LAB FOUR: CALIFORNIA BEARING RATIO

TEST
YEAR 3: BACHELOR’S IN CIVIL ENGINEERING

CV311: GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERING

COURSE COORDINATOR: THOMAS KISHORE
DATE PERFORMED: 21ST MARCH 2023
DUE DATE: 6TH APRIL 2023

STUDENT NAME: ADI NATALIA NACOLA

STUDENT ID: S11198623
1.0 TITLE OF THE EXPERIMENT: CALIFORNIA BEARING RATIO TEST
2.0 INTRODUCTION
In geotechnical engineering, the California Bearing Ratio (CBR) Test is generally used to
determine the strength of soil and other unconstrained materials. The test establishes the
load-bearing capacity of a soil sample, which is then compared to the load-bearing capacity
of a typical crushed stone material. The CBR value is used to evaluate the suitability of
subgrade soils for construction projects as well as the thickness of roads and airfield
pavements. It is expressed as a percentage of the standard material [1]. In geotechnical
engineering, the California Bearing Ratio (CBR) Test is generally used to determine the
strength of soil and other unconstrained materials. The test establishes the load-bearing
capacity of a soil sample, which is then compared to the load-bearing capacity of a typical
crushed stone material. The CBR value is used to evaluate the suitability of subgrade soils for
construction projects as well as the thickness of roads and airfield pavements. It is expressed
as a percentage of the standard material [2]. A soil sample is compressed in a mold and
subjected to a series of steadily increasing loads to conduct the test. Through a plunger that
is inserted into the soil at a predetermined rate of penetration, the load is applied. The weight
is raised until the soil sample deforms to a predetermined extent, often 0.1 or 0.2 inches [3].
The load needed to produce the desired deformation is divided by the load needed to produce
the same deformity in a typical crushed stone material to determine the CBR value. The CBR
value is then calculated by multiplying the ratio of the two loads by 100 [4]. The CBR test is
frequently used in road planning and building because it shows the subgrade soil's ability to
support loads. The CBR value is used to analyze the viability of subgrade soils for infrastructure
projects as well as to establish the thickness of pavement layers needed to accommodate
projected traffic loads [5]. The nature and gradation of the soil, the densification technique,
the soil's moisture content, and the velocity at which the plunger penetrates the soil can all
have an impact on the CBR test's outcomes. As a result, it's crucial to adhere to defined
practices and guarantee that the testing environment is constant [6]. Other tests, such as the
plate load test, the dynamic cone penetrometer test, and the triaxial shear test, are used to
assess the strength of soils and loose materials in addition to the CBR test. In order to provide
a fuller view of the soil's strength and load-bearing capacity, these tests may be employed in
conjunction with the CBR test [7]. Moreover, it should be noted that the CBR test is a popular
technique in geotechnical engineering for assessing the strength of soil and other
unrestrained materials. It is used to design and build pavement layers, determine the
suitability of soils for construction projects, and provide a gauge of the load-bearing potential
of subgrade soils. To get accurate findings, standardized testing practices and uniform testing
environments are crucial.

3.0 AIM
The objective of this experiment is to gauge the strength of pliable pavement subgrade soil.

4.0 EXPERIMENTAL APPARATUS

The following experimental tools were used during this lab:
 I. A 10 mm thick, detachable perforated base plate and a cylindrical mold extension
collar that is 50 mm tall.
II. Spacer disc with handle, 148mm in diameter and 47.7mm in height.
III. Metal rammers, weight 2.6kg with a drop of 310mm or 4.89kg with a drop of 450
mm.
IV. Weights,147 mm in diameter, one annular metal weight, several slotted weights
weighing 2.5 kg a piece, and a center hole measuring 53 mm in diameter.
V. The loading device, with a minimum weight capacity of 5000 kg and a mobile head
or base that moves uniformly at 1.25 mm per minute. Finished with a device that
indicates load.
VI. A metal penetration piston with a minimum length of 100 mm and a diameter of 50
mm.
VII. Two dial gauges measuring to 0.01 mm.
VIII. Further equipment, including a mixing bowl, straight edge, scales, soaking tank or
pan, and a drying rack.

5.0 PROCEDURE

Part A: Preparation
I. A No. 4 sieve was used to separate the 4.5 kg of soil.
II. On the basis of the Proctor exam, the soil was then prepared to its highest moisture
content.
III. The base plate was covered with the spacer disk and a filter paper, and the mold
was secured to it with the extension collar.
IV. Then, three equal layers of the damp soil were added to the mold and compressed
with a 2.5 kg rammer that drops through 31 cm of material with 56 blows for each
layer.
V. Before the second layer was added, the top of the first layer was scratched.
VI. The extension was then removed, a third layer was applied, and the additional soil
was leveled off with a straight edge.
Part B: Testing
I. The California Bearing Ratio (CBR) test on soil was conducted with the spacer disk
removed, and the base plate of the testing device was then covered with filter
paper.
II. The mold was then turned upside-down. A 2 kilogram metal weight was placed on
the soil's top surface before the penetration plunger made contact with it.
III. A slotted weight of 2 kg was added to the top layer of dirt so that the total weight of
the surcharge is 4 kg. Once the dial gauge reading was set to zero, a load was applied
to the piston to get a penetration rate of around 1.25mm/min.
IV. After the test, the mold was taken out of the loading device, and a small sample of
soil was taken from the top 3 cm of the soil to measure its moisture content.

