Characterization of Resilient Modulus of Coarse-Grained Materials Using the Intrusion Technology

Abstract

The objective of this study was to investigate the applicability of the cone penetration test to determine the resilient modulus of coarse-grained materials. Field and laboratory investigations were conducted at the sites of two pavement projects in Louisiana. Field tests consisted of continuous intrusion miniature cone penetration tests and soil sampling. Laboratory tests included the repeated load triaxial test and other tests for materials characterization. The test results were used to develop a correlation for predicting the resilient modulus of coarse-grained materials using the cone penetration test parameters and basic soil properties. Another laboratory investigation was conducted to investigate the effect of moisture content and unit weight on the cone penetration test parameters and resilient modulus. Test results were used to validate the model developed for predicting the resilient modulus. The resilient modulus values predicted were consistent with those obtained using the repeated load triaxial test.