Maximum dry density of sand–kaolin mixtures predicted by using fine content and specific gravity

Abstract

Numerous studies have covered the comparison of maximum dry density (MDD) toward the combination of soil properties and compaction parameters. These combinations are dominated by Atterberg limits, moisture content, and compaction effort. Nevertheless, minimal efforts have been expended in predicting the MDD using two simple soil properties, i.e., fine content (FC) and specific gravity (Gs). Sand–kaolin mixtures were compacted and then used to examine the correlation between MDD, FC, and Gs through different moisture content, and FC ranged from 20 to 70%. The results showed the importance of considering both Gs and FC in the correlation estimation in order to reduce the uncertainty of using only FC as a single parameter. A linear relationship was obtained with an excellent correlation coefficient (R2 = 0.99) between MDD and the ratio of FC/Gs2. The empirical correlation equation was justified using data from 163 measured MDD obtained from previous studies. All predicted MDD were within the confidence interval of ± 10, which confirmed a low error range of the predicted MDD. The application of the equation was limited to FC and FC/Gs less than 77% and 0.302, respectively. It should, however, be noted that the presence of a high amount of gravel in the soil mixture will not be applicable for this correlation.