HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Figures Only Full Text Free Full Text (PDF) Free Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in Web of Science Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Web of Science (2) Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Díaz-Zorita, M. Articles by Perfect, E. Search for Related Content PubMed Articles by Díaz-Zorita, M. Articles by Perfect, E. GeoRef GeoRef Citation Agricola Articles by Díaz-Zorita, M. Articles by Perfect, E.

DIVISION S-1 - SOIL PHYSICS

Laboratory Compaction of Soils using a Small Mold Procedure

^a EEA INTA General Villegas, CC 153 (B6230 ZBA), General Villegas, Buenos Aires, Argentina
^b Dep. of Agronomy, Univ. of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40546-0091
^c Dep. of Geological Sciences, Univ. of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996-1410

* Corresponding author (zorita{at}inta.gov.ar)

The compactability of a soil can be determined from parameters derived from laboratory compaction curves generated using the Proctor test. However, this is a destructive, time-consuming, and labor-expensive procedure. Our objective was to evaluate a new more rapid test to determine the maximum dry bulk density (^Max_b) and soil water content at ^Max_b (SWC_Max) from laboratory compaction curves using a mold with smaller dimensions than established for the standard procedure. Laboratory compaction curves were developed for nine soils with clay contents ranging from 232 to 385 g kg^-1 using the standard Proctor test procedure and the proposed procedure, which uses a 54-mm diam. mold and a 24.4 N rammer dropped from a height of 305 mm to produce a compactive effort (CE) of 109 kJ m^-3 drop^-1. At a CE of 545 kJ m^-3, which is similar to the 540 kJ m^-3 produced by the standard test, the ^Max_b and SWC_Max parameters derived from the proposed procedure were positively and significantly correlated with those derived from the standard Proctor test. With both procedures, ^Max_b decreased and SWC_Max increased as the soil clay content increased. The small mold method did not affect the linear relationship between soil clay content and ^Max_b. However, different relationships between SWC_Max and clay content were observed, depending on the compaction procedure. Use of the small mold procedure requires less dry sieved soil, saves time, and labor in evaluating soil compactability. Based only on the reduction in rammer drops, use of the small mold procedure involves 15 times less labor requirements than the standard Proctor test.

Abbreviations: CE, compactive effort • SWC, gravimetric soil water content • SWC_Max, gravimetric soil water content at maximum dry bulk density • TOC, total organic C • _b dry bulk density • ^Max_b, maximum dry bulk density

This article has been cited by other articles:

				J. Hyatt, O. Wendroth, D. B. Egli, and D. M. TeKrony Soil Compaction and Soybean Seedling Emergence Crop Sci., November 7, 2007; 47(6): 2495 - 2503. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				M. Diaz-Zorita, J. H. Grove, and E. Perfect Soil Fragment Size Distribution and Compactive Effort Effects on Maize Root Seedling Elongation in Moist Soil Crop Sci., May 27, 2005; 45(4): 1417 - 1426. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]