Aashto and astm

AASHTO T88 describes a procedure for the

quantitative determination of the distribution of
particle sizes in soils.

The liquid limit of a soil is that water content,

as determined in accordance with AASHTO
T89, at which the soil passes from a plastic to a
liquid state.
This test method, AASHTO T90, determines
the plastic limit of a soil is the lowest water
content at which the soil remains plastic. The
plasticity index of a soil is the numerical
difference between the liquid limit and the
plastic limit. It is the moisture content at which
the soil is in a plastic state.
This
method,
AASHTO
T100,
covers
determination of the specific gravity of soils by
means of a pycnometer. When the soil is
composed of particles larger than the 4.75-mm
(No. 4) sieve, the method outlined in T 85 shall
be followed. When the soil is composed of
particles both larger and smaller than the 4.75mm sieve, the sample shall be separated on
the 4.75-mm sieve and the appropriate test
method used on each portion. The specific
gravity value for the soil shall be the weighted
average of the two values (Note 1). When the
specific gravity value is to be used in
calculations in connection with the hydrometer
portion of AASHTO T 88, Particle Size Analysis
of Soils, it is intended that the specific gravity
test be made on that portion of the soil that
passes the 2.00-mm (No. 10) sieve.
This method of test, AASHTO T180, is
intended for determining the relationship
between the moisture content and density of
soils when compacted in a given mold of a
given size with a 4.54-kg (10-lb) rammer
dropped from a height of 457 mm (18 in.). Four
alternate procedures are provided as follows:

Method AA 101.60-mm (4-in.) mold:

Soil material passing a 4.75-mm (No. 4)
sieve Sections 4 and 5.
Method BA 152.40-mm (6-in.) mold:
Soil material passing a 4.75-mm (No. 4)
sieve Sections 6 and 7.

Method CA 101.60-mm (4-in.) mold:

Soil material passing a 19.0-mm (-in.)
sieve Sections 8 and 9.
Method DA 152.40-mm (6-in.) mold:
Soil material passing a 19.0-mm (-in.)
sieve Sections 10 and 11.

The method to be used should be indicated in

the specifications for the material being tested.
If no method is specified, the provisions of
Method A shall govern.
AASHTO T180 applies to soil mixtures that
have 40 percent or less retained on the 4.75mm (No. 4) sieve, when Method A or B is used
and 30 percent or less retained on the 19.0mm (-in.) sieve, when Method C or D is used.
The material retained on these sieves shall be
defined as oversize particles (coarse particles).
If the test specimen contains oversize particles
and the test specimen used for field density
compaction control, corrections must be made
according to T 224 to compare the total field
density with the compacted specimen. The
person or agency specifying this method shall
specify a minimum percentage of oversize
particles below which correction for oversize
need not be applied. If no minimum percentage
is specified, correction shall be applied to
samples with more than 5 percent by mass of
oversize particles.If the specified oversized
maximum tolerances are exceeded, other
methods of compaction control must be used.
AASHTO T191
This method is intended for determining the inplace density of soils. The apparatus described
herein is restricted to tests in soils containing
particles not larger than 50 mm (2 in.) in
diameter.
AASHTO T208 covers the determination of the
unconfined compressive strength of cohesive
soil in the undisturbed, remolded, or
compacted condition, using strain-controlled
application of the axial load.This test method
provides an approximate value of the strength
of
cohesive
soils
in
terms
of
total
stresses.AASHTO T208 is applicable only to
cohesive materials that will not expel bleed
water (water expelled from the soil due to
deformation or compaction) during the loading

portion of the test and that will retain intrinsic

strength after removal of confining pressures,
such as clays or cemented soils. Dry and
crumbly soils, fissured or varved materials,
silts, peats, and sands cannot be tested with
this method to obtain valid unconfined
compressive strength values.

This test method, ASTM C117, covers the

determination of the amount of material finer
than a 75-m (No. 200) sieve in aggregate by
washing. Clay particles and other aggregate
particles that are dispersed by the wash water,
as well as water-soluble materials, will be
removed from the aggregate during the test.

