Predictions of the OCR from Piezocone Tests in Quaternary Clays

As indicated by the profile of overconsolidation ratio (OCR), the stress history of a soil deposit is one of the dominant factors that influence the engineering behavior of soils. A commonly used method to obtain the parameter is the laboratory oedometer test, which is of low accuracy and time consuming because of inevitable sample disturbance. These difficulties can be overcome by in situ pizeocone penetration test, which provides continuous measurement of cone resistance, sleeve friction, and pore water pressure induced during the penetration. Though many methods have been proposed to estimate the preconsolidation pressure and overconsolidation ratio of clay deposits, their validity still needs to be proved. In this study, existing empirical methods for interpreting stress history of clays through piezocone tests are briefly reviewed. It is shown that regional correlations are valid. Piezocone tests utilizing a Vertek-Hogentogler CPTU truck that have been completed at different sites in the Jiangsu province of China. Existing correlations are compared with these field test data. It is shown that the correlation based on normalized net tip resistance is pretty accurate for determining the overconsolidation ratio of Quaternary clay deposits.     

Interpretation of electric piezocone data of Chennai coast

Geotechnical engineers worldwide practice variety of in-situ techniques to obtain the physical and engineering properties of soil. Electric piezocone, which is an advanced version of cone penetrometer, is capable of measuring cone resistance, sleeve friction and penetration pore pressure. The piezocone test data not only provide valuable information on soil types but are also useful in deriving correlations with the engineering properties of soil for the purpose of analysis and design of foundations. In a view to establish a region-specific correlation between piezocone penetration resistance and soil properties, piezocone tests (CPTu), marine borings, and SPT tests were carried out at seven locations off Chennai, on the east coast of India. CPTu data was used for classifying soil; henceforth expounded that a reasonable classification of soil can be done using cone resistance, sleeve friction, and penetration pore pressure. The available charts to find out the drained shear strength from CPTu data was also verified for the region-specific use. Correlation between cone resistance (q_c), and N-value was established and compared with existing recommendations.     

Modified approach to evaluation of undrained shear strength from piezocone tests in soft clays

This paper proposes a modified-theoretical approach to interpreting the undrained shear strength from piezocone tests in clays. Assuming the shear and normal stresses on the cone face to be the friction at the cone–soil interface and the ultimate expansion pressure, respectively, an expression of the tip resistance is first derived at force equilibrium. The undrained shear strength is then determined by combining the derived expression of tip resistance with the formulation for pore pressure at the cone shoulder position. Many factors, such as the penetration rate and the cone roughness, are considered in this model. Different shaped model penetrometers, including cone- and ball-shaped ones, are adopted in centrifuge tests to investigate the validity of the proposed method. The undrained shear strength estimated from the piezocone test is found to agree well with that from ball penetrometer test. Case studies are also presented to show the application of the proposed method. Comparisons between the predicted and measured values of undrained shear strength indicate that the proposed approach is generally applicable for nonfissured clays, especially intact clays.     

Field Evaluation of Undrained Shear Strength from Piezocone Penetration Tests in Soft Marine Clay

The use of the piezocone penetration test (CPTU) in a geotechnical site investigation offers direct field measurement on stratigraphy and soil behavior. Compared with some traditional investigation methods, such as drilling, sampling and field inspecting method or laboratory test procedures, CPTU can greatly accelerate the field work and hereby reduce corresponding operation cost. The undrained shear strength is a key parameter in estimation of the stability of natural slopes and deformation of embankments in soft clays. This paper provides the measurements of in situ CPTU, field vane testing and laboratory undrained triaxial testing of Lianyungang marine clay in Jiangsu province of China. Based on the literature review of previous interpretation methods, this paper presents a comparison of field vane testing measurements to CPTU interpretation results. The undrained shear strength values from both the field vane tests and cone penetration resistances are lowest at the mid-depths of the marine clay layers, and the excess pore water pressures are highest at the mid-depths of the marine clay layers, indicating that the marine clay layer is underconsolidated.     

