ABSTRACT
Soil compaction is a critical consideration in earthworks in arid areas because of a lack of water sources, low precipitation, and high evaporation rates. Water transportation is expensive and has a negative impact on the project’s cost. The soil compaction with its natural moisture content is the alternative solution to achieve the earthworks projects in these areas. The present paper studies the feasibility of soil compaction at low water content using dune sand located in the Oued-Souf region of Algeria. A series of laboratory tests were conducted, including grain size distribution, standard and modified Proctor compaction tests, and California bearing ratio (CBR) tests. The used soil compacted at its natural moisture content, which is about 2%, with a progressive energy level in the first phases. The results show that increasing the energy level does not enhance the density or the California Bearing Ratio values. In the second phase of this paper, the grain size was corrected by the progressive addition of marble powder to the dune sand. The results of California bearing ratio (CBR) tests and density are significantly improved.
