11/11/2019

In-situ field investigations:

Geotechnical Site Investigation (CE 829)

Standard penetration test (SPT)
Instructor: Tariq Mahmood Bajwa, PhD
NUST, Pakistan Cone penetration test (CPT)
Office # 112 - NIT
Flat Blade Dilatometer test (FBDT)
Email: tariq.bajwa@nice.nust.edu.pk
07 – 11 - 2019 Pressuremeter test (PMT)
In-situ methods
Lugeon test

Pocket penetrometer test

Field vane shear test

Dr. Tariq Mahmood Bajwa /07/11/2019

Strength parameters – Field testing: Strength parameters – Field testing:

Flat blade dilatometer test (FBDMT) Flat blade dilatometer test (FBDMT)
• The probe is positioned at the required level.

• measure soil resistance to deformation • Nitrogen gas is pumped into the probe. When the membrane is just flush with the side of the

at the in-place location surface, a pressure reading is taken which is called the lift-off pressure. Approximate zero
• used to determine the in situ lateral stress
corrections are made. This pressure is called P1
and stiffness of the soil
• The probe pressure is increased until the membrane expands by an amount ∆ = 1.1 mm,
• the blade is advanced into the soil using
and the corrected pressure is p2.
conventional penetrometer methods (by
• The next step is to decrease the pressure until the membrane returns to the lift off
jacking or driving methods
Figure: Flat plate dilatometer test
position. This corrected reading is p3 .This pressure is related to excess pore water
• size of the plate is 220 mm long, 95 mm wide and 14 mm thick

• flat circular expandable membrane of 60 mm diameter on one side

Dr. Tariq Mahmood Bajwa /07/11/2019 pressure Dr. Tariq Mahmood Bajwa /07/11/2019

Strength parameters - – Field testing: Strength parameters - – Field testing:

Flat blade dilatometer test (FBDMT) Flat blade dilatometer test (FBDMT)

Figure: Schematic-layout of dilatometer test Figure: Illustration of a flat plat dilatometer

Dr. Tariq Mahmood Bajwa /07/11/2019 Dr. Tariq Mahmood Bajwa /07/11/2019

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Strength parameters - – Field testing: Strength parameters - – Field testing:

Flat blade dilatometer test (FBDMT) Flat blade dilatometer test (FBDMT)
o Basic dilatometer test indices

• limited use in very dense and cemented

soils and in soils containing gravels or

coarser fragments

• no samples are obtained for visual

examination or laboratory testing.

Figure: Working principle of DMT: (a) initial, (b) push, (c)

pressure reading-A, and (d) pressure reading-B.
Dr. Tariq Mahmood Bajwa /07/11/2019 Dr. Tariq Mahmood Bajwa /07/11/2019

Strength parameters - – Field testing: Strength parameters - – Field testing:

Flat blade dilatometer test (FBDMT) Flat blade dilatometer test (FBDMT)

Figure: Soil profile based on dilatometer test (after Schmertmann, 1986)

Figure: Illustrations, DMT results
Dr. Tariq Mahmood Bajwa /07/11/2019 Dr. Tariq Mahmood Bajwa /07/11/2019

In-situ field investigations: In-situ field investigations:

Pressuremeter test (PMT) Pressuremeter test (PMT)

• determines directly or indirectly undrained shear strength = the diameter of the probe under
the deflated condition

• an in-situ stress-strain test performed on the walls of a bore hole using a

cylindrical probe that can be inflated radially.

• results are used either directly or indirectly for the design of foundations

• consists of three independent chambers stacked one above the other

Figure: Menard pressuremeter equipment Figure: Components of Menard pressuremeter test.
Dr. Tariq Mahmood Bajwa /07/11/2019 (borehole probe and surface control unit). Dr. Tariq Mahmood Bajwa /07/11/2019

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In-situ field investigations: In-situ field investigations:

Pressuremeter test (PMT) – Drilling and positioning of probe Pressuremeter test (PMT)

Table: Typical sizes of probe and bore hole for pressuremeter test

= the diameter of the probe under the deflated condition

= the diameter of the hole

• Pressuremeter tests are usually carried out at 1 m intervals in all the bore holes

• Essentially an undrained test in clay soils and a drained test in a freely draining material

Diameter of the probe Diameter of the borehole

Dr. Tariq Mahmood Bajwa /07/11/2019 Dr. Tariq Mahmood Bajwa /07/11/2019
under deflated condition

In-situ field investigations: In-situ field investigations:

Pressuremeter test (PMT) – Conducting the test Pressuremeter test (PMT) – Conducting the test

1. Equal pressure increment method 2. Equal volume increment method.

• pressure is held constant for a fixed length of time, • Volume of the probe shall be increased in

usually one minute. increments equal to 5 percent of the nominal

• Volume readings are made after one minute volume of the probe (in the deflated condition)

elapsed time. • Pressure readings are taken after 30 seconds

• Normally ten equal increments of pressure are of elapsed time.

Figure: Measuring cell and guard cells
applied for a soil to reach the limit pressure, pL
. Figure: Measuring cell and guard cells
The test may continue at each position from 10 to 15 minutes.

Dr. Tariq Mahmood Bajwa /07/11/2019 Dr. Tariq Mahmood Bajwa /07/11/2019

In-situ field investigations: In-situ field investigations:

Pressuremeter test (PMT) – Typical test result Pressuremeter test (PMT) – Corrected plot of pressure – volume curve

• A typical curve based on the observed readings in the field may be plotted
• vo is normally limited to about 300 cm3 for probes

• This curve is a raw curve which requires some corrections. used in AX and BX holes.

