Determining the resilient modulus of sandy subgrade using cyclic light weight deflectometer test

Resilient modulus is one of the important parameters used in the analysis and modelling of subgrade behaviour and it is directly related to the safety, economic and lifetime of roads structures. The determination of Resilient Modulus (MR) using repeated load triaxial (RLT) test is expensive, cumbersome and time consuming. Therefore, a new research approach has been adopted in this study based on performing cyclic light weight deflectometer (LWD). The objective of the cyclic loading is to bring the soil to its near elastic behaviour and then measure the dynamic deformations moduli (Evd). The cyclic LWD tests were performed in the field and in the laboratory and the measured Evds values were compared to the resilient moduli measured by RLT tests conducted under similar testing conditions. The number of LWD test cycles required to bring the soil to its elastic state can be decided directly during the test by using a new multifunctional LWD manufactured solely for the purpose of this study. It has been found that the required number of LWD repetitions (cycles) to conduct Evd moduli close to MR moduli depends on many influencing factors, namely, the moisture contents, lateral confinement and the maximum vertical axial stress levels during testing. Based on this study, it can be inferred that the cyclic LWD test can be used to predict simply and quickly the resilient behaviour of the tested soil with good precision and reliability. © 2020 The Autho