1.0 EXPERIMENTAL SETUP

The following illustrations depict the laboratory setup and procedures during the experiment:
 Figure 1: Soil sample

Figure 2: Adding the soil sample into the mould

Figure 3: Compacting the soil sample by applying mechanical energy in blows

Figure 4: Weighing the compacted soil sample in the mold

 Figure 5: Inserting the mold into the California Bearing Ratio Test Apparatus

7.0 CALCULATIONS
The following sample calculations are to demonstrate the outcome of the values computed
for this experiment:

𝑃𝑟𝑜𝑣𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝐷𝑖𝑎𝑙 𝑅𝑒𝑎𝑑𝑖𝑛𝑔 × 5

225 × 1000
𝐿𝑜𝑎𝑑 (𝑘𝑔) (𝑃𝑟𝑜𝑣𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝐷𝑖𝑎𝑙 = 20) =
9.81
(20 × 5)/225 × 1000
= = 45.31𝑘𝑔
9.81
𝐿𝑜𝑎𝑑 (𝑘𝑔) 45.31
𝐶𝑜𝑟𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑝𝑜𝑛𝑑𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝐴𝑥𝑖𝑎𝑙 𝐿𝑜𝑎𝑑 (𝑘𝑔/𝑐𝑚! ) = = = 2.31 𝑘𝑔/𝑐𝑚"
𝐴𝑟𝑒𝑎 𝑜𝑓 𝑃𝑙𝑢𝑛𝑔𝑒𝑟 19.63

𝐿𝑜𝑎𝑑 𝐶𝑜𝑟𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑝𝑜𝑛𝑑𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡𝑜 2.5𝑚𝑚 𝑃𝑒𝑛𝑒𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 (Pr)

= 𝐶𝐵𝑅 𝑎𝑡 2.5𝑚𝑚
𝑆𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑑𝑎𝑟𝑑 𝐿𝑜𝑎𝑑 𝐶𝑜𝑟𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑝𝑜𝑛𝑑𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡𝑜 2.5𝑚𝑚 (𝑃𝑠)
!.$%%
= %$ × 100
= 2.97%
𝐿𝑜𝑎𝑑 𝐶𝑜𝑟𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑝𝑜𝑛𝑑𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡𝑜 5𝑚𝑚 𝑃𝑒𝑛𝑒𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 (Pr)
= 𝐶𝐵𝑅 𝑎𝑡 5𝑚𝑚
𝑆𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑑𝑎𝑟𝑑 𝐿𝑜𝑎𝑑 𝐶𝑜𝑟𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑝𝑜𝑛𝑑𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡𝑜 5𝑚𝑚 (𝑃𝑠)
!.&&'
= ($' × 100
= 2.748%

8.0 RESULTS
The following results were obtained during the experiment:
Dynamic Compaction

Depth = 7.84cm
Width = 15.12cm
Optimum Moisture Content (OMC): 13%
Weight of Empty Mould: 3.055 kg
Weight of Mould and Specimen Compacted: 5.550 kg
Weight of Specimen: 2.495 kg
Volume of Specimen: 1407.698106 cm3
Bulk Density: 1793.708458
Dry Density: 1587.352618

Penetration:

Calibration factor of the proving ring for 1 Div. = 1.176kg

Surcharge weights used (kg) for 2.6kg per 6cm construction

Least count of penetration dial is 1 Div . = 0.01mm

Diameter of the plunger = 50mm

Area of the Plunger = 19.63 cm2

Penetration (mm) Proving Dial Load (kg) Axial Load

(kg/cm2)
0.5 20 45.305 2.308
1 17 38.509 1.962
1.5 16 36.244 1.846
2 15 33.979 1.731
2.5 18 40.775 2.077
3 21 47.571 2.423
3.5 23 52.101 2.654
4 24 54.366 2.770
5 25 56.632 2.885
7.5 26 58.897 3.000
10 34 77.019 3.924
12.5 43 97.406 4.962
Table 1: Results of CBR Experiment
 Graph of Axial Load versus Penetration
6

5
Axial Load (kg/cm3 )
4

0
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14
Penetration (mm)

Figure 6: Graph of Axial Load versus Penetration

𝐿𝑜𝑎𝑑 𝐶𝑜𝑟𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑝𝑜𝑛𝑑𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡𝑜 2.5𝑚𝑚 𝑃𝑒𝑛𝑒𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 (Pr)

