Document Type

Thesis - Open Access

Award Date

2018

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department / School

Civil and Environmental Engineering

First Advisor

Allen L Jones

Abstract

The South Dakota Department of Transportation SDDOT uses the Ohio Highway Department’s Typical Moisture Density Curves for preforming compaction quality control on granular soil materials in junction with standard moisture density relations. The SDDOT also uses the Nuclear Density Gauge NDG, Sand Cone, and Rubber Balloon methods to conduct in-situ density tests. Compaction quality control of recycled pavements is conducted using test strips. The test strip method works well for large areas but becomes problematic for small areas. The ODOT Materials Manual states “Moisture-Density proctor curves and controls were originally developed to be used on cohesive (clays and silts) soils. Errors or complications arise when trying to extrapolate these principals to granular materials” (ODOT, 1998). The SDDOT has also been using more materials recycled from PCC pavements and asphalt concrete pavements as subbase and base courses. For these reasons the SDDOT wishes to reevaluate its current methods compaction quality control of granular materials. A research synthesis report published by the National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) has summarized alternative methods used by other DOTs for compaction quality control of granular materials (Nazzal, 2014). The research presented within this report includes the development of a new family of curves for SDDOT encountered base and subbase granular materials and also recommends Dynamic Cone Penetrometer (DCP) methods for compaction quality control of granular materials. The research conducted included a literature review of various alternative forms of granular compaction quality control and analysis of the adequacy of using families of moisture density curves for granular compaction of base and subbase granular materials encountered by the SDDOT. The results of the research indicated that the currently used Ohio Highway Department’s Typical Moisture Density Curves may be over predicting the maximum dry unit weight of base and subbase materials encountered by the SDDOT. The results of an alternatives analysis also indicated that the DCP device may be the best alternative in-situ compaction testing device to meet the needs of the SDDOT.

Library of Congress Subject Headings

Compacting -- Quality control.
Granular materials.
Pavements -- Recycling.
South Dakota. Department of Transportation.

Description

Includes bibliographical references (pages 252-255)

Format

application/pdf

Number of Pages

272

Publisher

South Dakota State University

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Rights Statement

In Copyright