Evaluation of Undrained Shear Strength Using Full-Flow Penetrometers
Publication: Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 137, Issue 1
Abstract
Full-flow penetrometers (the T-bar and ball) are increasingly used on sites with thick deposits of soft clays, particularly prevalent offshore. Full-flow penetration tests were performed at five international well-characterized soft clay test sites to assess the use of full-flow penetrometers to estimate undrained shear strength. Field vane shear data were used as the reference undrained strength. Statistical analyses of strength factors indicates that full-flow penetrometers provide an estimate of undrained shear strength at a similar level of reliability compared to the piezocone. Relationships for estimating the strength factor and soil sensitivity using only full-flow penetrometer data obtained during initial penetration and extraction are developed. A strong dependence of the strength factor on sensitivity was identified and can be used for the estimation of undrained strength. The effectiveness and use of the developed correlations are demonstrated through their application at an additional test site.
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Acknowledgments
Funding from the National Science Foundation (Grant Nos. NSFCMS# 0301448 and NSFOISE# 0530151) is appreciated. The collaboration with Tom Lunne and Knut Anderson of the Norwegian Geotechnical Institute and with Prof. Mark Randolph at the University of Western Australia, with respect to field testing and data analysis, is particularly appreciated. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the writers and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation. Finally, the writers would like to thank the individuals who provided thorough reviews of the manuscript.
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 137 • Issue 1 • January 2011
Pages: 14 - 26
Copyright
© 2011 ASCE.
History
Received: Apr 20, 2009
Accepted: May 18, 2010
Published online: Dec 15, 2010
Published in print: Jan 2011
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