Comparative Evaluation of Compacting Process for Base Materials using Lab Compaction Methods

Abstract

Precise characterization of the compactability of aggregates and soils in the laboratory has always been a challenge to pavement technologists. The present study investigated compactability of aggregates and soils through the comparison of three laboratory compaction methods, the Superpave Gyratory Compactor, the Marshall impacting hammer, and a vibratory compacting machine. Accelerometers were attached to the Marshall impacting hammer and a laboratory scale vibratory compactor to capture the dynamic response of soils and aggregates during compaction. The results from this comparative experiment indicated that there was a consistent relationship between the stiffness of soils and aggregates and the dynamic responses from impaction and vibration, which can be used to better characterize the compactability of different paving materials through laboratory testing.