AASHTO
T216
covers
procedures
for
determining the magnitude and rate of
consolidation of soil when it is restrained
laterally and drained axially while subjected to
incrementally applied controlled-stress loading.
Two alternative procedures are provided as
follows:

This test method, ASTM C128-12, is used to

determine the density of the essentially solid
portion of a large number of aggregate
particles and provides an average value
representing the sample.

Test Method AThis test method is performed

with constant load increment duration of 24
hours, or multiples thereof. Time-deformation
readings are required on a minimum of two
load increments.
Test Method BTime-deformation readings are
required on all load increments. Successive
load increments are applied after 100 percent
primary consolidation is reached, or at
constant time increments as described in Test
Method A.
This procedure, AASHTO T265, is used to
determine the total moisture content of a soil.
The soil is dried to remove all free moisture.
This test measures the weight of the moisture
removed from the soil.
This test method, AASHTO T 310, describes
the procedure for determining the in-place
density and moisture of soil and soil-aggregate
by use of nuclear gauge. The density of the
material may be determined by either direct
transmission, backscatter, or backscatter/airgap ratio method. The moisture of the material
is determined only from measurements taken
at the surface of the soil (i.e., backscatter).

This test method, ASTM C131, covers a

procedure for testing sizes of coarse aggregate
smaller than 37.5 mm (11/ 2 in.) for resistance
to degradation using the Los Angeles testing
machine
This test method, ASTM C136, covers the
determination of the particle size distribution of
fine and coarse aggregates by sieving.
This
test
method,
ASTM
C142
/
C142M, covers the approximate determination
of clay lumps and friable particles in
aggregates.
This test method, ASTM C170 / C170M - 09,
covers the sampling, preparation of specimens,
and determination of the compressive strength
of dimension stone.
This test method, ASTM C535 - 09, covers
testing sizes of coarse aggregate larger than
19 mm ( in.) for resistance to degradation
using the Los Angeles testing machine
This test method, ASTM C566, covers the
determination of the percentage of evaporable
moisture in a sample of aggregate by drying,
both surface moisture and moisture in the
pores of the aggregate.

These test methods, ASTM C97, cover the

tests for determining the absorption and bulk
specific gravity of all types of dimension stone,
except slate.

ASTM D421 covers the dry preparation of soil

samples as received from the field for particlesize analysis and the determination of the soil
constants

This test method, ASTM C99 / C99M, covers

the determination of the modulus of rupture of
all types of dimension stone except slate.

ASTM
D422
covers
the
quantitative
determination of the distribution of particle
sizes in soils. The distribution of particle sizes
larger than 75 m (retained on the No. 200
sieve) is determined by sieving, while the

distribution of particle sizes smaller than 75 m

is determined by a sedimentation process,
using a hydrometer to secure the necessary
data.
ASTM D698 covers laboratory compaction
methods used to determine the relationship
between molding water content and dry unit
weight of soils (compaction curve) compacted
in a 4 or 6-in. (101.6 or 152.4-mm) diameter
mold with a 5.50-lbf (24.5-N) rammer dropped
from a height of 12.0 in. (305 mm) producing a
compactive effort of 12 400 ft-lbf/ft3 (600 kNm/m3).
ASTM D854 covers the determination of the
specific gravity of soil solids passing a sieve by
means of a water pycnometer. Soil solids for
these test methods do not include solids which
can
be
altered
by
these
methods,
contaminated with a substance that prohibits
the use of these methods, or are highly organic
soil solids, such as fibrous matter which floats
in water. Procedures for moist specimens such
as organic soils, highly plastic fine grained
soils, tropical soils, and soils containing
halloysite and oven-dry specimens are
provided. The apparatus is comprised of water
pycnometer which shall be a stoppered flask,
stoppered iodine flask, or volumetric flask;
balance; drying oven; thermometer; dessicator;
a system for entrapped air removal which shall
be a hot plate or Bunsen burner or a vacuum
pump or water aspirator; insulated container;
non-corrosive
smooth
surface
funnel;
pycnometer filling tube with lateral vents;
sieve; and blender with mixing blades. The
specific gravity of the soil solids at the test
temperature shall be calculated from the
density of the soil solids and the density of
water at the test temperature or from the mass
of the oven dry soil solids; mass of
pycnometer, water, and soil solids at the test
temperature; and mass of the pycnometer and
water at the test temperature. Precision and
bias shall be determined to judge for the
acceptability of the test results.
This test method ASTM D1556 may be used
to determine the in-place density and unit
weight of soils using a sand cone apparatus.
Soil placed as engineering fill (embankments,
foundation pads, road bases) is compacted to a

