Relationship between Fines Content and Soil Behavior Type Index at Liquefaction Sites
Publication: Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 150, Issue 5
Abstract
This technical note presents a relationship between soil behavior type index, , obtained from cone penetration testing (CPT), and soil fines content, FC, obtained from laboratory testing of samples from colocated borings. Liquefaction evaluation based on CPT testing is best informed by independent evaluation of FC and plasticity characteristics by retrieving samples from the site. However, sampling is not feasible for many projects, in which case correlations between CPT data and FC are used despite the added uncertainty. The data set used to develop the relationship is from the Next Generation Liquefaction (NGL) project and consists of 227 colocated CPT soundings and boring logs from 111 sites, and a total of 2,714 pairs. This global data set is larger and spans a broader range of locations and geological settings than has been considered in previous models. A model was fit to the data using linear least-squares regression following logistic transformation of the FC data, and standardization of both and the transformed FC data. The model is presented in a probabilistic framework based on the computed standard deviation of the residuals. An influence of soil plasticity on model residuals was found, but PI is not included as an independent variable in the model, mainly because plasticity measurements require sampling, in which case FC should be measured directly rather than being computed from .
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Data Availability Statement
All data utilized in this paper are available through the Next Generation Liquefaction (Brandenberg et al. 2020; Ulmer et al. 2023) web portal. Data presented in this note were published by Hudson et al. (2023a). A total of 31 citations for the original sources of data presented herein are included in the published data set (Hudson et al. 2023a).
Acknowledgments
Financial support for the NGL project is provided by the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and the US Bureau of Reclamation (USBR) through the Southwest Research Institute (SWRI). Neither the US Government nor any agency thereof, nor any of their employees, make any warranty, expressed or implied, or assumes any legal liability or responsibility for any third party’s use, or the results of such use, of any information, apparatus, product, or process disclosed in this paper, or represents that its use by such third party would not infringe privately owned rights. The views expressed in this paper are not necessarily those of the NRC or USBR.
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 150 • Issue 5 • May 2024
Copyright
© 2024 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Jul 21, 2023
Accepted: Dec 13, 2023
Published online: Feb 28, 2024
Published in print: May 1, 2024
Discussion open until: Jul 28, 2024
ASCE Technical Topics:
- Computer models
- Construction engineering
- Construction management
- Continuum mechanics
- Deformation (mechanics)
- Engineering fundamentals
- Engineering mechanics
- Geomechanics
- Geotechnical engineering
- Geotechnical investigation
- Laboratory tests
- Models (by type)
- Penetration tests
- Plasticity
- Project management
- Soil classification
- Soil liquefaction
- Soil mechanics
- Soil properties
- Solid mechanics
- Structural mechanics
- Tests (by type)
Authors
Metrics & Citations
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