= 𝐶𝐵𝑅 𝑎𝑡 2.5𝑚𝑚
𝑆𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑑𝑎𝑟𝑑 𝐿𝑜𝑎𝑑 𝐶𝑜𝑟𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑝𝑜𝑛𝑑𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡𝑜 2.5𝑚𝑚 (𝑃𝑠)
!.$%%
= %$ × 100
= 2.97%
𝐿𝑜𝑎𝑑 𝐶𝑜𝑟𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑝𝑜𝑛𝑑𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡𝑜 5𝑚𝑚 𝑃𝑒𝑛𝑒𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 (Pr)
= 𝐶𝐵𝑅 𝑎𝑡 5𝑚𝑚
𝑆𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑑𝑎𝑟𝑑 𝐿𝑜𝑎𝑑 𝐶𝑜𝑟𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑝𝑜𝑛𝑑𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡𝑜 5𝑚𝑚 (𝑃𝑠)
!.&&'
= ($' × 100
= 2.75%

9.0 Discussion
First off, CBR often decreases as penetration increases. The ratio at 2.5 mm penetration is
used to determine the CBR. There are times when the ratio at 5 mm is greater than that at
2.5 mm. If this occurs, the 5 mm ratio ought to be used. Under controlled moisture and
density conditions, a material's resistance to conventional plunger penetration is measured
using the CBR. The test technique must be meticulously followed if good repeatability is
desired. The CBR test can be run on a re-moulded or untouched specimen in the lab. The test
is simple, and the requirements for flexible pavement thickness have been determined after
extensive field investigation. Also, based on the findings of this experiment, the CBR value at
2.5mm will be used as the CBR for design purposes because it is higher than the CBR at 5mm.
This eliminates the use of the CBR at 5mm for design purposes because neither of the values
were identical. Moreover, moist soils suffer from excessive swelling and shrinkage qualities
due to their CBR values, which range from 2 to 4%. Hence, it wouldn't be enough for pavement
design unless it was combined with another soil type that, if used, would reinforce the soil
sample. Since the soil sample has a low CBR, a thicker pavement would be required to
construct flexible pavement if it were to be used.

10.0 Conclusion
The effectiveness of the top layer of the pavement can be determined with the help of the
California Bearing Ratio Test. In order to evaluate a material's resistance to uniaxial
penetration, this test analyzes soil shear strength as opposed to typical crushed stone
aggregate for unrestricted layers, such as sub-base and subgrade. The soil sample utilized in
this experiment had a low CBR value and was employed for design since its CBR value at 2.5
mm was higher than its CBR value at 5 mm, although it can be inferred from this that the soil
type is not appropriate for pavement design due to its significant shrinkage and swelling
qualities.

11.0 Sources of Error

The California Bearing Ratio (CBR) test has certain possible sources of error, including worn
test equipment that could have an impact on the soil sample, especially during compaction.
Recent rain may also have an impact on the soil sample since it can absorb moisture from the
air and change the moisture content. Other possible sources of mistake in carrying out the
experiment include delivering the blows at the wrong height during compaction, compacting
at a quicker or slower rate than the compaction rate, and striking the mould against hard
objects to release the contents after compaction.

12.0 References
Works Cited

[1] ASTM International, "ASTM," ASTM International, 10 December 2021. [Online].

Available: https://www.astm.org/d1883-21.html. [Accessed 6 April 2023].
[2] B. E. Backus, "Global Gilson," Gilson Company Inc., 2018. [Online]. Available:
https://www.globalgilson.com/blog/cbr-testing. [Accessed 6 April 2023].
[3] ASTM International, "ASTM," ASTM International, 5 February 2018. [Online]. Available:
https://www.astm.org/d4429-09a.html. [Accessed 6 April 2023].
[4] A. J. &. A. M. T. Lutenegger, Soil testing for engineers, New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons,
2017.
[5] TerraTek, "TerraTek," TerraTek, [Online]. Available: https://terratek.co.uk/what-is-cbr-
testing-and-why-might-i-need-it/. [Accessed 6 April 2023].
[6] EMSGeotech, "EMSGeotech," EMSGeotech, [Online]. Available: https://www.ems-
geotech.co.uk/cbr-testing/. [Accessed 6 April 2023].
[7] N. Hassan, "Civil Today," Civil Today, [Online]. Available:
https://civiltoday.com/geotechnical-engineering/site-investigation/363-california-
bearing-ratio-test. [Accessed 6 April 2023 ].
LAB FOUR: CALIFORNIA BEARING RATIO
TEST
YEAR 3: BACHELOR’S IN CIVIL ENGINEERING

CV311: GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERING

COURSE COORDINATOR: THOMAS KISHORE
DATE PERFORMED: 21ST MARCH 2023
DUE DATE: 6TH APRIL 2023

STUDENT NAME: ADI NATALIA NACOLA

STUDENT ID: S11198623