The invention relates to the field of technical analysis and to determining for construction purposes the optimum
moisture content and
maximum density of natural and man-made soils under static compaction. The essence of the invention consists in compacting a first soil specimen after first determining the initial
moisture content thereof and, if necessary, adjusting same by adding water in accordance with recommended values for the given type of soil. A compaction mold cylinder and a lower liner are then placed on 18-20 mm high support stands on a level surface, a weighed amount of the soil under examination is placed in the compaction mold cylinder, the cylinder is positioned on a base plate of a compactor, a top plate of the compactor is brought into contact with the upper end of the cylinder and the compactor is set to a 20 mPA loading mode which is maintained for 5-10 minutes. Loading is ceased, the compaction mold is removed from the compactor, the compacted specimen is extruded and the volume thereof is calculated, the specimen is broken up, a representative sample is taken and weighed on electronic scales with an accuracy of up to 0.01 before being dried and reweighed. On the basis of the data obtained, the damp soil density and the
dry soil density are calculated according to given formulae, and the data obtained are entered into a table and noted on a graph. A second soil specimen is compacted, the
moisture content of which is increased by 1%, the specimen is placed in the compaction mold, placed under a 20 mPA load in the compactor and held for 5-10 minutes, after which loading is ceased, the compaction mold is removed from the compactor, the compacted specimen is extruded, the volume thereof is calculated, the specimen is broken up, a representative sample is taken and weighed on electronic scales with an accuracy of up to 0.01 before being dried and reweighed, the moisture content of the soil and the
dry soil density are calculated and the d