Soils - Determination of the Water Content-Dry Density Relation - Standard Effort Compaction Effort Test

Standard CAN/BNQ 2501-250
Soils - Determination of the Water Content-Dry Density Relation - Standard Effort Compaction Effort Test (600 kN.m/m³)

CAN/BNQ 2501-250 is a national standard that specifies a test method to determine the relation between the water content and the density of the soil and soil-aggregate mixes when they are compacted in a standard mould by a 4.54 kg hammer dropped from a height of 457 mm using three specific methods. The standard applies to materials produced by quarries, sandpits and gravel pits; natural soils such as till or clay; and recycled materials, all of which have undergone processing, specifically blasting and crushing. It sets out requirements for eight main elements:

• apparatus (moulds, hammer, sample extractor, scales, oven, straight edge, sieve and mixing tools);
• general requirements for the three proposed methods;
• choosing a test method;
• preparing the sample (dry and wet preparations);
• procedure;
• calculating and expressing the results;
• water-density relation (diagram, maximum density and optimal water content);
• test report.