Case Study: Correlation between Becker and SPT Blow Counts
Publication: Geo-Congress 2024
ABSTRACT
This paper presents the results of a site-specific study correlating Becker penetration test blow counts to that of the standard penetration test. The study was conducted as part of the Woodfibre LNG export facility project. The project site is located near Squamish, British Columbia. Site investigation for the project included standard penetration tests, Becker penetration tests, and instrumented Becker penetration tests. The blow count values from the three different test methods needed to be converted to equivalent standard penetration test values for use in seismic analyses and design of the various LNG infrastructure types. Four different methods and correlations were evaluated. Comparison of the equivalent blow-count data obtained from adjacent boreholes with different test methods shows wide differences in the resultant equivalent standard penetration test values obtained using currently available conversions methods. We propose site-specific conversion factor to correlate blow-count data from the different test methods for sand and gravel soil types. This paper also presents a framework to correlate the bounce chamber pressure and hammer energy measurements, which can be used to convert the blow counts from Becker penetration tests to equivalent standard penetration test values.
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REFERENCES
Chowdhury, K., Dawson, E., Newman, E., Dober, M., Hazleton, K., Gamblin, A., and Seed, R. (2020). Evolution of Seismic Analysis of an Embankment Dam. Dam Safety 2020 Conference, Association of State Dam Safety Officials, Virtual Conference.
Chowdhury, K., Alvarez, C., Rausche, F., Serafini, D., and Seed, R. B. (2021). An End Bearing Method for Evaluating Instrumented Becker Penetration Test Data for Site Characterization. U.S. Society of Dams 2021 Annual Conference (virtual) 1–34.
Ghafghazi, M., DeJong, J. T., Sturm, A. P., and Temple, C. E. (2017). Instrumented Becker Penetration Test. II: iBPT-SPT Correlation for Characterization and Liquefaction Assessment of Gravelly Soils. Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering, 143(9), 04017063. https://doi.org/10.1061/(asce)gt.1943-5606.0001718.
Ghafghazi, M., Dejong, J. T., and Wilson, D. W. (2017). Evaluation of Becker penetration test interpretation methods for liquefaction assessment in gravelly soils. Canadian Geotechnical Journal, 54(9), 1272–1283. https://doi.org/10.1139/cgj-2016-0413.
Harder, L. F., and Seed, H. B. (1986). Determination of penetration resistance for coarse-grained soils using the Becker hammer drill. University of California, Berkeley, May 1986.
Sy, A., and Campanella, R. G. (1994). “Becker and Standard Penetration Test (BPT-SPT) Correlations with Consideration of Casing Friction”, Canadian Geotechnical Journal, 31(3), 343–356. https://doi.org/10.1139/t94-042.
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Published online: Feb 22, 2024
ASCE Technical Topics:
- Case studies
- Construction engineering
- Construction management
- Correlation
- Earthquake engineering
- Energy engineering
- Energy sources (by type)
- Engineering fundamentals
- Fuels
- Geotechnical engineering
- Geotechnical investigation
- Mathematics
- Methodology (by type)
- Natural gas
- Non-renewable energy
- Penetration tests
- Petroleum
- Project management
- Research methods (by type)
- Seismic design
- Seismic tests
- Site investigation
- Statistics
- Tests (by type)
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