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A Preliminary Comparison Study On Consolidated-Drained Triaxial Tests

According to BS And DIN

Conference Paper · June 2012

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Proceedings of the Twenty-second (2012) International Offshore and Polar Engineering Conference www.isope.org
Rhodes, Greece, June 17–22, 2012
Copyright © 2012 by the International Society of Offshore and Polar Engineers (ISOPE)
ISBN 978-1-880653-94–4 (Set); ISSN 1098-6189 (Set)

A Preliminary Comparison Study on Consolidated-Drained Triaxial Tests according to BS and DI

Giovanni Spagnoli, Christian Hotz
Fugro Consult GmbH
Pfungstadt, Germany

Marek Ginda
Fugro Engineering Services Limited
Consett, United Kingdom

ABSTRACT
During the development of international projects to build offshore wind
farms, it is likely that the client and the contractor work according to
different standards. Economic and judicial problems could be avoided
if the comparisons of the standards were focused on the physical
principles of the tests. The aim of this paper is to list the most
significant differences between the BS and the DIN. A standard quartz
sand and a glacial till from an offshore exploration campaign were
tested in a laboratory. Consolidated-drained triaxial tests according to
the German and English standards were performed.
tests performed according to DIN and BS on real marine sediments and
on standard quartz sand. Although one could have anticipated the
obtained results, as rate effects are usually understood to be
insignificant in granular materials due to the complicated conditions
and interpretations of the triaxial tests and, in order to carefully review
the results, only consolidated-drained conditions were investigated.
Moreover, although there are many studies that evaluated the effect of
different sample preparation methods, none of them actually takes into
account a systematic comparison of the international standards.
THE WIND FARM OFFSHORE IN GERMANY

KEY WORDS: Triaxial tests, DIN, BS, glacial till, sand.
INTRODUCTION
During the construction of offshore wind farms in the German sector of
the Baltic Sea and the North Sea, it is often possible to find that the
geotechnical contractor and the client are used to working according to
different geotechnical standards. This is the case when the client and /
or the geotechnical consultant are not from German speaking countries.
The BSH (Bundesamt für Seeschifffahrt und Hydrographie) is the
Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency responsible for studying,
evaluating and, subsequently, accepting or rejecting the authorization to
build offshore wind farms in German territorial waters. This procedure
is based on the geotechnical laboratory reports presented to this agency.
However, since the DIN are German standards, this authority accepts
laboratory data based only on the German standards and, in the case of
triaxial tests, explicitly according to DIN 18137 (BSH 2008).
Sometimes it is not possible to perform triaxial tests for geotechnical
characterization of the sea bed sediments according to German
standards, because of the diameter, the kind of H:D ratio, etc.
Up to now, no real evaluations and comparisons have been carried out
between DIN (2008) and BS (1989) regarding triaxial tests. Therefore,
we show a preliminary study based on consolidated-drained triaxial
The motivation for this preliminary brief research is due to the constant
growth in geotechnical offshore campaigns near German coasts to
study the feasibility of developing and building several offshore wind
structures.
The economic viability of offshore wind farms depends heavily on the
quality of the sites. Much higher winds at sea, combined with more
advanced technological development, will partially compensate for the
greater investments required to build offshore facilities and connect
them to the electrical grid. Two decisive factors in choosing sites are
the depth of the water and the distance from the coast. Priority is
therefore given to areas which are relatively close to the coast and not
more than 30 meters deep (Deutsche Energie Agentur GmbH 2011).
Under the overall management of the Federal Ministry for the
Environment, Nature Conservation and Safety (BMU), the German
government has developed a strategy on the use of offshore wind
energy that takes nature conservation and other interests into account.
According to this, the installation of 20,000 to 25,000 MW of offshore
capacity is seen as possible by 2030. The plan identifies low-conflict
areas which could be considered suitable for offshore wind energy
installations. These areas were classified as special areas suitable for
wind energy after an appraisal of the various interests on the basis of
the Marine Facilities Ordinance (Deutsche Energie Agentur GmbH
2011). The North and Baltic Seas will play a central role in the
utilisation of offshore wind energy. Firstly, the use of onshore wind
energy has already progressed furthest in these regions, resulting in