基于CPTU解释黏性土不排水抗剪强度方法研究

黏性土的不排水抗剪强度Su是海上风电工程设计中重要的力学参数之一,孔压静力触探测试（简称CPTU）无法直接测得黏土强度,但其所提供的锥尖阻力、侧摩阻力以及孔隙水压力与土体的不排水抗剪强度存在映射关系,国内外基于CPTU已经演化出多种解释土体不排水抗剪强度计算公式。基于滨海某海上风电项目,开展了原位CPTU试验、三轴不固结不排水（UU）、三轴固结不排水（CU）、固结快剪（CQ）以及船上微型十字板剪切（MVST）试验,对已有计算公式的适用性进行了校验,分析发现需根据区域场地情况对其中经验系数进行相应的调整以提高计算精度。研究基于CU试验结果,结合工程实例对原有公式中经验参数进行优化修正,最后通过误差分析,验证了修正预测模型的准确性与合理性,利用改进后的修正预测模型可使江苏地区海域黏性土不排水抗剪强度的计算得到更准确的结果。     

Stress History Estimation Method of Underconsolidated Soil by Partial Piezocone Dissipation Tests

The paper discusses a new method to put forward to determine the initial pore pressure by extrapolating the last segment of measured pore pressure versus the inverse square root of time scale through incomplete pore pressure dissipation test. For underconsolidated soil, the estimated initial pore pressure is greater than the hydrostatic pore pressure. With the calculation of the initial pore pressure, the status of the consolidation of underconsolidated soil can be evaluated by calculating the apparent degree of consolidation which is defined as excess pore pressure generated by piezocone penetration divided by the difference between the total pore pressure measured by piezocone and in situ hydrostatic pore pressure. The apparent degree of consolidation is less than one as the soil is underconsolidated. The Northern Expressway Connection project of Chongqi Bridge is introduced as an example of practical application. In this case, the studied area is slightly underconsolidated, which is consistent with the results of the laboratory oedometer tests. Finally, compared with overconsolidation ratio (OCR) values from the oedometer tests, a new formula to estimate the OCR of underconsolidated soil using the apparent degree of consolidation was presented. It indicates that the OCR of underconsolidated soil can be proposed directly from partial piezocone dissipation tests.     

海底管线区浅表层土孔压静力触探参数特征及应用

利用东海陆架海底输油管道路由调查获得的孔压静力触探数据和钻探资料等,采用统计分析的方法,对管道路由区5 m以浅土体的孔压静力触探曲线特征、土的分类方法鉴别作了探讨,结果表明:研究区5 m以浅黏性土的锥尖阻力(qc),侧摩阻力(fs)值较小,且随深度呈线性增加,粉质土的qc,fs值增大,但随深度线性增加规律不明显,砂类土的qc值急剧增大,但fs值变化不大;Robertson法和Eslami-Fellenius法两种土类划分方法均适用于研究区浅表层软土的土类划分,但Robertson法在判别粉质土时受到一定限制,Eslami-Fellenius法判别较为准确,应用简单。本研究可为我国在海底管线工程路由勘察中直接利用孔压静力触探(CPTU)参数划分土层和判别土类作铺垫。     

Assessment of CPTU and static load test methods for predicting ultimate bearing capacity of pile

For the static pressure pile, the most important is to determine the standard value of ultimate bearing capacity of single pile. At present, the bearing capacity of pile foundation is usually determined by the cone penetration test (CPT) test. The empirical formula was used in practice, but the effect of excess pore water pressure generated in the penetration on the measured cone-tip resistance and side friction is neglected. In this study, based on the field test results at Fengyu playground at Yancheng Institute of Technology by CPT and CPTU methods, the bearing capacity of pile was predicted by the standardized methods, the LCPC (France method) and CPTU direct prediction methods. The prediction was also compared with the results by the static load test method. The prediction accuracy of the CPTU method was then discussed as well. The results reveal that the accuracy of the CPTU method was the highest, which was consistent with the results obtained by the static load test method. It is the best method and worthy of being applied for predicting bearing capacity of piles in engineering applications.     

