Methods of Evaluating the Expansion Potential of Compacted Soils with Significant Fractions of Large Aggregate

A laboratory investigation of the expansion potential of compacted soils with large-sized aggregate has been conducted. Methods developed for determining expansion potential include (1) laboratory expansion testing of representative specimens containing particles as large as practical and (2) prediction of expansion potential for soils with large-sized aggregate from the results of laboratory expansion tests on minus #4 material. It has been shown that incorporation of up to ¾-in (1.9-cm) material is practical for laboratory expansion tests, with only minor modifications to commonly used swell test equipment.