ASTM International articles

A method for remolding a granular soil material by a sedimentation process is proposed. The process may produce a soil structure which approximates that produced in a natural alluvium environment.

The compressibility of a typical horticultural peat has been studied in the laboratory. Compressibility is an important factor in the processing of this material since volume governs the cost of shipping. The final reconstituted volume and the appearance of the peat after shipping must also be taken into account for marketing. Compression tests have been carried out on a horticultural peat from Newfoundland. Simple equations relating initial water content, relative volume change, and vertical ap

An assessment is made of the accuracy of the Selig density scoop for determining the unit weight of dry cohesionless soils. Seven different soils were used in the study. The results show grain size and density dependence. Recommendations are made for appropriate field use.

When various aggregates are to be combined in order to obtain a mix having a desired grain-size distribution, current methods are based on a trial-and-error approach. It is shown in this paper that the process of combining various soils or aggregates may be a simple, rapid, and efficient procedure that eliminates the need for trial and error. The paper presents the formulation of the combination process as a problem of optimization and describes the steps of the proposed procedure. The solutions

In the northern United States and in Canada, expensive earthmoving equipment usually stands idle during winter months. Considerable overall economies would result if soil could be excavated, transported, and recompacted while frozen. If engineers are to accept winter operations with frozen soil, the soil after thawing should have a strength that approaches that of the same soil worked while unfrozen. This paper examines the strength of soil that is compacted while frozen and then thawed before s