A proposed correlation between dynamic and static plate load test moduli for gravelly soils

Abstract

ABSTRACT Egypt is currently developing huge housing projects at the New Capital, Alamein, and other Egyptian cities. These projects often require soil replacement for roads and buildings. Among the causes of problems observed in some housing projects in the last decade are improper type of soil replacement material and inadequate compaction. Pit-run gravelly soils are commonly recommended for soil replacement because they have the advantages of providing high stiffness, low permeability inherited from their fines’ content and wide availability in Egypt. It is common to use sand cone test and/or static plate load test (SPLT) to assess the quality of compaction. The sand cone test is simple, cheap and rapid; however, it is not reliable with gravel sizes usually found in pit-run gravel, which may exceed 38 mm. Although the SPLT is efficient to assess the quality of compaction and the deformation modulus, it is relatively expensive and time-consuming. The dynamic plate load test is a reliable solution to combine the advantages of both the sand cone test and SPLT. This research includes a detailed laboratory characterization of pit-run gravel collected from Suez deserts and a field testing program including static and dynamic plate load tests on pit-run gravelly soil carried out at several sites in the new capital of Egypt to obtain static and dynamic plate load tests moduli. A statistical approach based on percent of exceedance criterion is adopted to obtain a simple correlation between the static and dynamic plate load test deformation moduli.