IN-SITU SOIL STRENGTH FOR ROAD PAVEMENT EVALUATION USING DYNAMIC CONE PENETROMETER (DCP)

Abstract

In road evaluation it is essential to determine the in-situ soil strength and compaction level under field conditions for different soils strata. The Dynamic Cone Penetrometer (DCP) is a popular in-situ test method commonly used to estimate soil strength. It gives immediate results of indirect CBR values promptly at various locations in the field. The main objectives of the study is to analyze the DCP test data and then to predict in-situ soil strength in terms of either CBR value or Mechanistic Resilient Modulus(MR) for the purpose of road pavement structural design, and also to apply the DCP to soil strength characteristics for road pavement. The data analysis in this study was carried out by using Microsoft Excel for DCP computation and Computer software (UKDCP version 3.1) for soil layers strength analysis. The study results indicated that the DCP can be applied to predict in-situ soil strength, preliminary site soil investigation, pavement guide design, structural evaluation of existing pavements and compaction control. The research recommends assessment of DCP to soil strength characteristics.