Pitfalls in Quality Control Processes for Compacted Earth Fill: Download

Quality control activities are important during the construction of an earth dam. The quality control program is intended to ensure that the compacted fill meets or exceeds all the specifications for the earth fill in the construction contract. The two primary specifications involve the degree of compaction and the acceptable range of water content for each zone in the compacted fill.

This webinar provides guidance on common pitfalls in the quality control process. The most common pitfalls covered in the webinar are:

1. Failure to obtain and employ a correction factor that considers the difference between the water content measured with the nuclear density gage and the correct oven dry water content,

2. Failure to correctly determine a reference density test to which the field density test can be compared to obtain the correct degree of compaction for a test, and

3. Failure to consider correctly the presence of oversize rock or gravel particles at a test site.

The common pitfalls are related to the ASTM specifications where applicable. While designed for quality control involved in the construction of earth dams, the same principles apply equally to the construction of any earth fill where construction specifications include degree of compaction and water content requirements.