Static and dynamic plate loading tests of stabilized soil samples used for riverbank consolidation

Abstract

Building of an experimental slope protection system on Căpuş river, near Cluj presented the opportunity of in situ testing of stabilized soils. Different hydraulic binder was used on each side of the river, so this testing series provided valuable data about deformability properties of the encountered soil types. There are some deformability parameters used in Romania which were “imported” at the specific request of foreign investors. The strain modulus, Ev, is a parameter expressing the deformation characteristics of a soil and is calculated taking values from the load-settlement curve obtained from the first and second loading cycle, on a static plate load test. In earthworks, the dynamic plate load test using the Light Falling Weight Deflectometer may be used for testing load-bearing capacity as an alternative to the static plate load test which provides the strain modulus, Ev parameter. Dynamic modulus of deformation Evd is a parameter for the deformability of soil under a defined, vertical impact load with the impact duration. Its value is being calculated with the maximum settlement of the load plate. None of these methods made way into official Romanian standardisation, the Evd is subject of a technical agreement, which also contains the correlation of it with Ev. Conducting both static and dynamic loading tests enabled the verification of validity of relation between strain modulus and dynamic modulus.