ABSTRACT
Engineering problems associated with unsaturated soils, whether they are due to natural drying or the compaction process, extend over an enormous range. Typical problems associated with these soils are excessive settlement (or heave) and loss of shear strength during saturation. Reported in this paper is the influence of the compaction procedure on the undrained shear strength of compacted fills. A wide range of samples was prepared using different moisture content, type of compaction and compactive effort. Initial suction caused by the compaction procedure was measured using the pressure plate apparatus. On completion of the suction measurements the undrained shear strength of each sample was determined by shearing to failure. The results indicated that the type and the amount of compaction has a very marginal influence on the initial suction. In contrast the compaction moisture content has a significant influence on the initial suction. The data also indicated a possible relationship between the compaction moisture content and undrained shear strength.
