Relationship between Shear-Wave Velocity and Undrained Shear Strength of Peat
Publication: Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 146, Issue 7
Abstract
A significant challenge for engineers working with peat is the estimation of the undrained shear strength (). This is particularly the case for shallow, slightly overconsolidated peats found on natural hillsides and at the toe of embankments. Existing laboratory and in situ techniques may not be suitable due to issues such as access to remote areas, the resolution and accuracy of measuring equipment, sampling disturbance effects, and the influence of fibers on the measured results. It is logical to attempt to correlate with shear-wave velocity () because both parameters depend on the same set of fundamental factors. A lightweight portable probe has been developed that can be used to resolve the low values in peat reliably and repeatably. It was not possible to determine directly from the measurements. However, a strong correlation was found between normalized (by water content, ) and (derived from direct simple shear tests). A single operator can collect a continuous profile of and simultaneously and therefore derive a one-dimensional (1D) profile for the full peat thickness. Some limitations in the use of the derived empirical equations are outlined.
Get full access to this article
View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.
Data Availability Statement
All of the laboratory testing and field data generated during this study are available from the corresponding author by request.
Acknowledgments
The authors are grateful to several individuals and organizations for assistance with access to sites and for supporting data. These include Cor Zwanenburg of Deltares (Uitdam), Martin Timoney, ARUP (N56). Bo Vesterberg, Swedish Geotechnical Institute (Färgelanda), Ray Flynn, and Queen’s University Belfast (Ballinafagh).
References
Agaiby, S. S., and P. W. Mayne. 2015. “Relationship between undrained shear strength and shear wave velocity for clays.” In Proc., 6th Symp. on Deformation Characteristics of Geomaterials, edited by V. A. Rinaldi, 358–365. Amsterdam, Netherlands: IOS Press.
Amaryan, L. S. 1993. Soft soil properties and testing methods. Rotterdam, Netherlands: A.A. Balkema.
Amaryan, L. S., G. V. Sorokina, and L. V. Ostoumova. 1973. “Consolidation laws and mechanical-structural properties of peaty soils.” In Proc., 8th Int. Conf. on Soil Mechanics and Foundation Engineering, 1–6. Moscow: Geotechnical Society of the USSR.
Andresen, A., T. Berre, A. Kleven, and T. Lunne. 1979. “Procedures used to obtain soil parameters for foundation engineering in the North Sea.” Mar. Geotechnol. 3 (3): 201–266. https://doi.org/10.1080/10641197909379804.
Bjerrum, L., and A. O. Landva. 1966. “Direct simple-shear tests on a Norwegian quick clay.” Géotechnique 16 (1): 1–20. https://doi.org/10.1680/geot.1966.16.1.1.
Boulanger, R. W., R. Arulnathan, L. F., Harder Jr., R. A. Torres, and W. M. Driller. 1998. “Dynamic properties of Sherman Island peat.” J. Geotech. Geoenviron. Eng. 124 (1): 12–20. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)1090-0241(1998)124:1(12).
Boylan, N., and M. Long. 2009. “Development of a direct simple shear apparatus for peat soils.” ASTM Geotech. Test. J. 32 (2): 126–138.
Boylan, N., and M. Long. 2014. “Evaluation of peat strength for stability assessments.” Inst. Civ. Eng. J. Geotech. Eng. 167 (5): 421–430. https://doi.org/10.1680/geng.12.00043.
Boylan, N., M. Long, and F. Mathijssen. 2011. “In situ strength characterisation of peat and organic soils using full flow penetrometers.” Can. Geotech. J. 48 (7): 1085–1099. https://doi.org/10.1139/t11-023.
Campanella, R. G., W. P. Stewart, D. Roy, and M. P. Davies. 1994. “Low strain dynamic characteristics of soils with the downhole seismic piezocone penetrometer.” In Proc., Symp. on Dynamic Geotechnical Testing 2, 73–87. San Francisco: Special Technical Publication.
Carlsten, P. 2000. “Geotechnical properties of some Swedish peats.” In Proc., 13th Nordic Geotechnical Meeting (Nordiska Geoteknikermötet) NGM-2000, edited by H. Rathmayer, 51–60. Helsinki, Finland: Geotechnical Society of Finland.