846
fewer available land sites. Secondly, wind energy will become
competitive more quickly in Northwestern Europe because the cost of
electricity is one of the highest on an international scale. Thirdly, the
North and Baltic Seas are quite shallow and close to large urban areas,
making them very suitable for this form of energy. The development of
offshore wind power consequently promises significant potential for the
export of electricity to neighbouring countries and the development of
offshore ports (Deutsche Energie Agentur GmbH 2011).
MATERIAL CHARACTERISATION
Real marine sediment from the Baltic sea and a standard quartz sand
were used for this preliminary study. The reason why drained-
consolidated triaxial tests should be conducted on such different
materials is due to the risk of not being able to interpret variations in
results. Our goal was to minimize the sources of error for the non-
homogeneous state of the marine sediments.
The natural soil is a lightly plastic clayey silt extracted at a depth
between 9.60 m and 14.10 in the Baltic Sea during an explorative
campaign for the construction of an offshore wind turbine. The
geological term used to describe this formation is ‘glacial till’,
classified according to the DIN 14688 as ClsaSi. The physical values
are listed in Table 1. The coefficient of uniformity U is 23 and the
curvature coefficient Cc is 3.5, the dry density is 2.200 g/cm3.
Table 1. Physical properties of the glacial till (mean values)
LL IP Gs Water content CaCO3 content
(%) (%) (%) (%)
11.5 1.8 2.685 10.34 10.6
A standard fine-medium quartz sand was also used. From a chemical
point of view the sands are very homogeneous. X-ray fluorescence
(XRF) analysis performed according to DIN EN 15309 shows that the
SiO2 is greater than 96%, with small amounts of Al2O3 (~ 1.28%),
Fe2O3 (~ 0.39%) and TiO2 (<0.03%). The bulk density is 1.6 g/cm3,
the hardness according to Mohs is 7, while the loss of ignition
performed according to DIN 18128 is <0.2%.
The grain size is between 0.1 and 0.4 mm, the grain density 2.652
g/cm3, emax 0.844 emin 0.363, the coefficient of uniformity U is 1.9, the
curvature coefficient Cc is 0.9, classified according to the DIN 14688
as mS,fs.
The grain size distribution of the materials, performed according to
DIN 18123, is shown in Figure 1.
Fig. 1. Grain size distribution of the material tested
847
GEOTECHNICAL MODEL FOR THE GLACIAL TILL
Jamiolkowski et al. (1985) indicate that the variation in cu/σ'v with the
overconsolidation ratio can be approximated by the SHANSEP method,
which accounts for the effects of stress history and stress path (Ladd
and Foote, 1974). This model benefits from a theoretical framework to
relate preconsolidation stress (σ’pc), overconsolidation ratio (OCR), and
undrained shear strength (cu).
In soil mechanics, it is often assumed that there is a linear relationship
between the preconsolidation stress σ’pc and the undrained shear
strength cu for fine grained (cohesive) material. For boulder clay,
Danish experiences suggest:
cu
= 0.40 ÷ 0.45 (1)
σ ' pc
The preconsolidation stress can also be calculated by using SHANSEP:
 cu  c 
  =  u  xOCR Λ (2)
 σ 'v  pc  σ ' v  nc
For a project in Danish boulder clay, the following correlation was
adopted (Geduhn, personal communication):
 cu 
  = 0.45 xOCR 0.85 (3)
 σ 'v  pc
The value of cu has been indirectly obtained by CPT tip resistance.
PREPARATION OF THE TESTS
The following chapter deals with the preparation methods used for the
different tests. The experiments were performed with a Tri-Scan 50
machine (see Fig. 2). The parameters, which were kept constant for all
tests, were the geometry of the samples, the H:D ratio, and the
maximum shear strain (20% for the glacial till and about 15% for the
sands).
Preparation According to DI
The glacial till the material was prepared as undisturbed (Fig. 3). The
H:D ratio was chosen as 2:1 with a height of 100 mm and diameter of
50 mm. The materials were prepared with their in situ wet density
(between 2.156 and 2.373 g/cm3) and their natural water content
(between 9.86 and 10.81 %). The applied backpressure was 500 kPa
and the saturation was begun with a radial stress, σ3, of 510 kPa. Then
the radial stress was increased with a gradient of 10 kPa/min as
described by the DIN. Once the effective stress was reached, the
saturation was applied for 24 h. After this time, B-values were tested
and a value of B ≥ 0.95 was obtained for all specimens. The applied
effective stress was chosen based on the effective in situ stress of the
natural material and re-calculated by means of the SHANSEP method.
The effective stress levels were 300, 332 and 353 kPa. Regarding the
shear rate, a value of 0.01 mm/min was chosen based on the DIN
18137-2, where the shear rate could be obtained from the plasticity
index, IP (up to 10% the shear rate is 0.01 mm/min). The shear process
was considered terminated with an axial strain of 20%.

