HB 160-2006 Soils Testing

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HB 160—2006

Soils testing

HB



HB 160—2006

Handbook

Soils testing

First published as HB 160—2006.

COPYRIGHT

© Standards Australia

All rights are reserved. No part o f this work may be reproduced or cop ied in any form or by

any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, without the written

permission of the publisher.

Published by Standards Australia, GPO Box 476, Sydney, NSW 2001, Australia

ISBN 0 7337 7494 6



HB 160—2006 ii

PREFACE

GENERAL

Since the early 20th century, the testing of soils for engineering purposes has played a veryimportant role in the construction of the infrastructure of Australia.

Standards Australia issued the first Methods of testing soils for engineering purposes in

1966 as the AS A89 series. These methods were revised in 1977 to take into account

metrication and presented as the AS 1289 A-F series. In the 1990s, the methods were

revised to take into account major changes in the soils testing industry and the series was

reissued as the AS 1289 series. Since that time, continual revision of the test methods has

taken place as technology and the construction industries have changed.

The Standards Australia committee responsible for the Methods of Testing Soils for

Engineering Purposes (CE-009) decided in 1999 that a handbook was required to—

• assist in the education of undergraduate engineers in the use and application of the

tests;• assist geotechnicians seeking qualifications as soil testers; and

• provide background material and useful tips to practicing geotechnicians in over 400

Australian laborator ies that perform the test.

Subsequently, Standards Australia appointed a subcommittee of soils practitioners involved

in both geotechnical engineering design, contract management, engineering education and

soils testing to compile the information presented in this Handbook. It is not comprehensive

in that all methods are not fully covered due to limited time and resources; however, the

subcommittee recommended that it be published in its present form to achieve the initial

objectives. It was also considered that, since a limited number of practitioners and experts

had been involved in its preparation, there would be a need for the document to be

discussed, debated and revised in a few years.

This Handbook is intended to be of assistance to users of the 1289 series of tests, Methods

of testing soils for engineering purposes. Users are encouraged to participate in any future

revisions by offering constructive suggestions and criticism.

The terms used in this document are defined in AS 1289.0, Methods of testing soils for

engineering purposes, Part 0: General requirements and list of methods.

THE NEED FOR TESTING

Soils testing is called for in the following documents:

• AS ISO/IEC 17025—General requirements for the competence of testing and

calibration laboratories

• AS 1726—Geotechnical investigations

AS 1726 provides a guide to the samples and tests that are required for a

geotechnical engineer to be able to provide adequate information about the soils at a

proposed construction site. The nature and location of the sampling will depend on

what engineering information is required.

• AS 2159—Piling—Design and installation

• AS 2870—Residential slabs and footings—Construction

• AS 2870 Supplement 1—Residential slabs and footings—Construction—Commentary

•

HB 28—

The design of residential slabs and footings—(Standards Australia) • AS 3798—Guidelines on earthworks for commercial and residential developments

AS 3798 provides a guide to engineers as to what invest igations are to be carried out

(Chapter 2) and the type of materials that are required (Chapter 4).



iii HB 160—2006

• AS 5100—Bridge design (all parts)

• Austroads (2004)—Pavement rehabilitation— A Guide to the design of rehabil itation

treatments for road pavements AP-G78/04

• Austroads (1998(a))—Guide to stabilisation in roadworks, Austroads, Sydney, 1998

• Austroads (2004)—Pavement design— A Guide to the structural design of road pavements, AP-G17/04

• Austroads (2004)— Austroads pavement rehabili tat ion— A Guide to the design of

rehabilitation treatments for road pavements, AP-G78/04

• Austroads (2002)—Mix design for pavement materials stabilised in situ (flow charts)

AP-T16/02

• ISO 17011 (2004)—Conformity assessment —General requirements for accreditation

bodies accrediting conformity assessment bodies

The following situations should also be noted:

Local water and sewage authorities’ specifications will call for certain properties of soils that

wil l require testing to AS 1289.

Specifications for civil engineering works will typically contain requirements that certain

tests be performed to provide a measure of assurance that the construction materials and

processes meet the design requirements. The geotechnician will need to ascertain what

tests are to be performed, other specification requirements and the frequency of sampling

and testing prior to commencement of sampling.

Specifiers, designers, specification writers and geotechnicians will also need to be aware of

a number of tests that are covered in AS 1141, Methods for sampling and testing of

aggregates as this Standard may be called up in certain job specifications (see AS 1141.0,

List of methods).



