Estimation Earth Pressures due to Compaction

Abstract

When soil is compacted in layers by rollers, vibrating plates, or rammers, the horizontal earth pressures within the compacted soil mass are increased. Charts are presented that can be used to estimate compaction‐induced earth pressures quickly and reliably. These charts are developed using the hysteretic theory developed by Duncan and Seed, with a computer program called EPCOMP2. The charts offer the advantages of being easy to use, and providing very rapid results, while retaining most of the accuracy of the detailed computer analyses. Because earth pressures can be estimated quickly, it is easy to evaluate the effects of changes in the factors that influence the magnitudes of the compaction‐induced earth pressures. Comparisons of earth pressures calculated using these charts with the results of computer analyses indicate that the values calculated using the charts are sufficiently accurate for practical purposes. Field measurements of compaction‐induced earth pressures indicate that the horizontal earth pressures induced by compaction of sand do not change appreciably with time unless the wall on which they act moves toward or away from the backfill. In clay backfills, the high horizontal pressures induced by compaction tend to decrease over time to normal at‐rest values.