Application of The Dynamic Cone Penetrometer for Strength Estimation of Pavement Foundation

The in-situ California Bearing Ratio (CBR) test has been widely used for evaluating the subgrade condition in asphalt concrete pavements. However, because the in-situ CBR test is expensive and takes plenty of time for operation, it is very difficult to figure out the in-situ characteristics of subgrade strength in detail. For faster and economical operation, the Dynamic Cone Penetrometer (DCP) has been often utilized for estimating the subgrade strength in the field. The relationship between the CBR value and DCP index obtained from the DCP testing has been studied using the laboratory and in-situ testing by other foreign researchers. The objective of this study is to determine the relationship between in-situ CBR value and DCP index of the subgrade materials used in Korea. The DCP index for evaluating the strength of subgrade materials produced in Korea is presented in this paper. Research results propose the regression equation to explain the relationship between the CBR and DCP tests. The in-situ CBR values of subgrade materials range from 20 to 45% indicating the good and sound subgrade condition.