Fig. 2. Schematic layout of the system
Fig. 3. Pictures of the glacial till samples before (A) and after (B) the
CD tests
A standard quartz sand was also tested. The sand specimens were
prepared in the same H:D ratio as the glacial till samples. The material
was put into the sample mould with a funnel and compacted into 5
layers with a water content of 10%. Each layer was compacted with 4
blows. Then the piston was gently placed above the sample. The dry
density for all the samples was chosen as 1.55 g/cm3. For these samples
too, a backpressure of 500 kPa was applied with a gradient of 100 kPa
every 30 minutes as described by DIN 18137 (DIN, 2008). Once the
saturation pressure was reached B-values were tested; for all specimens
a value of B ≥ 0.90 was obtained. The samples were saturated for 24 h.
At the end of the saturation process three different effective stress
concentrations were used: 100, 200 and 400 kPa. The shear rate was
chosen as 0.01 mm/min (10-4 %/min) as described by the DIN 18137-2,
where the shear rate could be obtained from the plasticity index, IP (up
848
to 10% the shear rate is 0.01 mm/min). In this case, this value was
chosen because pure sand has no plasticity. This shear rate is also lower
than the shear rate suggested by DIN for non-cohesive soils, where the
shear rate could also be 0.2%/min (0.22 mm/min). Therefore, viscous
effects are negligible in these kinds of soils within experimental
accuracy and engineering practice.
Preparation According to BS
The geometry of the samples were chosen as the samples for DIN tests.
The samples were prepared at their natural water content (between 9
and 10 %) and their bulk density (between 2.29 and 2.35 g/cm3). Once
again, a back pressure of 500 kPa was used for the BS. In this case the
BS procedure was as follows.
The cell pressure increment stages were carried out alternatively with
back pressure stages maintaining small effective pressure of about
10kPa. The cell pressure was increased in steps of 50 kPa until B-
values of 0.8 were reached. Above this value, cell pressure was
increased in steps of 100 kPa. B-values of 0.99 were reached for all
three samples.
As in the case for DIN, the applied effective stress levels were chosen
based on the effective in situ stress of the natural material. The shear
rate for the glacial till was calculated according to the following
equation, as described by the BS. The shear rate was calculated as
follows:
ε ⋅L
dr = (4)
t
Where:
ε = the significant strain interval for the test specimen; t = significant
testing time; L = length of consolidated specimen.
The significant testing time was calculated according to the following
equation:
t = F ⋅ t100 (5)
Where:
F = coefficient which depends on the drainage conditions and the type
of compression test.
From drained tests and drainage from radial boundary and two ends, F
is 16. The strain at failure was assumed for 2%. The calculated shear
rates were all 0.017 mm/min, so assumed to be 0.01 mm/min.
Regarding the quartz sand, the t100 ranged between 0.74 and 0.84.
Values of about 0.0165 mm/min were calculated and 0.01 mm/min was
assumed. As theoretically interpreted by Spagnoli (2012), the shear
rates were identical for both standards.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Glacial Till
In order to compare the results for the glacial till, the stress ratio, σ1/σ3
was used. One sample tested for both standards was recovered at a
different depth. This means that the shear state of one sample does not
match for both standards. However, for the purpose of the
investigation, the results were listed. Figure 4 shows the results. Sample
1 was recovered at 10 m depth for the tests performed according to DIN
and at 5 m for the one according to BS. It is clear that there was no
match regarding the σ1/σ3 results. In fact the σ1/σ3 ratio reached 5.9 for
the DIN sample, while for the BS it reached only 4.3. Even more
interesting was the behaviour of Sample 2, for which both tests
recovered at 12.3 m. The DIN results gave a σ1/σ3 ratio of 5, while for
BS the ratio was 4.7. It is possible to say that the results are very
promising. A problem of non-homogeneity occurred for Sample 3. The
samples were recovered for both experiments at 13.9 m, however,
while the BS sample was stiff, the DIN sample was very sandy, and Fig. 6. q-p’ diagram for DIN (A) and BS tests (B)
therefore showed a different consistency. This was not indicated by the
σ1/σ3 ratio. For the BS test σ1/σ3 gave 4.1 while the DIN gave 3.8. The regression was obtained for each q-p’ line. The results match
However, the BS sample indicated a more contractive behaviour (with almost exactly (Tab.2).
peak at 3% axial strain) while the BS specimens showed a dilative
behaviour with no peak. Table 2. Equation of regression for standards for q-p’ diagram

Standard Mean effective Equation of

pressure, p’ (kPa) regression
DIN 100 q = 3p’ - 300
BS 100 q = 2.88p’ - 282
DIN 200 q = 3p’ - 600
BS 200 q = 2.96p’ - 591
DIN 400 q = 3p’ - 1200
BS 400 q = 2.99p’ - 1192

Fig. 4. σ'1/σ’3 vs. ε for DIN (A) and BS tests (B)

Another comparison was performed, taking into account the σ1/σ3 ratio
vs. the axial strain (Fig. 7). The ratio σ1/σ3 moved between 3.7
The volumetric strain (εvol) vs. the axial strain (ε) was also plotted (Fig.
(effective stress of 400 kPa) and 4.1 (effective stress of 100 kPa) for the
5). For all tests, there was a similar path: the first part of the test
DIN tests, while for the BS tests, the ratio σ3 moved between 3.5
showed contraction and then dilation. Except for Sample 3, studied
(effective stress of 400 kPa) and 4.2 (effective stress of 100 kPa).
according to DIN: the material was soft and behaved like a loose
material. The reduction in the degree of interlocking produced an
increase in the volume of the specimen during shearing, as
characterized by the relationship between volumetric strain and axial
strain. Volume decrease was taken as positive.

