Variation of initial soil suction with compaction conditions for clayey soils

In this study, the initial soil suction of as-compacted clayey soils was evaluated for various compaction conditions, covering a wide range of compaction energy and molding water content. The soil specimens were prepared by impact compaction under three levels of compaction energy. The filter paper method was used to measure the initial soil suction of as-compacted specimens. Test results indicate that the relationship between the soil suction and the molding water content is bilinear under three different compaction energies. However, the effect of compaction energy on soil suction is different for the soils with different amounts of clay fraction and is elucidated by the macro soil properties. The change of soil suction due to different compaction energies can be predicted by the void ratio and the degree of saturation.