Interpretation of Interbedded Thin–Soft Layer Properties from T-Bar Penetration Tests
Publication: Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 148, Issue 6
Abstract
Layered soil conditions are common in marine sediments, and deduction of strength properties for thin interbedded layers is often challenging. Full-flow penetrometers such as T-bar are increasingly being used in offshore site investigations and show high potential for differentiating the shear strength transition between layers. This paper reports the results from large deformation finite-element analysis undertaken to provide insight into the response of a T-bar penetrometer as it continuously penetrates through stiff–soft–stiff clay layers. The numerical results are validated against data from a centrifuge model test. Trapped soil is observed for any nonsmooth interface as the T-bar penetrates from a stiff to a softer soil layer, which affects the measured resistance of the soft layer. The effect of a cavity above the advancing T-bar was also investigated. The presence of a cavity can increase the sharpness of the transition in resistance from one layer to another, which thus affects estimation of the boundary of the soft layer. The evolution of trapped soil from the top layer within the soft layer, and then its erosion in the bottom layer, were explored. The research found that the measured resistance profile in the soft layer is sensitive to the strength ratio between the top layer and soft layer, but the resistance of the bottom layer is more reliable. Based on deduced measurement parameters from the resistance profile, a new interpretation framework is proposed for interpreting the layer boundaries and undrained shear strength of the interbedded soft layer.
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Data Availability Statement
All data, models, and code generated or used during the study either appear in the published paper or may be obtained by contacting the corresponding author.
Acknowledgments
The authors acknowledge the financial support from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 51890912 and 51679038) and the National Key Research and Development Program of China (No. 2018YFD1100401). The research presented here was also undertaken with support from the China Scholarship Council during a 12-month secondment at the Centre for Offshore Foundation Systems at the University of Western Australia. This support is gratefully acknowledged, as is the benefit of discussion with Prof. Yuxia Hu.
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Received: Mar 30, 2021
Accepted: Dec 15, 2021
Published online: Apr 8, 2022
Published in print: Jun 1, 2022
Discussion open until: Sep 8, 2022
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