Chinese Dynamic Penetration Test for Liquefaction Evaluation in Gravelly Soils
Publication: Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 139, Issue 8
Abstract
Following the 2008 Wenchuan, China earthquake, investigators from the Institute of Engineering Mechanics, China Earthquake Administration identified 118 sites with surface liquefaction effects. Following this reconnaissance, Chinese dynamic penetration tests (DPT) were conducted at 19 sites with liquefaction effects and 28 nearby sites without liquefaction effects. Boreholes with nearly continuous core samples were drilled near most DPT soundings revealing 1–4 m of clayey sediment overlying thick deposits of cobbley gravel. The DPT readily penetrated gravelly sediments to depths of 7–15 m. Layers that liquefied at each site are identified as the layer below the water table with the lowest average or matrix DPT resistance. DPT data are analyzed to develop probabilistic criteria for liquefaction resistance. The DPT is a robust, efficient, and effective tool for measuring penetration resistance in gravelly soils and for liquefaction hazard analyses. With further development, the DPT test could be useful for penetration and liquefaction evaluation of gravelly soils in the United States and other countries where liquefaction of gravels is an important issue.
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Acknowledgments
This research was jointly supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 41272357, 51208477) and the International Collaborative Project of Ministry of Science and Technology of People’s Republic of China (Grant No. 2009DFA71720). The US Bureau of Reclamation provided the pile driving analyzer (PDA) used in this study.
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Information
Published In
Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 139 • Issue 8 • August 2013
Pages: 1320 - 1333
Copyright
© 2013 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Feb 4, 2012
Accepted: Oct 23, 2012
Published online: Oct 25, 2012
Published in print: Aug 1, 2013
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