Consolidation Parameters Interpretation of CPTU Dissipation Data Based on Strain Path Theory for Soft Jiangsu Quaternary Clays

When a piezocone (CPTU) penetrates the ground, pore pressures are set up due to the stress changes. Pore pressure dissipation occurs in the subsequent consolidation process in a manner dependent on the initial stress distribution. The process of analysis can be used to interpret the consolidation parameters from CPTU data based on strain path approach. For the two approaches to the CPTU analysis, the Houlsby and Teh method used an elastic-plastic model, while the Levadoux and Baligh solution used parameters specifically appropriate for Boston Blue Clay. This article discusses a comparison between the two theoretical predictions and field CPTU measurements deployed in Jiangsu (China) Quaternary clays. The values of the coefficient of consolidation calculated from the two methods are then compared with high-quality laboratory tests. Both theoretical predictions provide good agreement for the shape of the dissipation curve, but the predicted c _h values are different and thought should indeed be given to the use of an appropriate value of G/s _u.     

南中国海神狐海域天然气水合物上覆地层不排水抗剪强度预测

浅层沉积物不排水抗剪强度（Su）是深水作业的关键参数之一。为了获取南海神狐海域首次海域天然气水合物试采区W18-19框体的基本工程地质特征,试采工程准备阶段开展了原位孔压静力触探测试（CPTU）及大量的室内实验。本文将主要基于CPTU计算不排水抗剪强度的基本模型,采用微型十字板、电动十字板、袖珍贯入仪及不固结不排水三轴实验,确定该区域不排水抗剪强度的基本模式,并提出适用于南海神狐钙质黏土层的不排水抗剪强度纵向分布规律计算模型,对该区域水合物上覆层的不排水抗剪强度进行预测。 结果表明,基于总锥端阻力、有效锥端阻力、超孔隙压力的模型系数分为13.8、4.2、14.4。综合考虑地层压实效应和含气情况,本文提出的分段函数预测模型与室内结果的一致性较好,可用于工程设计阶段进行工区不排水抗剪强度纵向分布规律的预测。另外,基于有效锥端阻力的不排水抗剪强度经验模型适应于浅层极软-较硬压实的钙质粘土层,基于超孔隙压力的不排水抗剪强度模型适用于较硬-坚硬的不含气层,而基于总锥端阻力的不排水抗剪强度计算模型则适用于坚硬含气的钙质黏土层。本文提出的分段函数模型有效的提高了经验模型在南海神狐水合物赋存区的适用性,计算结果可为工程安全评价提供支撑。     

Cnoidal water wave induced seepage in a permeable seabed with a defined thickness

Extreme waves can induce seepage in a seabed and cause problems to marine structures in coastal regions. In this study, the seepage under cnoidal waves was studied using the transient seepage equation. An analytical solution is presented for the pore pressure in a seabed of defined thickness. Parametric studies were carried out to examine the influence of air content in the pore water, and of the soil hydraulic conductivity on the seepage. It has been shown that the air content and the soil hydraulic conductivity can affect the pore pressure response significantly. An increase in the air content or a decrease in the soil hydraulic conductivity will increase the magnitude of the pore pressure gradient and results in the pore pressure varying sharply. The liquefaction potential of a seabed under cnoidal waves is discussed. Consequently, comparative studies are carried out to show that the soil shear modulus and Poisson constant can influence the difference between the transient seepage equation and Biot's equation, and the transient seepage equation is a limit of Biot's equation.     

Laboratory Study on the Hydraulic Conductivity and Pore Pressure of Sand-Silt Mixtures

The hydraulic conductivity plays a major role on the excess pore pressure generation during monotonic and cyclic loading of granular soils with fines. This paper aims to determine how much the hydraulic conductivity and pore pressure response of the sand-silt mixtures are affected by the percentage of fines and void ratio of the soil. The results of flexible wall permeameter and undrained monotonic triaxial tests performed on samples reconstituted from Chlef River sand with 0, 10, 20, 30, 40, and 50% nonplastic silt at an effective confining stress of 100 kPa and two relative densities (D_r = 20, and 91%) are presented and discussed. It was found that the pore pressure increases linearly with the increase of the fines content and logarithmically with the increase of the intergranular void ratio. The results obtained from this study reveal that the saturated hydraulic conductivity (k) of the sand mixed with 50% low plastic fines can be, on average, four orders of magnitude smaller than that of the clean sand. The results show also that the hydraulic conductivity decreases hyperbolically with the increase of the fines content and the intergranular void ratio.     

