Soil Compaction Testing Equipment: An Overview
High-quality soil compaction testing equipment is necessary to analyze soil samples. Moulds and rammers determine the connection between the density and moisture content of compacted soil.
Soil compaction is a process where the substance sustains mechanical stress while becoming dense. The material consists of air or water-filled voids and solid particles that redistribute within the mass, increasing the void volume to create a denser sample.
Achieving compliance
The Australian standards for compaction testing are AS 1289.5.1.1 and AS 1289.5.1.2. and it’s important to make sure that the equipment complies with the aforementioned standards. This includes standard and modified handheld manual rammers or hammers and compaction moulds, which can also be used to compact samples for California Bearing Ratio testing.
Some of the best compactors in the market are automatic and allow lab technicians to focus on other things while minimising the risk of errors. Automatic soil compactors are innovative types of soil compaction testing equipment that eliminate the need for manual impacts. They have a robust chain drive machine that can function for hours. Make sure the equipment meets local testing standards.
About compaction moulds and hammers
Top manufacturers use plated steel to make soil compaction moulds. They supply their products with a base plate, mould body, and collar. The same material is used for rammers, which compact soil samples in the compaction mould. You’ll find them in different models to meet specific standards.
It’s crucial to work with a manufacturer that can provide quality soil compaction testing equipment that meets Australian Standards. In Australia, we apply 596kJ/m3 of standard compaction effort. Achieving this requires dropping a 2.7kg hammer from 300mm 75 times for a 105mm mould. If you’re using a 152mm mould, drop the hammer 180 times.
The standard also recommends the volumes, heights, and tolerances for the sector radius, moulds, diameter, and segment arc for the hammer or rammer.
About automatic soil compactors
Automatic soil compaction testing equipment ensures more accuracy and precision in conforming with international and local standards. It drops the hammer from the required height into the soil within the mould, which rotates to allow the blows to be distributed equally over the surface. You can adjust the drop height and the number of hits per layer.
About the Author:
PCTE supplies a range of equipment from around the world to offer you a one-stop shop with all the latest equipment. Concrete Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) comprises testing a property of concrete, largely without damaging the concrete, to assess some parameter that either directly or indirectly provides a required characteristic of the concrete or its embedment. For more details, you can contact us on the website.
