JRMGE / Vol 16 / Issue 11
Micro-destructive assessment of subgrade compaction quality using ultrasonic pulse velocity
Xuefei Wang, Xuping Dong, Xiangdong Li, Jianmin Zhang, Guowei Ma, Jiale Li
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a School of Civil and Transportation Engineering, Hebei University of Technology, Tianjin, China
b Department of Hydraulic Engineering, State Key Laboratory of Hydroscience and Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
2024, 16(11): 4782-4797. doi:10.1016/j.jrmge.2023.12.032
Received: 2023-08-05 / Revised: 2023-12-20 / Accepted: 2023-12-31 / Available online: 2024-04-29
2024, 16(11): 4782-4797.
doi:10.1016/j.jrmge.2023.12.032
Received: 2023-08-05
Revised: 2023-12-20
Accepted: 2023-12-31
Available online: 2024-04-29
The ultrasonic pulse velocity (UPV) correlates significantly with the density and pore size of subgrade filling materials. This research conducts numerous Proctor and UPV tests to examine how moisture and rock content affect compaction quality. The study measures the changes in UPV across dry density and compaction characteristics. The compacted specimens exhibit distinct microstructures and mechanical properties along the dry and wet sides of the compaction curve, primarily influenced by internal water molecules. The maximum dry density exhibits a positive correlation with the rock content, while the optimal moisture content demonstrates an inverse relationship. As the rock content increases, the relative error of UPV measurement rises. The UPV follows a hump-shaped pattern with the initial moisture content. Three intelligent models are established to forecast dry density. The measure of UPV and PSO-BP-NN model quickly assesses compaction quality.
Keywords: Subgrade, Compaction quality, Ultrasonic pulse velocity (UPV), Intelligent model, Proctor test, Micro-destructive evaluation
Article Data
Author(s) Information
Xuefei Wang
Xuefei Wang obtained her BSc degree in Civil Engineering from Tianjin University, China, in 2011, and her MSc and PhD degrees in Civil Engineering from Case Western Reserve University, USA, in 2013 and 2016, respectively. She was affiliated as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Civil Engineering at Case Western Reserve University, USA from 2017 to 2018. She is currently appointed as a Professor at the School of Civil and Transportation Engineering at Hebei University of Technology, China. She is the Editorial Board Member of ASTM Journal of Testing and Evaluation. Her research focuses on the soil dynamics, including the intelligent construction methodology of transportation infrastructure, liquefaction mechanism of offshore foundations, centrifuge modelling, and advance computational method of pile-soil interactions.