Assessment of Engineering Characteristics of Pesticides-Contaminated Soil Based on RCPTU Data

The resistivity piezocone penetration test (RCPT) is a fast, repeatable and cost-efficient in situ method to detect soil engineering properties. In geo-environmental site detection, soil properties - such as soil resistivity (ρ), effective angle of internal friction (φ'), constrained modulus (M) and relative density (D_r) - can be obtained. This paper analyzed engineering properties of soils contaminated by different pesticide, which were obtained by RCPTU in one pesticides factory in Eastern China. The results showed that soils contaminated by nitidine chloride and organophosphorus had lower resistivity (ρ), effective angle of internal friction (φ'), constrained modulus (M) and relative density (D_r) as compared with uncontaminated soil. Nitidine chloride-contaminated soil had higher properties than organophosphorus-contaminated soil. Both contaminated and uncontaminated soils were identified in Robertson (1990) soil classification chart (Fr-Qt). It is noted that different pesticides have similar influence on soil classification. They are all located in lower areas than the uncontaminated ones on then soil classification chart.