On Forecasting the Resilient Modulus from the CBR Value of Granular Bases

The unbound granular materials (UGM), base and subbase layers, play an essential role in the overall structural performance of thin pavement structures. They show complex stress dependent elasto-plastic behaviour under external loading. Therefore the UGM are commonly tested using the Repeated Load Triaxial (RLT) testing method to estimate the stiffness of the material by applying haversine loading pulses. The RLT testing method represents the actual stress situation quite adequately and gives satisfactorily estimates of the stiffness characteristics of UGM. A simple test that has been used for a long time in structural design of flexible pavements is the CBR (California Bearing Ratio) test. In the CBR test, the load-deformation curve is acquired while a plunger is penetrated into the material at a constant rate. In the literature one can find a number of relationships for UGM where the CBR value is used to predict the stiffness. These connections usually do not take into account that stiffness of UGM is both stress and moisture dependent. To investigate if a relationship between the two tests exists, twenty materials have been tested with both methods and the test results compared. The materials were of varying quality and were tested at four different moisture contents. The results indicate that a simple power law can be used to forecast the stiffness if the CBR-value is known.