Continuous compaction control (CCC) offers a promising alternative to conventional spot tests for earthwork quality assurance. However, establishing reliable correlations between intelligent compaction measurement values (ICMVs) and traditional stiffness metrics, such as the deformation modulus ( E v 2 ) from static plate load tests (PLT), remains a challenge. This study investigated the influence of PLT plate size and vibratory roller type on these correlations through a series of full-scale compaction tests conducted on a granular soil bed. Two plate diameters (300 and 600 mm) and two rollers with different static linear loads (36 and 65 kg/cm) were employed. Sixteen ICMVs spanning acceleration-, mechanics-, and energy-based categories were computed and correlated with E v 2 . The results showed that the 600-mm plate, despite producing lower E v 2 values, consistently yielded stronger correlations with the representative ICMVs. The lighter roller produced stronger correlations than the heavier roller, likely due to reduced contact loss and better alignment of measurement depths. Mechanics-based ICMVs performed best, with the vibration modulus ( E vib ) during the loading phase showing the strongest correlation ( R up to 0.8). These findings confirm that E vib is a suitable indicator for compaction quality control, suggest that the larger plate is preferable for calibration purposes, and underscore the need for machine-specific calibration.
Hua et al. (Fri,) studied this question.