Embankment Quality, Phase 4: Application to Unsuitable Soils (TR-492)

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Researcher(s)

Principal investigator: David White, 515-294-1463, djwhite@iastate.edu (project list)

Co-principal investigators:

• Charles Jahren, 515-294-3829, cjahren@iastate.edu (project list)

Other authors: David J. White, Brett W. Larsen, Charles Jahren, Joels Malama

Student researchers:

• Joels Malama
• Brett Larsen

Project status

Completed

Start date: 05/15/03
End date: 10/31/07

Publications

Report: October 2007, Final Report: Embankment Quality, Phase 4: Application to Unsuitable Soils (TR-492) 6.5 mb (*pdf)

Related publications:

• TRB 2008 Paper: Evaluation of dynamic cone penetration quality for cohesive soil embankment construction: pilot project for new specification for quality control and quality assurance (off site), October 2011
• MCT 2007 Paper: Embankment construction QC/QA using DCP and moisture control: Iowa case history for unsuitable soils (off site), October 2011

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Sponsor(s)/partner(s)

Sponsor(s):Iowa Highway Research Board

About the research

Abstract:

The Quality Management Earthwork (QM-E) special provision was implemented on a pilot project to evaluate quality control (QC) and quality assurance (QA) testing in predominately unsuitable soils. Control limits implemented on this pilot project included the following: 95% relative compaction, moisture content not exceeding +/- 2% of optimum moisture content, soil strength not exceeding a dynamic cone penetrometer (DCP) index of 70 mm/blow, vertical uniformity not exceeding a variation in DCP index of 40 mm/blow, and lift thickness not exceeding depth determined through construction of control strips. Four-point moving averages were used to allow for some variability in the measured parameter values. Management of the QC/QA data proved to be one of the most challenging aspects of the pilot project. Implementing use of the G-RAD data collection system has considerable potential to reduce the time required to develop and maintain QC/QA records for projects using the QM-E special provision. In many cases, results of a single Proctor test were used to establish control limits that were used for several months without retesting. While the data collected for the pilot project indicated that the DCP index control limits could be set more tightly, there is not enough evidence to support making a change. In situ borings, sampling, and testing in natural unsuitable cut material and compacted fill material revealed that the compacted fill had similar strength characteristics to that of the natural cut material after less than three months from the start of construction.