Evaluation of the modulus of elasticity and resilient modulus for highway subgrades By Elsa Eka Putri, N.S.

V Kameswara Rao,and M.A.Mannan Abstract

Modulus of elasticity and resilient modulus are important material properties of subgrade soils and are the input parameters in the design of pavement. The modulus of elasticity of a soil is a soil parameter most commonly used in the estimation of settlement from static or dynamic loads. INTRODUCTION

The modulus of elasticity and resilient modulus can be determined in the laboratory under specified temperature, moisture content and density of the material, using the following tests such as California Bearing Ratio tests, Triaxial test, Plate Load test etc. Modulus of elasticity is the ability of material not to deform excessively during loading. It is not the strength of the material, strength is the stress needed to break a material, where as elasticity is a measurement of how well a material returns to its original shape and size. According to Briaud (2000) the modulus of elasticity of soil depends on many factors. For instance, the loading process, soil particle organization, water content, etc, though, at the different penetration involve single specimen to determine the value of E of that soil. The US Army Corps Engineers (USACE) EM 1110-1-1904 tries to estimates the modulus of elasticity as, Es = Kc Cu (2)

where Es is Young's soil modulus (MPa), Kc is correlation factor, Cu is undrained shear strength in MPa. Schmertmann (1970) measures the modulus of elasticity (E) estimated from the cone resistance from a static cone penetration test as, E = 2qc (3) On the other hand, the modulus of elasticity can be calculated based on coefficient of elastic uniform compression (Cu) or it can also be referred to as modulus of subgrade reaction, ks (Kameswara Rao, 2000). Cu is defined as the ratio of uniform pressure imposed on the soil to the elastic part of the settlement. Cu is defined as the ratio of uniform pressure imposed on the soil to the elastic part of the settlement. Cu = p/ (kN/m3) (4) where p is the bearing pressure (load per unit area, kN/m2) from the CBR test. Cu is related to the soil and plunger parameter, thus E can be determined, Cu = 1.13 E
(1-) 1 A

where E is the Modulus of Elasticity, v is the Poissons ratio (assumed to be 0.4 for clay soil), and A is the area of load plunger of CBR equipment. This equation [5] is applicable for uniformly distributed load acting on semi-infinite elastic soil medium. The same equation is used for displacement of soil in the CBR mould subjected to uniformly distributed load by plunger. Hence it gives on approximate value which can be used for subsequent applications for the CBR test. As Cu is calculated previously from equation [4], the modulus of elasticity for static condition can also be derived from the equation [5].

Modulus of Elasticity
Although there is a lack of experimental data on the modulus of elasticity of rammed earth, there are recommendations given. The publication, A Review of Rammed Earth Construction, cites New Zealand Standard 4297: 1998 as taking the modulus of elasticity for earth wall construction as three hundred time the characteristic compressive strength value (Maniatidis and Walker,

2003, p. 27). Australian building codes assume a modulus of elasticity of 72,000psi, while the permissible stress approach used in the United States recommends a value that is 750 times compressive strength (Maniatidis and Walker, 2003, p. 27).Unstabilized Rammed Earth Stabilized Rammed Earth

CONCLUSIONS
To estimate the modulus of elasticity value for clayey sand soils were. The results show, the estimation of the modulus of elasticity from UCT test is lower than the estimation from the CBR test, probably due to the effect of restriction of the sample inside the CBR mould during testing (confinement). The samples were confined inside the CBR mould, while the sample in UCT was an unconfined sample. The calculated modulus of elasticity (E) from California Bearing Ratio tests are in the range of 0.55 psi (3792 Pa) 0.748 psi (5157 Pa), while for UCT test is 0.025 Psi (172 kPa). The calculated modulus of elasticity (E) from Unconfined Cyclic Triaxial tests are in the range of 0.007 psi (48 Pa) 0.174 psi (1200 Pa). The higher axial stress in cyclic loading (amplitude) will result in the higher modulus of elasticity. .