Laboratory Experiment No.

1
STANDARD PROCTOR TEST

INTRODUCTION
Two types of compaction tests are routinely performed: (1) The Standard Proctor Test, and (2)
The Modified Proctor Test. Each of these tests can be performed in three different methods as outlined
in the attached Table 1. In the Standard Proctor Test, the soil is compacted by a 5.5 lb hammer falling a
distance of one foot into a soil filled mold. The mold is filled with three equal layers of soil, and each
layer is subjected to 25 drops of the hammer. The Modified Proctor Test is identical to the Standard
Proctor Test except it employs, a 10 lb hammer falling a distance of 18 inches, and uses five equal layers
of soil instead of three. There are two types of compaction molds used for testing. The smaller type is 4
inches in diameter and has a volume of about 1/30 ft3 (944 cm3), and the larger type is 6 inches in
diameter and has a volume of about 1/13.333 ft3 (2123 cm3). If the larger mold is used each soil layer
must receive 56 blows instead of 25 (See Table 1).

OBJECTIVES

1. To perform a laboratory compaction test using the standard effort dynamic hammer and standard
compaction mold.
2. To measure the variation of compacted dry density as a function of water content.

STANDARD REFERENCE

ASTM D 698 – Standard Test Methods for Laboratory Compaction Characteristics of Soil Using
Standard Effort (12,400 ft-lbs/ft3 (600 KN-m/m3))

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STANDARD PROCTOR TEST

SIGNIFICANCE AND USE

Mechanical compaction is one of the most common and cost effective means of stabilizing soils.
An extremely important task of geotechnical engineers is the performance and analysis of field control
tests to assure that compacted fills are meeting the prescribed design specifications. Design
specifications usually state the required density (as a percentage of the “maximum” density measured in
a standard laboratory test), and the water content. In general, most engineering properties, such as the
strength, stiffness, resistance to shrinkage, and imperviousness of the soil, will improve by increasing
the soil density.
The optimum water content is the water content that results in the greatest density for a specified
compactive effort. Compacting at water contents higher than (wet of ) the optimum water content results
in a relatively dispersed soil structure (parallel particle orientations) that is weaker, more ductile, less
pervious, softer, more susceptible to shrinking, and less susceptible to swelling than soil compacted dry
of optimum to the same density. The soil compacted lower than (dry of) the optimum water content
typically results in a flocculated soil structure (random particle orientations) that has the opposite
characteristics of the soil compacted wet of the optimum water content to the same density.

APPARATUS

1. Molds 2. Manual Rammer

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3. Extruder 4. Balance

5. Drying Oven 6. Mixing Pan

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STANDARD PROCTOR TEST

7. #4 Sieve 8. Moisture Cans

[Link] Cylinder 10. Straight Edge

TEST SPECIMEN

Approximately 15 lbs of air-dried soil

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TEST PROCEDURE

1. Depending on the type of mold you are using obtain a sufficient quantity of air-dried soil in large
mixing pan. For the 4-inch mold take approximately 10 lbs, and for the 6-inch mold take roughly
15 lbs. pulverize the soil and run it through the # 4 sieve.

2. Determine the weight of the soil sample as well as the weight of the compaction mold with its
base (without the collar) by using the balance and record the weights.

3. Compute the amount of initial water to add by the following method:

(a) Assume water content for the first test to be 8 percent.
(b) Compute water to add from the following equation:

(𝑠𝑜𝑖𝑙 𝑚𝑎𝑠𝑠 𝑖𝑛 𝑔𝑟𝑎𝑚𝑠)(8)

𝑤𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑡𝑜 𝑎𝑑𝑑 (𝑚𝑙) =
100

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Where “water to add” and the “soil mass” are in grams. Remember that a gram of water is equal
to approximately one milliliter of water.

4. Measure out the water, add it to the soil, and then mix it thoroughly into the soil using the trowel
until the soil gets a uniform color.

5. Assemble the compaction mold to the base, place some soil in the mold and compact the soil in
the number of equal layers specified by the type of compaction method employed. The number
of drops of the rammer per layer is also dependent upon the type of mold used (See Table 1). The
drops should be applied at a uniform rate not exceeding around 1.5 seconds per drop, and the
rammer should provide uniform coverage of the specimen surface. Try to avoid rebound of the
rammer from the top of the guide sleeve.

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6. The soil should completely fill the cylinder and the last compacted layer must extend slightly
above the collar joint. If the soil is below the collar joint at the completion of the drops, the test
point must be repeated. (Note: For the last layer, watch carefully, and add more soil after about
10 drops if it appears that the soil will be compacted below the collar joint.)
7. Carefully remove the collar and trim off the compacted soil so that it is completely even with the
top of the mold using the trowel. Replace small bits of soil that may fall out during the trimming
process.
8. Weigh the compacted soil while it’s in the mold and to the base, and record the mass. Determine
the wet mass of the soil by subtracting the weight of the mold and base.