HB 160—2006 iv

CONTENTS

Page

SECTION 1 SOIL SAMPLING AND PREPARATION

1.1 GENERAL.................................................................................................................... 1

1.2 TYPES OF SAMPLES ................................................................................................. 1

1.3 SAMPLING TECHNIQUES .......................................................................................... 2

1.4 FIELD TESTS PERFORMED WHILST SAMPLING ..................................................... 3

1.5 IDENTIFICATION AND EXAMINATION OF SAMPLES ............................................... 4

1.6 SELECTION OF SITES ............................................................................................... 5

1.7 SIZE OF SAMPLES ..................................................................................................... 6

1.8 PREPARATION OF DISTURBED SAMPLES (AS 1289.1.1) ....................................... 7

1.9 STABILISATION ........................................................................................................ 15

SECTION 2 SOIL MOISTURE CONTENT

2.1 GENERAL.................................................................................................................. 16

2.2 MOISTURE CONTENT TESTS (AS 1289.2.1.1 to AS 1289.2.1.6) ............................ 16

2.3 CORRELATION OF TEST RESULTS (AS 1289.2.3.1) .............................................. 17

2.4 TOTAL SOIL SUCTION (AS 1289.2.2.1) ................................................................... 17

SECTION 3 SOIL CLASSIFICATION TESTS

3.1 GENERAL.................................................................................................................. 20

3.2 THE ATTERBERG LIMITS ........................................................................................ 23

3.3 LIQUID LIMIT............................................................................................................. 24

3.4 PLASTIC LIMIT (AS 1289.3.2.1)................................................................................ 29

3.5 PLASTICITY INDEX (AS 1289.3.3.1)......................................................................... 30

3.6 LINEAR SHRINKAGE (AS 1289.3.4.1) ...................................................................... 31

3.7 SOIL PARTICLE DENSITY (AS 1289.3.5.1 and AS 1289.3.5.2)................................ 323.8 PARTICLE SIZE DISTRIBUTION .............................................................................. 33

3.9 SAND EQUIVALENT OF A SOIL (AS 1289.3.7.1) ..................................................... 40

3.10 DISPERSION............................................................................................................. 41

SECTION 4 SOIL CHEMICAL TESTS

4.1 GENERAL.................................................................................................................. 43

4.2 ORGANIC MATTER CONTENT OF A SOIL (AS 1289.4.1.1) .................................... 44

4.3 SULFATE CONTENT OF A NATURAL SOIL AND GROUNDWATER

(AS 1289.4.2.1).......................................................................................................... 45

4.4 ALKALINITY OF A SOIL ............................................................................................ 46

4.5 SOIL RESISTIVITY.................................................................................................... 49

SECTION 5 SOIL COMPACTION AND DENSITY TESTS

5.1 GENERAL.................................................................................................................. 51

5.2 DEVELOPMENT OF LABORATORY COMPACTION TEST PROCEDURES ............ 52

5.3 BACKGROUND THEORY.......................................................................................... 52

5.4 LABORATORY COMPACTION TESTS ..................................................................... 54

5.5 FIELD DENSITY TESTS............................................................................................ 58

5.6 COMPACTION CONTROL ........................................................................................ 60

SECTION 6 SOIL STRENGTH AND CONSOLIDATION TESTS

6.1 CALIFORNIA BEARING RATIO (CBR) TESTS ......................................................... 66

6.2 VANE SHEAR TESTING (AS 1289.6.2.1).................................................................. 69

6.3 STANDARD PENETRATION TEST (AS 1289.6.3.1) ................................................. 72

6.4 DYNAMIC CONE PENETROMETER (DCP) AND PERTH SAND

PENETROMETER (PSP) (AS 1289.6.3.2 and AS 1289.6.3.3) .................................. 75

6.5 TRIAXIAL TEST......................................................................................................... 82

6.6 ONE-DIMENSIONAL CONSOLIDATION TEST (AS 1289.6.6.1) ............................... 90



v HB 160—2006

Page

6.7 RESILIENT MODULUS.............................................................................................. 98

6.8 CLEGG IMPACT VALUE ........................................................................................... 99

SECTION 7 SOIL REACTIVITY TESTS

7.1 GENERAL................................................................................................................ 1037.2 METHOD 7.1.1—SHRINK SWELL........................................................................... 103

7.3 METHODS 7.1.2 AND 7.1.3—CORE SHRINKAGE INDEX ..................................... 104

APPENDICES

A APPROXIMATE TIME REQUIREMENTS FOR TESTS ........................................... 107

B BIBLIOGRAPHY ...................................................................................................... 109



HB 160—2006 vi

NOTES



1 HB 160—2006

www.standards.com.au Standards Australia

STANDARDS AUSTRALIA

Australian Handbook

Soils testing

S E C T I O N 1 S O I L S A M P L I N G A N D

P R E P A R A T I O N

1.1 GENERAL

Sampling is one of the most critical aspects of testing of soils and should be carried out by,

or under the supervision of, persons who are experienced in the actual sampling techniques

and have a considerable knowledge of soils and the applications for which the testing is

required. When preparing site condition information, the services of an experiencedengineering geologist or geotechnical engineer will be required. In other cases, where

routine sampling of construction works are involved, experienced geotechnicians will be

able to perform and supervise sampling.