Chandler, R. J., M. H. De Freitas, and P. Marinos. 2004. “Geotechnical characterisation of soils and rocks: a geological perspective.” In Proc., Skempton Memorial Conf, Advances in Geotechnical Engineering, edited by R. J. Jardine, D. M. Potts, and K. G. Higgins, 67–101. London: Thomas Telford.
Den Haan, E. J., and A. Feddema. 2013. “Deformation and strength of embankments on soft Dutch soil.” Proc. Inst. Civ. Eng. Geotech. Eng. 66 (3): 239–252. https://doi.org/10.1680/geng.9.00086.
Den Haan, E. J., and M. Grognet. 2014. “A large direct simple shear device for the testing of peat at low stresses.” Géotech. Lett. 4 (4): 283–288. https://doi.org/10.1680/geolett.14.00033.
Den Haan, E. J., and G. A. M. Kruse. 2007. “Characterisation and engineering properties of Dutch peats.” In Characterisation and engineering properties of natural soils, edited by T. S. Tan, K. K. Phoon, D. W. Hight, and S. Leroueil, 2101–2133. London: Taylor and Francis Group.
Edil, T. B. 2001. “Site characterisation in peat and organic soils.” In Proc., Int. Conf. on In Situ Measurement of Soil Properties and Case Histories, 49–59. Jakarta, Indonesia: Indonesian Geotechnical Society.
Edil, T. B., and X. Wang. 2000. “Shear strength and of peats and organic soils.” In Proc., Geotechnics of High Water Content Materials, ASTM STP 1374, 209–225. West Conshohocken, PA: ASTM.
Foott, R., and C. C. Ladd. 1981. “Undrained settlement of plastic and organic clays.” J. Geotech. Eng. Div. 107 (8): 1079–1094.
Hardin, B. O. 1978. “The nature of stress–strain behaviour for soils.” In Proc., ASCE Speciality Conf. on Earthquake Engineering and Soil Dynamics, 3–90. Reston, VA: ASCE.
Hobbs, N. B. 1986. “Mire morphology and the properties and behaviour of some British and foreign peats.” Q. J. Eng. Geol. Hydrogeol. 19 (1): 7–80. https://doi.org/10.1144/GSL.QJEG.1986.019.01.02.
Jowsey, P. C. 1966. “An improved peat sampler.” New Phytol. 65 (2): 245–248. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-8137.1966.tb06356.x.
Kazemian, S., B. Huat, A. Prasad, and M. Barghchi. 2011. “A state of art review of peat, geotechnical engineering perspective.” Int. J. Phys. Sci. 6 (8): 1974–1981. https://doi.org/10.5897/IJPS11.396.
Kramer, S. L. 2000. “Dynamic response of Mercer Slough peat.” J. Geotech. Geoenviron. Eng. 126 (6): 504–510. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)1090-0241(2000)126:6(504).
Ladd, C. C., and R. Foott. 1974. “New design procedures for the stability of soft clays.” J. Geotech. Eng. Div. 100 (GT7): 763–786.
Landva, A. O. 1980. “Vane testing in peat.” Can. Geotech. J. 17 (1): 1–19. https://doi.org/10.1139/t80-001.
Lechowicz, Z. 1994. “An evaluation of the increase in shear strength of organic soils.” In Proc., Advances in the Understanding and Modelling the Mechanical Behaviour of Peat, 167–180. Rotterdam, Netherlands: Balkema.
Lee, J.-S., and J. C. Santamarina. 2005. “Bender elements: Performance and signal interpretation.” J. Geotech. Geoenviron. Eng. 131 (9): 1063–1070. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)1090-0241(2005)131:9(1063).
Lee, J.-S., S.-Y. Seo, and C. Lee. 2015. “Geotechnical and geophysical characteristics of muskeg samples from Alberta, Canada.” Eng. Geol. 195 (Sep): 135–141. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enggeo.2015.04.030.
Lefebvre, G., P. Langlois, C. Lupien, and J. Lavallee. 1984. “Laboratory testing on in situ peat as embankment foundation.” Can. Geotech. J. 21 (2): 322–337. https://doi.org/10.1139/t84-033.
L’Heureux, J.-S., and M. Long. 2017. “Relationship between shear wave velocity and geotechnical parameters for Norwegian clays.” J. Geotech. Geoenviron. Eng. 143 (6): 04017013. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)GT.1943-5606.0001645.
Long, M., and N. Boylan. 2012. “In situ testing of peat—A review and update on recent developments.” Geotech. Eng. J. 43 (4): 41–55.
