Modelling the Cone Penetration Test in sand using Cavity Expansion and Arbitrary Lagrangian Eulerian Finite Element Methods

The paper considers two techniques to model the Cone Penetration Test (CPT) end resistance, q_c in a dense sand deposit using commercial finite element programmes. In the first approach, Plaxis was used to perform spherical cavity expansion analyses at multiple depths. Two soil models, namely; the Mohr–Coulomb (MC) and Hardening Soil (HS) models were utilized. When calibrated using simple laboratory element tests, the HS model was found to provide good estimates of q_c. However, at shallow depths, where the over-consolidation ratio of the sand was highest, the relatively large horizontal stresses developed prevented the full development of the failure zone resulting in under-estimation of the q_c value. The second approach involved direct simulation of cone penetration using a large-strain analysis implemented in Abaqus/Explicit. The Arbitrary Lagrangian Eulerian (ALE) technique was used to prevent excessive mesh deformation. Although the Druker–Prager soil model used was not as sophisticated as the HS model, excellent agreement was achieved between the predicted and measured q_c profiles.