The compaction characteristics of soil are fundamental to the stability and performance of a wide range of geotechnical engineering applications. Compaction, a mechanical process involving the application of energy to increase soil density, fulfills multiple essential purposes: minimizing structural settlement under load, reducing soil permeability to mitigate liquefaction risks, and enhancing shear strength. It is particularly vital in hydraulic structures such as dams, where water retention is essential. However, conducting standard laboratory compaction tests, such as the Proctor test, is often expensive and time-consuming. In contrast, the determination of Atterberg limits, namely Liquid Limit (LL), Plastic Limit (PL), and Plasticity Index (PI) is relatively quick, simple, and cost-effective. Establishing correlations between these Atterberg limits and compaction characteristics, particularly Optimum Moisture Content (OMC), may offer a practical alternative for predicting compaction behavior. This study investigates such correlations using five types of fine-grained clay soils collected from various locations within the Rajshahi Division of Bangladesh. Through regression analysis, four predictive relationships between OMC and the Atterberg limits are proposed, highlighting the potential to estimate OMC without relying solely on traditional compaction tests.
Khanom et al. (Fri,) studied this question.