Centrifuge Modeling of Variable-Rate Cone Penetration in Low-Plasticity Silts
Publication: Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 145, Issue 11
Abstract
The effects of soil plasticity and penetration rate on cone penetration resistance in low-plasticity fine-grained soils are evaluated. A series of centrifuge tests with in-flight variable rate cone penetration soundings was performed on models of four slurry deposited mixtures of nonplastic silica silt and kaolin clay (0%, 2.5%, 5%, and 20% kaolin by dry mass) with plasticity indices ranging from 0 to 6. Cone penetration resistances for an effective overburden stress of 100 kPa ranged from 26 to 40 MPa (260 to 400 atm) in the nonplastic silica silt to 0.4–1.8 MPa (4–18 atm) in the silt-clay mixture with a plasticity index of 6. The addition of a small amount of clay (as little as 2.5% by dry mass) to nonplastic silt resulted in an order of magnitude decrease in drained penetration resistance. Faster penetration rates produced partially drained and undrained conditions, with negative excess pore pressures developing in the nonplastic silica silt and positive excess pore pressures developing in the mixtures with 5% and 20% kaolin.
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Acknowledgments
Portions of the work presented herein were derived from studies supported by the California Department of Water Resources (Contract No. 4600009751) and the National Science Foundation (Grant Nos. CMMI-1138203 and CMMI-1300518). Support for the Natural Hazards Engineering Research Infrastructure (NHERI) centrifuge facility at UC Davis was also provided by the National Science Foundation (Award No. CMMI-1520581). Any opinions, findings, or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and should not be interpreted as necessarily representing the official policies, either expressed or implied, of either organization. Steven Haugaard performed the one-dimensional compression tests presented herein. Mohammad Khosravi, Dan Wilson, and the staff of the Center for Geotechnical Modeling at UC Davis supported the experimental design and execution of the centrifuge model tests presented herein. The authors are grateful for the aforementioned assistance and support.
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Published In
Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 145 • Issue 11 • November 2019
Copyright
©2019 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Jul 15, 2018
Accepted: May 16, 2019
Published online: Aug 28, 2019
Published in print: Nov 1, 2019
Discussion open until: Jan 28, 2020
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