AN EVALUATION OF SOLITARY WAVES FOR COMPACTION CONTROL ON FINE-GRAINED SOILS

This research presents the implementation of a non-destructive procedure for compaction control using a device capable of propagating solitary strain waves. The device is made of a chain of steel spheres excited by a strike at the top. The strain solitary wave is generated by a falling sphere with a constant height. The wave travels through the chain and is reflected when it reaches the boundary of the soil sample. The time gap between the incident and the reflected wave is called “time of flight”, and it is measured in the middle of the chain using a piezometric sensor. This “time of flight” is related to the mechanical properties of the tested specimen. The mechanical properties of soil are related to the density and water content that are achieved at the end of a compaction process. The mechanical properties can be used as an indicator for compaction control rather than density. The results suggest that the time of flight is an acceptable indicator to control the bulk density and optimum water content of compacted soils.