Variability in index and compaction properties of a lateritic gravel deposit for subbase construction

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4. Variability in index and compaction properties of a lateritic gravel deposit for subbase construction

Even though naturally occurring road construction material abound in the tropics, only certain specific conditions of climate, topography and geomorphology combine to create weathering profiles that yield natural material suitable for the construction of the upper layers of road pavements. Practitioners in the tropics therefore have developed procedures to explore the landscape for suitable road construction material. In these methods the suitability of the deposit is assessed based on the index and compaction properties as well as the CBR. However, these methods for exploration of potential gravel deposits are time consuming, tedious and expensive.  A good understanding of the variability of the material properties in the deposit is required in order to be able to optimize the gravel exploration effort. A potential gravel deposit was identified and six samples were recovered for laboratory.  Subsequently, a bull dozer was used to stockpile the material and bulk samples were also recovered for testing. The variability in the properties of the material from the trial pits is analyzed in terms of the mean, standard deviation and coefficient of variation and compared with the bulk samples. The possibility of reduction in the number of exploration holes is discussed

18th African Regional Conference on Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering (ARCSMGE2024)

Soil characterization