GEOTECHNICAL INFO .

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Typical relationships for estimating the angle of internal friction, , are as follows:

Empirical values for , of granular soils based on the standard penetration number,
(from Bowels, Foundation Analysis).

SPT Penetration, N-Value (blows/ foot)  (degrees)

0 25 - 30
4 27 - 32
10 30 - 35
30 35 - 40
50 38 - 43

Relationship between , and standard penetration number for sands, (from Peck
1974, Foundation Engineering Handbook).

SPT Penetration, N-
Value (blows/ foot) Density of Sand  (degrees)
<4 Very loose <29
4 - 10 Loose 29 - 30
10 - 30 Medium 30 - 36
30 - 50 Dense 36 - 41
>50 Very dense >41

Relationship between , and standard penetration number for sands, (from

Meyerhof 1956, Foundation Engineering Handbook).

SPT Penetration, N-
Value (blows/ foot) Density of Sand  (degrees)
<4 Very loose <30
4 - 10 Loose 30 - 35
10 - 30 Medium 35 - 40
30 - 50 Dense 40 - 45
>50 Very dense >45
c = Suc/2
Where:
c = cohesion, kN/m2 (lb/ft2), and
Suc = unconfined compressive strength, kN/m2 (lb/ft2).

Guide for Consistency of Fine-Grained Soil, NAVFAC 7.02

SPT
Penetration (blows/ Estimated
foot) Consistency Suc (tons/ft2)
<2 Very Soft <0.25
2-4 Soft 0.25 - 0.50
4-8 Medium 0.50 - 1.0
8 - 15 Stiff 1.0 - 2.0
15 - 30 Very Stiff 2.0 - 4.0
>30 Hard >4

Empirical Values for Consistency of Cohesive Soil, (from Foundation

Analysis, Bowels)
Estimated
SPT Penetration (blows/ foot) Consistency Suc (kips/ft2)
0-2 Very Soft 0 - 0.5
2-4 Soft 0.5 - 1.0
4-8 Medium 1.0 - 2.0
8 - 16 Stiff 2.0 - 4.0
16 - 32 Very Stiff 4.0 - 8.0
>32 Hard >8

Typical Strength Characteristics (from Lindeburg, Civil Engineering

Reference Manual for the PE Exam, 8th ed.)

USCS Soil Group c, as compacted (lb/ft2) (kN/m2) c, saturated (lb/ft2)

GW 0 0
GP 0 0
GM - -
GC - -
SW - -
SP - -
SM 1050 420
SM-SC 1050 300
SC 1550 230
ML 1400 190
ML-CL 1350 460
CL 1800 270
OL - -
MH 1500 420
CH 2150 230