Critical Analysis of Theoretical Models of Soil Compaction and Identification of Their Limitations in Predicting the Ultimate State

A comprehensive analysis of modern approaches to modeling soil compaction processes has been conducted, relevant for addressing tasks in transport and industrial construction within the framework of national projects "Safe and High-Quality Roads" and "Integrated Development of Territories". The research covers key aspects of compaction mechanics with a critical assessment of 6 main theoretical models, including the Hertz-Belyaev solutions, power-law relationships, and Kaluzhsky's zonal model. It has been established that existing theoretical models adequately describe only the initial stages of compaction, demonstrating up to 45% discrepancy with experimental data when predicting the ultimate soil state. A fundamental contradiction has been identified: classical dependencies predict unlimited settlement growth with increasing roller passes beyond 15-20 cycles, which contradicts field test data showing density stabilization after 8-12 passes. Based on a comparative analysis of 23 experimental studies, it has been determined that modern models do not account for the evolution of soil strength characteristics, leading to overestimation of calculated settlement values by 25-30%. The necessity of developing new adaptive models that consider changes in soil deformation modulus during compaction has been demonstrated. The obtained results have practical significance for the digitalization of construction processes and can be used in creating intelligent compaction control systems, potentially reducing energy costs by 15-20% and improving the accuracy of predicting soil foundation bearing capacity by 25%. The developed recommendations are relevant for implementation in the construction practice of high-speed highways and infrastructure facilities in complex soil conditions.