dense state to obtain satisfactory engineering

properties
such
as
shear
strength,
compressibility, or permeability. In addition,
foundation soils are often compacted to
improve
their
engineering
properties.
Laboratory compaction tests like ASTM D1557
provide the basis for determining the percent
compaction and molding water content needed
to achieve the required engineering properties,
and for controlling construction to assure that
the required compaction and water contents
are achieved.
This test method, ASTM D2116, covers the
determination of the unconfined compressive
strength of cohesive soil in the intact,
remolded, or reconstituted condition, using
strain-controlled application of the axial
load.The primary purpose of the unconfined
compression test is to quickly obtain a measure
of compressive strength for those soils that
possess sufficient cohesion to permit testing in
the unconfined state.
These test methods, ASTM D2216, cover the
laboratory
determination
of
the
water
(moisture) content by mass of soil, rock, and
similar materials where the reduction in mass
by drying is due to loss of water
These test methods in ASTM D2435 cover
procedures for determining the magnitude and
rate of consolidation of soil when it is
restrained laterally and drained axially while
subjected to incrementally applied controlledstress loading.
These test methods in ASTM D2922 cover the
determination of the total or wet density of soil
and soil-rock mixtures by the attenuation of
gamma radiation where the source and
detector(s) remain on the surface (Backscatter
Method) or the source or detector is placed at a
known depth up to 300 mm (12 in.) while the
detector(s) or source remains on the surface
(Direct Transmission Method).
ASTM D2950 this test method describes a test
procedure for determining the density of
bituminous concrete by the attenuation of
gamma radiation, where the source and
detector(s) remain on the surface (Backscatter
Method) or the source or detector is placed at a
known depth up to 300 mm (12 in.) while the

detector or source remains on the surface

(Direct Transmission Method).
ASTM D3017 this test method covers the
determination of water content of soil and rock
by the thermalization or slowing of fast
neutrons where the neutron source and the
thermal neutron detector both remain at the
surface. Formerly under the jurisdiction of
ASTM Committee D18 on Soil and Rock, his test
method was discontinued in May 2007.
These test methods in ASTM D4318 are used
as an integral part of several engineering
classification systems to characterize the finegrained fractions of soils and to specify the
fine-grained fraction of construction materials.
The liquid limit, plastic limit, and plasticity
index of soils are also used extensively, either
individually or together, with other soil
properties to correlate with engineering
behavior such as compressibility, hydraulic
conductivity
(permeability),
compactibility,
shrink-swell, and shear strength.

ASTM D4867 this test method covers

procedures for preparing and testing asphalt
concrete specimens for the purpose of
measuring the effect of water on the tensile
strength of the paving mixture. This test
method is applicable to dense mixtures such as
those appearing in the Table for Composition of
Bituminous Paving Mixtures in Specification D
3515. This test method can be used to
evaluate the effect of moisture with or without
antistripping additives including liquids and
pulverulent solids such as hydrated lime or
portland cement.
This test method, ASTM D6938 describes the
procedures for measuring in-place density and
moisture of soil and soil-aggregate by use of
nuclear equipment. The density of the material
may be measured by direct transmission,
backscatter,
or
backscatter/air-gap
ratio
methods. Measurements for water (moisture)
content are taken at the surface in backscatter
mode regardless of the mode being used for
density.