9. Remove the soil from the mold using a mechanical extruder and take soil moisture content
samples from the top and bottom of the specimen. Fill the moisture cans with soil and determine
the water content.

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10. Place the soil specimen in the large tray and break up the soil until it appears visually as if it will
pass through the # 4 sieve, add 2 percent more water based on the original sample mass, and re-
mix as in step 4. Repeat steps 5 through 9 until, based on wet mass, a peak value is reached
followed by two slightly lesser compacted soil masses.

ANALYSIS

1. Calculate the moisture content of each compacted soil specimen by using the average of the
two water contents.
2. Compute the wet density in grams per cm3 of the compacted soil sample by dividing the wet
mass by the volume of the mold used.
3. Compute the dry density using the wet density and the water content determined in step 1.
Use the following formula: 𝜌𝑑 = 𝜌 1 + 𝜔
where: w = moisture content in percent divided by 100 ρ = wet density in grams per cm3.
4. Plot the dry density values on the y-axis and the moisture contents on the x-axis. Draw a
smooth curve connecting the plotted points.
5. On the same graph draw a curve of complete saturation or “zero air voids curve”. The values
of dry density and corresponding moisture contents for plotting the curve can be computed
from the following equation:

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6. Identify and report the optimum moisture content and the maximum dry density.

REPORT

Use the following tables to report the data and results.

Include all necessary computations after each table.

TRIAL 1 TRIAL 2 TRIAL 3 TRIAL 4 TRIAL 5

Mc= Mass of empty, clean can (grams) 30 28 32 24 28
Mcms= Mass of can and mosit soil
143 136 142 134 138
(grams)
Mcds= Mass of can and dry soil (grams) 121 113 116 107 110
Ms= mass of soil solids (grams) 91 85 84 83 82
Mw= mass of pore water (grams) 22 23 26 27 28
W = water content, w% 22.18 27.06 30.95 32.53 34.15

Sample Computation
Trial no. 1:
 Mass of soil solids, Ms

M s  M CDS  M C  121  30  91g

 Mass of pore water, Mw

M W  M CMS  M CDS  143  121  22 g

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 Water content, w

Mw 22
w x100%  x100%  24.18%
Ms 91

TRIAL 1 TRIAL 2 TRIAL 3 TRIAL 4 TRIAL 5

W = Actual average water content, w% 24.18 27.06 30.95 32.53 34.15
Mass of compacted soil and mold (grams) 5935 5961 5929 5941 5907
Mass of mold (grams) 4232 4232 4232 4232 4232
Wet mass of soil in mold 1703 1729 1697 1709 1675
Volume of mold 944.502741 944.502741 944.5027 944.5027 944.5027
Wet density, p, (g/cm^3) 1.8031 1.8306 1.7967 1.8094 1.7734
Dry density, pd, (g/cm^3) 0.8053 0.787 0.7636 0.7545 0.7455

 Wet density

Mt 1703 g
  3
 1.8031 cmg3
V 944.502741cm

 Dry density, pd

w 1 cmg3
d    0.8053 cmg3
1 w 1  0.2418

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DISCUSSION
1. What is soil compaction?

Soil compaction is a method in which the density of the soil is being increased through
compressing of soil into smaller particles which reduces the air voids or size of the pore spaces.

2. What are the characteristics of the soil which can affect the compaction? Discuss each.

The characteristics of the soil that affects the compaction is its type, compactive effort,
thickness or thickness of layer and moisture content. The type of soil affect the compaction
because the higher the resistance the soil is amenable for compaction or vice versa. The
compactive effort or energy is the force that comes from the equipment that is used for
compacting. Layer thickness of the soil is also affects the compaction because the thicker the soil
is the less compacted it will be or vice versa. Proper control of moisture is important for
achieving desired density.

3. Explain the principle why the soil can be compacted.

The dry density increases with increase in the water content until maximum dry density
(MDD) is reached. At this stage, the soil particles come to the closest possible state of contact.

4. What is the importance of determining the optimum water content? Explain briefly.

When placing soils as fill materials, it is important to achieve suitable compaction,

primarily in order to reduce the susceptibility of a soil to settlement.

CONCLUSION
The optimum moisture contents and maximum dry unit weights are primary values that is
determined in a compaction test, whereas the type of the soil used is also one of the primary factors that
affects it. Using the rammer dropped from a distance of ,18 in, it results to a compactive effort. This
procedure is repeated until the relationship between the dry unit weight and the water content is
established and based on data gathered from the experiment, the optimum moisture contents and dry unit
weights are inversely proportional to each other, because if the higher dry unit weights are associated
with soils that has low optimum moisture it responds to a poor compaction.

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