Application of Press-Replace Method to Simulate Undrained Cone Penetration
Publication: International Journal of Geomechanics
Volume 18, Issue 7
Abstract
A simplified numerical procedure to model a deep-penetration process, press-replace method (PRM), was used to simulate a cone penetration test (CPT) in undrained conditions with finite-element software. A detailed description is given on how PRM can be implemented in CPT. The performance of PRM was validated by comparing results obtained with solutions from three other numerical approaches: large-deformation finite element (LDFE), steady-state finite element (SSFE), and material point method (MPM). For a wide range of soil rigidities, initial soil stress anisotropy and roughness conditions, normalized cone factors from PRM using a Tresca model, agreed within 10% of LDFE, and the average value was greater than LDFE by 4%. Total stress, principal stress directions, and magnitudes from PRM were also found to be similar to LDFE results. The PRM approach was then applied to a modified Cam-clay soil model. Excess pore-pressure distributions calculated around the cone agreed well with solutions by SSFE. For a smooth cone with various initial stress states, PRM calculated cone tip resistances that were approximately 7% more than MPM.
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Acknowledgments
The authors are grateful to Dr. Goh Siang Huat, Dr. Shen Ruifu, and Dr. Serene Hui Xin Tay from the National University of Singapore for their valuable suggestions given during the course of this study. The authors also thank Dr. H. K. Engin for answering e-mail queries regarding implementation of PRM, Dr. R. B. J Brinkgreve for his clarifications regarding soil models in PLAXIS, and all who have given comments for the improvement of this study. Finally, the authors deeply appreciate the help from Mr. Chua Tong Seng and Mr. Nonaka Takeshi from Kiso Jiban Consultants Co. Ltd. for clarifying issues regarding CPTu tests and sharing field data for the initial verification of PRM.
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© 2018 American Society of Civil Engineers.
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Received: Mar 7, 2017
Accepted: Jan 15, 2018
Published online: Apr 24, 2018
Published in print: Jul 1, 2018
Discussion open until: Sep 24, 2018
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