New method AS 1289 for compaction testing is on its way

The new method for compactions to the Australian Standards will be formalising curing requirements that laboratories will need to record for every compaction undertaken. This is based off a visual assessment of liquid limit and how far away from optimum moisture content the sample is versus table 3 within the standard.

Short story is that the more plastic (ie clayey) the material is or the drier/wetter it is in the field the longer the curing period is required in the lab. This may effect turnaround times on subgrade and fills where liquid limits are typically higher, or on pavements that have not been tested within a day from completion of rolling.

At the moment this requirement is in draft format with the Australian Standards Committee awaiting the public comments period. Typically this process can (after a 2 to 3 month public comment period) take an additional 6 to 12 months to formally release the new standard provided that no major changes are required.

Once the new standard gets released HiQA will be reviewing and writing a technical memo outlining the changes and new requirements going forward for both our team members, clients, the Northern Territory Government and Civil Contractors Federation.