Taking into account the results obtained for the natural material, a
proper comparison on natural soils was not possible, therefore a
standard quartz sand was studied.

Fig. 7. σ'1/σ’3 vs. ε for DIN (A) and BS tests (B) for the quartz sand

A further comparison on the quartz sand was carried out by comparing

the volumetric strain (εvol) vs. the axial strain (ε) (Fig.8). Both standards
showed a very similar path with an initial contraction (until axial strain
~ 2-3%) and then a dilation until the end of the test.

Fig. 5. εvol vs. ε for DIN (A) and BS tests (B)

Quartz Sand

The standard quartz sand gave very interesting results. Figure 6 shows
the q-p’ diagrams of the results performed according to DIN (Fig. 6a)
and BS (Fig. 6b).

Fig. 8. εvol vs. ε for DIN (A) and BS tests (B) for the quartz sand

Cohesion (c) and angle of friction (φ’) were also computed and listed in

849
Table 3. Both standard sands gave no cohesion, since granular soils
have no cohesion.
Table 3. Cohesion and angle of friction for samples tested according to
DIN and BS
Standards c (kPa) φ’ (°)
DIN 0 32
BS 0 35
To compare the results between glacial till and sand we also used the
approach of Kolymbas (2000), using the term of barotropy. If we
compare two (or more) triaxial tests carried out at different lateral
effective pressures, we observe that the higher effective stress is
connected to the higher σ1’max. If we compare the normalized stress-
strain curves (e.g. σ1/σ3) vs. ε, we observe that the curves more or less
coincide.
However this was not the case of the glacial till. We observed that for
natural marine sediment, the higher q values was observed for the
shallowest sediment investigated (test performed according to DIN) and
that normalized stress levels for the DIN tests did not demonstrate the
behaviour observed by Kolymbas. This was most true for the BS tests,
as the normalized stress levels showed more uniformity.
In the case of the standard quartz sands, barotropy is validated.
According to Kolymbas (2000) this means that the friction angle, φ, is
independent of the stress level. Also the volumetric behaviour (e.g. εvol
vs. ε) is affected by the stress level. This influence of the stress level is
called barotropy (Kolymbas, 2000).
CONCLUSIONS
A natural glacial till and a standard quartz sand were used for a
potential comparison study between DIN and BS for consolidated-
drained triaxial tests. The preliminary results show that from a purely
physical point of view, the tests are comparable. The glacial till showed
less correspondence in results due to the natural inhomogeneity of the
sediment. While for Sample 2 a good match was recognized, for the
other two samples, there was no correspondence in the results. The
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standard quartz gave more interesting results. The shear rate was
obtained with two different methods, but the results were the same.
This was also observed by Spagnoli (2012) in a theoretical comparison
study. Cohesion (c), angle of friction (φ’), σ’1/σ’3 ratio, axial and
volumetric strain were obtained and plotted. The values show that the
sand gave very similar results that do not depend on the kind of
standard used. No clear conclusion however is drawn, since more soils
must be tested to confirm the results. Future experiments will be
performed on pure sandy soils with different granulometry and
different plastic amounts.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The authors acknowledge the Dept. of Geomonitoring of Fugro Consult
GmbH for sponsoring this research.
REFERENCES
BS - British Standards Institution (1989). Methods of test for soils for
civil engineering purpose. Part 8: shear strength tests (effective stress)
BS 1377-8:1990.
Bundesamt f. Seeschifahrt und Hydrographie (2008). Ground
Investigation for Offshore Wind Farms, 39 pp.
Deutsche Energie Agentur GmbH (2011). Offshore wind potential,
Available at www.offshore-wind.de, accessed on 13 October 2011.
DIN (2008). Erkundung und Untersuchung des Baugrunds, Beuth
Verlag, 592 pp.
Jamiolkowski, M, Ladd, CC, Germaine, JT, and Lancellotta, R (1985).
"New developments in field and laboratory testing of soils," Proc.,
11th Int. Conf. on Soil Mech Found Engg, San Francisco, Vol. 1, pp.
57-154.
Kolymbas, D (2000). Introduction to Hypoplasticity, Taylor & Francis,
104 pp.
Ladd, CC, and Foote, R (1974). "A new design procedure for stability of
soft clays," J Geotech Eng Div. ASCE, Vol. 100, Vol. GT7, pp. 763-
786.
Spagnoli, G (2012). "A theoretical comparison study between BS and
DIN concerning the consolidated-drained triaxial tests," Soil Mech
Found Eng, (accepted).