Relation of Undisturbed Sampling to Laboratory Testing

Techniques and equipment for undisturbed sampling of soil, laboratory testing of such samples, the mechanics of applying the results of laboratory tests to engineering soils problems, and field observations of the effectiveness of the solution methods through the behavior of full-scale structures have frequently been considered as separate entities. They should not be so considered because each is a series of links in a chain which must reach an anchor or end result to achieve its purpose. Undisturbed sampling and laboratory testing have as their prime objective the prediction of how natural soil deposits will behave under proposed loadings. The purpose of this paper is to explore one link in this section of the chain–namely the extent to which laboratory test results approximate the physical properties of soil in natural deposits.