Long, M., P. Quigley, and S. Donohue. 2013. “Undrained shear strength and stiffness of Irish glacial till from shear wave velocity.” Ground Eng. 46 (11): 26–27.
Mesri, G., and M. Ajlouni. 2007. “Engineering properties of fibrous peats.” J. Geotech. Geoenviron. Eng. 133 (7): 850–866. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)1090-0241(2007)133:7(850).
O’Kelly, B. 2017. “Measurement, interpretation and recommended use of laboratory strength properties of fibrous peat.” Inst. Civ. Eng. J. Geotech. Res. 4 (3): 136–171. https://doi.org/10.1680/jgere.17.00006.
Porbaha, A., H. Hanazawa, and T. Kishida. 2000. “Analysis of a failed embankment on peaty ground.” In Proc., Geo-Denver 2000 Geo-Institute Soft Ground Technology Conf., Slope Stability 2000, 281–293. Reston, VA: ASCE.
Santamarina, J. C., K. A. Klein, and M. A. Fam. 2001. Soils and waves. New York: Wiley.
Schouten, M. G. C. 2002. Conservation and restoration of raised bogs—geological, hydrological and ecological studies. Dublin, Ireland: Government Stationary Office.
Stokoe, K. H., J. A. Bay, B. L. Rosenblad, S. K. Huang, and M. R. Twede. 1994. In situ seismic and dynamic laboratory measurements of geotechnical materials at Queensboro Bridge and Roosevelt Island. Austin, TX: Univ. of Texas.
Tanaka, H. 2014. “Geotechnical properties of peaty ground in Hokkaido, Japan.” In Proc., 5th Int. Workshop CPTU and DMT in Soft Clays and Organic Soils, edited by Z. Mlynarek, and J. Wierzbicki. Poznań, Poland: Exemplum.
Trafford, A. 2017. “In situ measurement of shear wave velocity and its use in the determination of undrained shear strength of peat.” M.Sc. thesis, School of Civil Engineering, Univ. College Dublin.
Vaughan, P. R., M. Maccarini, and M. B. S. M. Mokhtar. 1988. “Indexing the engineering properties of residual soils.” Q. J. Eng. Geol. 21: 69–84. https://doi.org/10.1144/GSL.QJEG.1988.021.01.05.
von Post, L., and E. Granlund. 1926. “Peat resources in southern Sweden.” Sveriges geologiska undersökning Yearbook 335 (19.2): 1–127.
Wehling, T. M., R. W. Boulanger, R. Arulnathan, L. F. Harder Jr., and M. W. Driller. 2003. “Nonlinear dynamic properties of a fibrous organic soil.” J. Geotech. Geoenviron. Eng. 129 (10): 929–939. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)1090-0241(2003)129:10(929).
Yoon, H.-Y., C. Lee, H.-K. Kim, and J.-S. Lee. 2011. “Evaluation of preconsolidation stress by shear wave velocity.” Smart Struct. Syst. 7 (4): 275–287. https://doi.org/10.12989/sss.2011.7.4.275.
Zwanenburg, C. 2017. “The development of a large diameter sampler for peat.” In Proc., 19th Int. Conf. on Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering (ICSMGE), 685–688. London: International Society for Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering.
Zwanenburg, C., E. J. Den Haan, G. A. M. Kruse, and A. R. Koelewijn. 2012. “Failure of a trial embankment on peat in Booneschans, the Netherlands.” Géotechnique 62 (6): 479–490. https://doi.org/10.1680/geot.9.P.094.
Zwanenburg, C., and G. Erkens. 2019. “Uitdam, the Netherlands, test site for soft fibrous peat.” AIMS Geosci. 5 (4): 804–830. https://doi.org/10.3934/geosci.2019.4.804.
Zwanenburg, C., and R. J. Jardine. 2015. “Laboratory, in-situ and fullscale load tests to assess flood embankment stability on peat.” Géotechnique 65 (4): 309–326. https://doi.org/10.1680/geot.14.P.257.
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 146 • Issue 7 • July 2020
Copyright
©2020 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: May 23, 2019
Accepted: Mar 4, 2020
Published online: May 13, 2020
Published in print: Jul 1, 2020
Discussion open until: Oct 13, 2020
Authors
Metrics & Citations
Metrics
Citations
Download citation
If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.