Application of Regression

Modelling to Study
the Correlations
between Maximum Dry Density 
and the Atterberg
Limits of AASHTO Soil Type A-7-5
Prepared by:
Allen Paul Alcantara
Renee Alcantara
Introduction
 In the field of Geotechnical Engineering, soil compaction is defined as the
process in which a stress is applied to a soil causes densification as air is
displaced from the pores between the soil grains. The compaction of the
soil generally increases the shear strength of the soil, and hence the
stability and bearing capacity. With the compaction of soil, it becomes
stiffer, have suitable strength and relatively incompressible making it
suitable to carry loads from buildings, bridges, roads and other structures. 
 Most of the times, to obtain soil compaction characteristics specifically the
Maximum Dry Density will require a lot of time and effort in site and
laboratory setup. Hence, it is very coveted to develop a correlation
between MDD and other soil physical properties specifically the Atterberg
limits which can be obtained from a simple Index Test only. Once
established, it will be very easy for a Civil / Geotechnical Engineer to
estimate the compaction characteristics of the given soil, knowing only its
Atterberg Limits details.
Maximum Dry Density
 The maximum dry density (of a specific soil) is the highest density
obtainable when the compaction is carried out on the material at varied
moisture content [2]. The most common method used to identify the
MDD of a particular soil is the Standard Proctor Test, named in honour of
Ralph R. Proctor. 
 The Standard Proctor Test is a standard laboratory method of
experimentally determining the Optimum Moisture Content (OMC) at
which a given soil type will become most dense and achieve its
Maximum Dry Density. For each soil type, there is an ideal moisture
content at which maximum density can be reach with a given amount of
compaction energy.
Atterberg Limits
 Included in the conduct of the subsurface soil exploration is the conduct
of laboratory test to measure the critical water contents of soil, known
as the Atterberg limits. The test procedure includes the determination
of plasticity index, liquid limit and shrinkage limit, and is in conformance
to ASTM D-4318. Depending on the water content, a soil may appear in
one of the four states; solid, semi-solid, plastic, and liquid (source,
Wikipedia). The knowledge of the soil consistency is important in
defining or classifying a soil type or predicting soil performance when
use in construction, either as materials or for foundation.
Significance of the Study

 This study will try to study and analyze the

correlations including the degree of
associations between characteristics of compaction,
particularly Maximum Dry Density and the Atterberg
Limits which includes Plastic Limit and Liquid Limit. 
Data Gathered
AASHTO Soil Liquid Plastic Maximum Dry
Classification  Limit (%)  Limit (%)  Density kg/m3 
A-7-5(40)  79.00  29.00  15.490 

A-7-5(29)  69.00  28.00  15.490 

A-7-5(6)  52.00  24.00  16.380 

A-7-5(12)  53.00  23.00  15.400 

A-7-5(20)  57.00  29.00  14.710 

A-7-5(26)  57.00  30.00  15.000 

A-7-5(21)  55.00  32.00  15.200 

A-7-5(23)  61.00  28.00  15.690 

A-7-5  47.00  22.00  17.260 

A-7-5(28)  63.00  30.00  15.000 

A-7-5  67.00  37.00  13.830 

A-7-5(11)  73.00  28.00  15.200 

A-7-5(28)  73.00  23.00  15.590 

A-7-5(21)  72.00  26.00  15.100 

A-7-5(28)  73.00  27.00  15.100 

A-7-5(11)  67.00  24.00  15.490 

A-7-5(17)  74.00  23.00  15.490 

A-7-5(31)  54.00  26.00  15.790 

A-7-5(28)  66.00  29.00  15.000 

A-7-5  54.00  25.00  15.300 

A-7-5(8)  49.00  24.00  16.180 

A-7-5(36)  79.00  28.00  15.000 

A-7-5(64)  97.00  41.00  12.26 

A-7-5(63)  93.00  39.00  12.36 

A-7-5(59)  88.15  35.00  13.04 

A-7-5(66)  93.16  37.00  12.85 

Result
Rank based on 
Variables  R2  R2 Adjusted  F0  fα,k,n-p  Remarks 
R2 Adjusted 
f(X1)  0.62842  0.61560653  49.04503  4.18  Significant  31 
f(X2)  0.791173  0.78397188  109.8708  4.18  Significant  28 
f(X1*X2)  0.864677  0.86001086  185.3023  4.18  Significant  25 
f(X12)  0.651225  0.63919792  54.14808  4.18  Significant  29 
f(X22)  0.809847  0.80329022  123.5089  4.18  Significant  26 
f(X1,X2)  0.879912  0.87133393  102.5809  3.34  Significant  16 
f(X1,X1*X2)  0.880582  0.87205268  103.2357  3.34  Significant  13 
f(X1,X12)  0.660046  0.63576326  27.18201  3.34  Significant  30 
f(X1,X22)  0.884512  0.87626253  107.2244  3.34  Significant  4 
f(X2,X1*X2)  0.885011  0.87679702  107.7503  3.34  Significant  1 
f(X2,X12)  0.882438  0.87404086  105.0862  3.34  Significant  7 
f(X2,X22)  0.815004  0.80178981  61.67724  3.34  Significant  27 
f(X1*X2,X12)  0.884774  0.87654407  107.5008  3.34  Significant  3 
f(X1*X2,X22)  0.884847  0.87662133  107.5769  3.34  Significant  2 
f(X12,X22)  0.883765  0.87546199  106.4452  3.34  Significant  5 
f(X1,X2,X1*X2)  0.885018  0.87224217  69.27309  2.96  Significant  11 
f(X1,X2,X12)  0.88257  0.86952275  67.64171  2.96  Significant  20 
f(X1,X2,X22)  0.884614  0.87179303  68.99888  2.96  Significant  14 
f(X1,X1*X2,X12)  0.887061  0.87451243  70.68917  2.96  Significant  6 
f(X1,X1*X2,X22)  0.885344  0.87260482  69.49591  2.96  Significant  8 
RESULT
Variables  R2   R2Adjusted  Rank   Regression equation 
f(X2,X1*X2)  0.885011  0.87679702  1  Y = 19.0222 - 0.06859 X2 - 0.00104 X1*X2 
f(X1*X2,X22)  0.884847  0.87662133  2  Y = 17.9853 - 0.001004 X1*X2 - 0.00119 X22 
f(X1*X2,X12)  0.884774  0.87654407  3  Y = 17.9529 - 0.002024 X1*X2  + 0.000219 X12 
f(X1,X22)  0.884512  0.87626253  4  Y = 19.0816 - 0.03026 X1 -0.00242 X22 
f(X12,X22)  0.883765  0.87546199  5  Y = 18.0132 - 0.000215 X12 - 0.002368 X22 

Based from the result of different combinations, the best regression equation in the
analysis is  
Y = 19.0222 - 0.06859 X2 - 0.00104 X1*X2 .
Best Regression Model Parameters
SSE = 4.222 
SSR = 32.496 
SST = 36.718 
R2 = 0.885 
R2 adjusted = 0.8768 
MSE = 0.1508 
MSR = 16.248 
F0= 107.75 
Surface Plot of the Best Regression Model
Residual Plot of the Best Regression Model
Conclusion

 There is a strong correlation between the Maximum Dry Density and the

Atterberg Limits (Liquid Limit and Plastic Limit), Coefficient of
correlation, R2 adjusted, equal to 87.68 percent is high, which suggest
that the Atterberg Limits can be used to predict the maximum dry
density of the soil type A-7-5 of AASHTO.