determine its mass, W3 (g).
12) From the moist soil extruded in Step 10, collect a moisture sample in the
moisture can (Step 11) and determine the mass of the can + moist soil, W4 (g).
13) Place the moisture can with the moist soil in the oven to dry to a constant weight.
14) Break the rest of the compacted soil (to No.4 size) by hand and mix it with the
leftover moist soil in the pan. Add more water and mix it to raise the moisture
content by about 2%.
15) Repeat Steps 6 through 12. In this process, the weight of the mold + base plate
+ moist soil (W2 ) will first increase with the increase in moisture content and
then decrease. Continue the test until at least two successive down readings are
obtained.
16) The next day, determine the mass of the moisture cans + soil samples, W5 (g)
(from Step 13).
Calculation
Dry unit weight and moisture content at compaction
1) Weight of mold, W1 to be determined from test (Step 4).
2) Weight of mold + moist compacted soil, W2 to be determined from test (Step 9).
3) Weight of moist compacted soil = W2 – W1 is to be determined.
4) Moist unit weight
����ℎ� �� ��������� ����� ���� �2−�1 (��)
γ= = 1
������ �� ���� ��3
30
5) Mass of moisture can, W3, to be determined from test (Step 11).
6) Mass of moisture can + moist soil, W4 to be determined from test (step 12)
7) Mass of moisture can + dry soil, W5 to be determined from (step 16)
8) Compaction moisture content
� −�
W (%) = � 4 − �5 × 100
5 3
9) Dry unit weight
�
�� = � (%)
1+
100
Data obtained from standard proctor compaction test
[Link] Test 1 2 3 4 5
1 Weight of mold, W1 (gm) 6105 6105 6105 6105 6105
2 Weight of mold + moist soil W2 7752 7816 7908 8036 8030
(gm)
3 Weight of moist soil W2 – W1 1647 1711 1803 1931 1925
(gm)
4 Moist unit weight
�2−�1
(g/cm3) 1.742 1,810 1.907 2.043 2.037
������
5 Moisture can number A1 A2 A3 A4 A5
6 Mass of moisture can, W3 106.65 106.58 104.45 105.55 105.15
7 Mass of can + moist soil W4 (gm) 190.08 178.50 201.55 259.84 257.80
8 Mass of can + dry soil W5 (gm) 186.26 174.05 193.73 243.89 239.46
9 � −�
Moisture content � 4 − �5 × 100 4.79 6.59 8.75 11.52 13.65
5 3
10 Dry unit weight of compaction 1.662 1.698 1.754 1.832 1.792
(γd)
Result
The maximum dry density of the soil was determined to be 1.832 g/cm³ at an
optimum moisture content (OMC) of 11.52%. This data can be used to calculate the
exact quantity of water required for compaction, ensuring full densification of the soil
and minimizing the risk of post-construction settlement due to further compaction