State-Based Overburden Normalization of Cone Penetration Resistance in Clean Sand
Publication: Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 140, Issue 2
Abstract
Interpretation of experimental and field cone penetration test (CPT) data from across a broad range of stress conditions requires defining the dependence of the measurements on overburden stress and other influencing factors. This paper examines three possible methods for overburden normalization of CPT tip resistance in sand at the same state parameter or same relative state parameter. The three methods for determining state-based normalized tip resistance at a reference overburden stress of 101.3 kPa (1 atm) are evaluated against calibration chamber test data for four well-studied clean sands. The CPT data from the calibration chamber tests are corrected for chamber boundary effects using two different methods to illustrate the effect this step has on derived relationships. The CPT data are further normalized to a common lateral earth pressure coefficient to illustrate the effect of this step. The three methods for state-based overburden normalization were evaluated for bias and dispersion against the calibration chamber data, including their dependence on the applied chamber correction relationship. The dependence of state-based overburden normalized tip resistances on the crushing behavior of the clean sand was evaluated by examination of one-dimensional limiting compression curves for these four sands. Finally, correlations for estimating the state parameter or relative state parameter from the state-based overburden normalized tip resistance were developed and evaluated based on the examined data.
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Acknowledgments
The authors are grateful for the funding provided by the California Department of Water Resources, the calibration chamber data provided by Jefferies and Been (2006) through Golder and Associates, and the helpful comments of the anonymous reviewers.
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© 2013 American Society of Civil Engineers.
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Received: Aug 4, 2012
Accepted: Aug 5, 2013
Published online: Aug 7, 2013
Published in print: Feb 1, 2014
Discussion open until: Apr 15, 2014
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