IN-SITU DETERMINATION OF THE PRECOMPACTION STRESS OF A SOIL

Pre-compaction stress can provide an insight into the pre-existing state of a soil. By limiting load to below that which determined the pre-compaction stress, the risk of further damage to the soil, through additional compaction, can be minimized. Precompaction stress can readily be determined using a technique proposed in this paper. Loading and reloading stress-strain curves, obtained from plate sinkage tests, were used to develop this procedure. Trials were conducted initially in a soil bin, on a sandy loam at a range of bulk densities and water contents. Field testing of the technique was carried out on a sandy loam and clay soil. The technique proved capable of predicting the precompaction stress of field soil with good accuracy.