海底麻坑内外土体物理力学特性差异研究

为了研究海底麻坑内外土体物理力学特性的差异,以杭州湾口外软土海底发现的大型麻坑为研究对象,分别在麻坑内外进行了4站15m孔压静力触探(CPTU)测试、2口钻孔共48个柱状样样品的常规土工试验,结果表明麻坑内土体相较麻坑外土体抗剪强度高、压缩模量大,饱和度、孔隙率和含水量低,而浅层气在海底土体中的赋存形式是造成这种差异的主要原因。     

电阻率法监测黄河口海床沉积物固结过程现场试验研究

为了研究黄河口海床沉积物固结过程中电阻率同工程力学性质指标的对应关系,探索海床土体固结过程的新型原位监测技术,本文在黄河刁口流路三角洲叶瓣潮坪上,现场取土配置黄河口快速沉积形成的流体状沉积物和观测研究粉质土海床的固结过程。利用静力触探、十字板剪切试验、孔隙水压力监测等原位土工测试手段,实时测定固结过程中海床土强度变化和孔隙水压力消散过程;同时通过埋置自行研制的环形电极探杆,实时测定海床土固结过程中的电阻率变化。通过对比分析海床土电阻率与工程力学性质指标的同步测定数据发现:黄河口饱和粉土的电阻率与微型贯入试验测得的土体贯入强度,静力触探试验测得的比贯入阻力,十字板剪切试验测得的不排水抗剪强度(峰值强度、残余强度)均呈乘幂关系,且相关性良好;海床沉积物在固结过程中的电阻率与孔隙水压力呈负线性相关性。     

Behavior of Loose Silty Sand of Chlef River: Effect of Low Plastic Fine Contents and Other Parameters

This article presents a laboratory study of static behavior of silty-sand soils. The objective of this laboratory investigation is to study the effect of initial confining pressures and fines content on the undrained shear strength (known as liquefaction resistance) response, pore pressure, and hydraulic conductivity of sand–silt mixtures. The triaxial tests were conducted on reconstituted saturated silty-sand samples at initial relative density D_r = 15% with fines content ranging from 0 to 50%. All the samples were subjected to a range of initial confining pressures (50, 100, and 200 kPa). The obtained results indicate that the presence of low plastic fines in sand–silt mixture leads to a more compressible soil fabric, and consequently to a significant loss in the soil resistance to liquefaction. The evaluation of the data indicates that the undrained shear strength can be correlated to fines content (F_c), inter-granular void ratio (e_g), and excess of pore pressure (Δu). The undrained shear strength decreases with the decrease of saturated hydraulic conductivity and the increase of fines content for all confining pressures under consideration. There is a relatively high degree of correlation between the peak shear strength (q_peak) and the logarithm of the saturated hydraulic conductivity (k_sat) for all confining pressures.     

大直径超长管桩打桩过程中土塞性状研究

大直径超长桩的可打入分析是海洋平台打桩施工顺利进行的重要保障,土塞是否闭合的判断对于桩基可打入性分析具有较大的影响,因此,合理准确的土塞判断结果对提高桩的可打入分析的准确性具有重要的意义。以现场静力触探(CPTU)试验数据为依据,采用孔扩张理论推导了基于CPTU测试结果的桩端土的极限承载力计算公式;在求解桩端土体承载力时考虑了管桩与土体的刚度差异,同时考虑到打桩过程中的土体扰动。采用Randolph推荐的方法得到了土塞阻力,将两者进行比较,进而判断土塞的状态。通过实际工程的实测数据,对各个土层的土塞状况进行了判别,并根据判别情况采用波动方程的方法对桩基的可打入性进行了分析,将预测结果和现场的打桩记录进行了比较。计算结果显示,提出的方法与实测结果更为接近,有效地提高了桩的可打入性的预测精度。     