Sampling must be carried out with the utmost care and integrity; otherwise the test results

may misrepresent the characteristics of the material.

Sampling operations should be conducted by means that ensure that the samples obtained

represent, as far as possible, the true nature and condition of the soil from which they were

drawn. The procedures described in Methods 1.2.1 and 1.3.1 are designed to ensure this.

If the circumstances of any specific operation are such that the procedures described are

not followed, full details of the procedure adopted should be included in the sampling

records and the test report.

The reason for sampling should always be borne in mind. The location and number of

samples and whether they should be combined or kept separate depends not only on the

quantity of material supplied or available but whether the testing is intended as an

assessment of the material overall or its variation.

1.2 TYPES OF SAMPLES

1.2.1 Disturbed samples (AS 1289.1.2.1)

Disturbed samples are used for moisture content, classification, density and those strength

tests for which a disturbed sample is permitted.

Sampling of disturbed samples is covered by Method 1.2.1. For sampling from stockpilesand windrows, AS 1141.3.1 is c ited. The latter provides a number of photographs of

sampling techniques, which are of considerable help to the sampler.

Other methods within the AS 1289 series of tests are also c ited, e.g., Method 5.4.1 for

sampling from pavements and Method 6.3.1 for sampling using an SPT sampler.

1.2.2 Undisturbed samples (AS 1289.1.3.1)

Undisturbed samples are generally required for strength, consolidation and reactivity tests,

including:

Method 2.2.1—Soil moisture content tests—Determination of the total suction of a

soil—Standard method

Method 6.1.2—

Soil strength and consolidation tests—

Determination of the CaliforniaBearing Ratio of a soil—Standard laboratory method for an undisturbed specimen

Method 6.2.2—Soil strength and consolidation tests—Determination of the shear

strength of a soil—Direct shear test using a shear box



HB 160—2006 2

Standards Australia www.standards.com.au

Method 6.4.1—Soil strength and consolidation tests—Determination of the

compressive strength of a soil—Compressive strength of a saturated specimen tested

in undrained triaxial compression without measurement of pore water pressure


compressive strength of a soil—Compressive strength of a saturated specimen tested

in undrained triaxial compression with measurement of pore water pressure

Method 6.6.1—Soil strength and consolidation tests—Determination of the one-

dimensional consolidation properties of a soil—Standard method


permeability of a soil—Constant head method

Method 7.1.1—Soil reactivity tests—Determination of the shrinkage index of a soil—

Shrink-swell index


Loaded shrinkage index


Core shrinkage index

Sampling of disturbed samples is covered by Method 1.3.1.

1.3 SAMPLING TECHNIQUES

1.3.1 Disturbed samples

Disturbed samples are usually obtained incidental to the drilling and excavation operation

(when sampling for design considerations) and consequently the structure of the natural soil

is destroyed. This is no disadvantage for general identification and those tests (e.g., particle

size distribution or compaction) in which the soil will be broken up in any case. However, to

provide any reliable information the disturbed sample must have the same composition as

the soil and come from a specific known location and depth; if mixed, this must bedeliberate and systematic.

1.3.2 Undisturbed samples

No soil sample can be completely undisturbed. An attempt should always be made to

assess what disturbance has occurred during the sampling operation and in transit to the

laboratory, and what effect this disturbance will have on results of particular laboratory

tests. In general, those tests in which the sample suffers gross distortion (e.g.,

determination of peak strength) are less sensitive to disturbance than those tests where

little distortion is caused (e.g., pre-consolidation pressure or permeability).

Disturbance during the sampling operations is not limited to gross physical distortion of the

sample. The almost inevitable release of in situ stress at some stage is a form of

disturbance that will affect the stress/strain properties to some extent, particularly withnatural unsaturated soils where irreversible changes may take place.

Not only must great care be taken in the actual sampling operation, but particular emphasis

should also be placed on the careful handling of the sample on site, during transport and in

the laboratory.

Undisturbed samples may be classified according to the degree of care taken to minimise

disturbance as follows:

(a) Simple class (representative samples). Whilst the samples must not be seriously

disturbed, primary consideration is given to the use of simple apparatus and to

avoiding delay in boring to keep costs as low as possible. Sampling at this level

would employ robust open-drive samplers, driving under impact of a sliding hammer.



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HB 160-2006 Soils Testing