• The initial volume of these probes is on the order

of 535 cm3.
Calibration
• This means that (Vc + 2v o) is on the order of

1135 cm3. These values may vary according to

1. Pressure loss, p ,
the design of the pressuremeter.
2. Volume loss, v ,
The reservoir capacity in the control unit
3. Difference in hydrostatic pressure head, H .
should be of the order of 1135 cm3
Figure: A typical corrected pressuremeter test
Figure: A typical corrected pressuremeter test Dr. Tariq Mahmood Bajwa /07/11/2019
Dr. Tariq Mahmood Bajwa /07/11/2019

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Dr. Tariq Mahmood Bajwa /07/11/2019

In-situ field investigations: In-situ field investigations:

Pressuremeter test (PMT) Pressuremeter test (PMT)

o Pressuremeter modulus Amar and Jezequel (1972) Advantages

• Pressuremeter modulus, • Used to obtain a large number of fundamental and basic soil properties from the single test.

• useful for testing a large volume of material at the appropriate confining stress.
• = Volume at mid point
• The results can be obtained quickly due to the automated data logging system.
• Monard’s modulus,
• useful for predicting the performance of laterally loaded piles.

• regularly used to calibrate the FE models of complex advanced geotechnical problems.

̅ total horizontal earth pressure for at rest condition Dr. Tariq Mahmood Bajwa /07/11/2019

In-situ field investigations: In-situ field investigations:

If no casing
Pressuremeter test (PMT) Lugeon test (Packer test)
Limitations If need casing

• The pressure metre test is not suitable for gravels and rocks.
• The packer test is most commonly used in rocks

and occasional in soils

• Requires skilled and trained personnel.
• In-situ permeability measurements either by

• Only two stress paths can be followed in practice, i.e. undrained and fully drained. using a single- or double-packer system

• The separated test section is about 3– 6 m in

• inappropriate analysis to interpret a pressuremeter test - misleading parameters.
length

Figure: Test setup for (A) single packer and (B) double packer method

Dr. Tariq Mahmood Bajwa /07/11/2019 Dr. Tariq Mahmood Bajwa /07/11/2019

In-situ field investigations: In-situ field investigations:

Lugeon test (Packer test) Lugeon test (Packer test)

• Conducted in five stages, with the application of five different pressures at an interval of 10 min whilst pumping water.
• the test is more or less similar to the constant head permeability test
• A single Lugeon value is then calculated for each of the five different stages and pressure applied
• before starting the test a maximum test pressure (P max ) needs to be

defined, lower than the in situ stress to avoid rock fracturing

• the pressure loading consists of cycles of loading and unloading

• the water pressure and flow rate must be measured at every minute

interval

Figure: Lugeon test

Dr. Tariq Mahmood Bajwa /07/11/2019 Dr. Tariq Mahmood Bajwa /07/11/2019

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In-situ field investigations: In-situ field investigations:

Lugeon test (Packer test)
Lugeon test (Packer test)

h = difference in water level at the entry and the water table, if the test is conducted below the water table.

h = difference of water level at the entry and the middle of the test section, if test is conducted above the water table.

Figure: Lugeon test results and interpretation Dr. Tariq Mahmood Bajwa /07/11/2019 h = (h ), if water is applied under pressure (p) Dr. Tariq Mahmood Bajwa /07/11/2019

In-situ field investigations: In-situ field investigations:

Pocket penetrometer test Field vane shear test

• used to test the unconfined compressive strength

• used to test the unconfined compressive

of soil

strength of soil • applied to determine the strength of mine tailings,

• directly estimates the strength of the soil organic muck, and other such materials

• results affected - test carried out on soil • often conducted on bores drilled into the ground

Figure: Schematic diagram of conducting field vane shear test. (A)

containing granular material • simple and quick, and gives good results in clay
Vane shear rod. (B) Pushing in the rod to the bottom of borehole. (C)
Measuring peak torque with its rotation at 6 degree/min. (D)
Additional 8–10 numbers of rotation. (E) Measurement of residual
Dr. Tariq Mahmood Bajwa /07/11/2019 Figure: Pocket penetrometer Dr. Tariq Mahmood Bajwa /07/11/2019 torque.

In-situ field investigations: In-situ field investigations:

o Field vane shear test : • to rotate the vanes at a standard rate of 0.1o / sec
Field vane shear test

Specifications:

Vane diameter = 25 ~ 30 mm

H>D
! " #$" #% " &%$
H < 2.5 X D ' %( ) " *!"
+ , " $"!&$%
Vane blade max. thickness = 3mm , " ! -"%"

Figure: Vane shear device Figure: Strength measurement of

oil sand tailings
Dr. Tariq Mahmood Bajwa /07/11/2019 Dr. Tariq Mahmood Bajwa /07/11/2019

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In-situ field investigations: In-situ field investigations:

Determination of field unit weight after compaction
Determination of field unit weight after compaction
o Sand cone method
o Rubber balloon method
o Nuclear method

Nuclear density meter

Sand cone method Calibrated vessel for the rubber balloon
method
• used to determine in-place density Dr. Tariq Mahmood Bajwa /07/11/2019
Figure: Scheme of methods determining field density Dr. Tariq Mahmood Bajwa /07/11/2019

Thank you very much / Dr. Tariq Bajwa