Gmax of Reclaimed Ground on the Western Coast of Korea Using Various Field and Laboratory Measurements

The maximum shear modulus of soil is a principal parameter for the design of earth structures under static and dynamic loads. In this study, the statistical data of the maximum shear moduli of reclaimed ground in the Songdo area on the western coast of Korea were evaluated using various field and laboratory tests, including the standard penetration test (SPT), piezocone penetration test (CPTu), self-boring pressure meter test (SBPT), down-hole seismic test (DHT), seismic piezocone penetration test (SCPTu) and resonant column test (RCT). Soils were classified variously by using a conventional unified soil classification system and classification charts for CPTu data. For the soils containing mostly sand and silt, the soil classifications using the classification charts for CPTu data show good agreement with the unified soil classification. Based on the statistical analysis on various maximum shear moduli, new site-specific empirical correlations between the shear moduli and SPT and CPTu values were proposed. Predictions of the maximum shear moduli using the proposed correlations were compared with the data obtained from the DHT, which is comparatively exact in evaluating the maximum stiffness of soils. The good agreement confirmed that the proposed correlations reasonably predicted the maximum shear moduli of soils in western coastal area of Korea.     

SPT-CPT Correlation and Its Application for Liquefaction Evaluation in China

The standard penetration test (SPT) and cone penetration test (CPT) are the two most commonly used in-situ tests. In this paper, SPT-CPT correlation is investigated using statistical and regression method based on a database of in-situ tests. Two correlation equations of the SPT N-value and the CPT cone tip resistance q_c are proposed. The equations are applied for the liquefaction potential evaluation. Three effect factors including the soil type, mean particle size, and fine content are investigated for SPT-CPT correlation. The simple correlation can be used for the preliminary site investigation with least data and information. The comprehensive one can give more accurate result with detailed data. These two correlation equations are useful for different purposes with different accuracies. The liquefaction evaluations using the proposed correlation method are compared with those from the Chinese code method. It is shown that the proposed correlation can be helpful for site investigation and geotechnical design in practice.     

Geotechnical Hybrid Simulation to Investigate the Effects of the Hydraulic Conductivity on One-Dimensional Consolidation Settlement

Difficulties in the prediction of time-distribution of consolidation settlement will be introduced by using the Murayama test embankment case of Japan. In particular, it will be discussed why the prediction of consolidation rate is difficult in multi-layered soil with complex and variable mechanical properties like organic soil or peat. It can be inferred that uncertainties, which are embedded intricately in the consolidation problem as well as given ground condition, would be major causes for consolidation settlement. After that, the author focused on the movement of pore water under the various conditions of hydraulic conductivity in the soils, and how it can affect the time-distribution of the consolidation settlement. For the applied key methodology on the consolidation settlement problem, we propose the hybrid consolidation simulation controlling the movement of pore water with high accuracy and, finally, the aim of this article is to discuss the methodological approaches obtained by the study, including the basic concept and accurate movement of pore water under various conditions of soil layers and hydraulic conductivity.     

Lancelot—a seabed piezometric probe for geotechnical studies

A seabed instrument called Lancelot has been developed to measure pore pressure characteristics within potentially unstable marine sediment deposits, in any water depth. An estimate of the coefficient of consolidation can be obtained from the sediment pore pressure dissipation response that occurs following penetration into the seabed. This data can be used to calculate the coefficient of hydraulic conductivity, which is useful in analyzing the seepage velocity of pore fluids moving within the sediment mass. Pore-water pressures in excess of the normal hydrostatic profile are detected and used in static and dynamic liquefaction analyses, with a view toward understanding the origin of unusual seabed features such as pockmarks, as well as short-term instability caused by wave loading. An example of static liquefaction due to seepage stress is given for sites in and adjacent to the well-known 1929 Grand Banks debris flow, along with an example of incomplete liquefaction caused by dynamic wave loading within Miramichi Inner Harbor, New Brunswick. The adoption of in situ measurement techniques is shown to produce data of a quality not normally obtainable from recovered core samples, due to pressure relief and sampling disturbance effects.