Advancement in Estimation of Undrained Shear Strength through Fall Cone Tests
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VIEW THE REPLYPublication: Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 147, Issue 7
Abstract
Fall cone tests provide simple and rapid estimate of undrained shear strength () of fine-grained soils at various water contents. The accuracy of such estimation depends greatly on the selection of a fall cone factor that relates the final penetration depth with . Available prediction methods for often fall short of capturing the exact mechanics involved in fall cone penetration. This leads to significant uncertainties in estimation, particularly for a cone angle of 30°. Finite element analyses (FEAs) employing a coupled Eulerian-Lagrangian technique can successfully simulate the evolution of soil resistance around a cone penetrating through soil. Based on the results obtained from a series of FEAs, this paper presents a fall cone-bearing capacity factor that accounts for strain-rate dependent strength gain in fine-grained soils, soil inertia during undrained cone penetration, and nonzero cone velocity at the start of penetration. The effects of strain rate and cone-soil interface roughness condition on are quantified. Numerical predictions demonstrate good agreement with results obtained from fall cone and vane shear tests in Kaolin and Marine silt and with the data available in the literature.
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Data Availability Statement
Some or all data, models, or code generated or used during the study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
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Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 147 • Issue 7 • July 2021
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© 2021 American Society of Civil Engineers.
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Received: Apr 23, 2020
Accepted: Feb 22, 2021
Published online: May 7, 2021
Published in print: Jul 1, 2021
Discussion open until: Oct 7, 2021
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