Dynamic Soil Properties

Part - III
Lecture-23
1
Large Strain Tests
2
Seismic Cone Penetration Test
The SCPT has been more recently developed (1984).
The test combines the seismic downhole technique with the standard Cone
Penetration test.
A seismic pick-up or receiver is added to the cone, then the similar
procedure as the one followed with the seismic downhole test is used.
At the surface, a shear force is induced while the penetration is paused
momentarily.
In order to compare the intensity of signals arriving at the receiver at various
depths, a source that is capable of generating repeatable signals is used. This
is insured by the use of a single hammer weight and height of fall
3
Seismic Cone Penetration Test
4 Source: google images
Push the seismic CPT probe to the desired test
depth (shear wave velocities will be measured
at multiple depths in the same push.)
Generate a seismic pulse that moves through
the soil. Data acquisition begins as soon as the
hammer hits the shear plate.
The shear wave travels from the shear plate,
through the soil, and excites the accelerometer
on the seismic CPT probe as it moves past the
probe's position.
The accelerometer data is displayed and then
stored on a laptop computer. Multiple seismic
traces are generated at each depth.
Push the probe to the next measurement
depth.
SCPT
5
Source: http://www.conepenetration.com
Seismic Cone Penetration Test
The shear wave velocity, V
S
, is calculated by dividing the difference in travel path
between two depths by the time difference between the two signals recorded.
6
Source: http://www.conepenetration.com
Rapid, cost-effective method for measuring shear wave velocities
CPT coupled with Seismic CPT gives details on soil types, engineering parameters,
and shear wave velocity in the same test hole
Seismic cone adapter is equipped with an accelerometer so that we achieve the
best definition of the frequency spectrum and avoid data smearing
Available in uniaxial configuration for measuring shear wave velocity and in triaxial
configuration for measuring shear and compression wave velocity
Seismic Cone Penetration Test: Advantages
7
Piezocone
8
Source: http://www.conepenetration.com
Pressure Meter Test
It is the only field test capable of stress-strain as well as strength behaviour
9
Source: http://www.geotechdata.info/geotest/pressuremeter-test
Pressure Meter Test
Using cavity expansion theory, stress-strain curve for the soil can
be developed. Also the shear modulus values are correlated to
the pressure-volume curve.
10
Pressure Meter Test
11
DilatoMeter Test (DMT)
Front and side view of dilatometer
The flat dilatometer is a stainless
steel blade having a flat, circular
steel membrane mounted flush on
one side as shown in figure. The
blade is connected to a control
unit on the ground surface by a
pneumatic-electrical tube running
through the insertion rods. A gas
tank, connected to the control unit
by a pneumatic cable, supplies
the gas pressure required to
expand the membrane.
12
Testing Procedure
The test starts by inserting the dilatometer into the ground. Soon
after penetration, by use of the control unit, the operator inflates the
membrane and takes, in about 1 minute, two readings:
1) The pressure, required to just begin to move the membrane
against the soil ("lift-off") p
0

2) the pressure, required to move the center of the membrane 1.1
mm against the soil- p
1
.
The blade is then advanced into the ground of one depth increment
(typically 20 cm) and the procedure for taking p
0
, p
1
readings
repeated at each depth.
13
Dilatometer Parameters
The horizontal stress index

where u
0
is the pre-insertion in-situ pore pressure.
Dilatometer Modulus E
D
= o (p
1
p
o
)
Value of o Depends upon dimensions of blade and membrane.
For standard equipment, its value is 34.7.
The Material index

Dilatometer parameters are related to low strain G and also
liquefaction resistance of soil.
'
vo
o o
D
u p
K
o

=
o o
o
D
u p
p p
I

=
1
14
Standard Penetration Test
15
Because of their variability, sensitivity to test procedure, and
uncertainty, SPT N-values have the potential to provide
misleading assessments of liquefaction hazard, if the tests are
not performed carefully.
The engineer who wants to utilize the results of SPT N-values
to estimate liquefaction potential should become familiar with
the details of SPT sampling as given in ASTM D 1586 (ASTM,
1998) in order to avoid some of the major sources of error.
Standard Penetration Test
16
It has been suggested that the corrections should be applied according
to the following formula:
(N
1
)
60
= N
m
C
n
C
e
C
b
C
r
C
s
Where
N
m
= SPT raw data, measured standard penetration resistance from
field
C
n
= depth correction factor
C
e
= hammer energy ratio (ER) correction factor
C
b
= borehole diameter correction factor
C
r
= rod length correction factor
C
s
= correction factor for samplers with or without liners
Standard Penetration Test: Corrections
17
The procedures that relate SPT N-values to liquefaction
resistance use an SPT blow count that is normalized to an
effective overburden pressure of 100 KPa (or 1.044 tons per
square foot). This normalized SPT blow count is denoted as
N
1
, which is obtained by multiplying the uncorrected SPT
blow count by a depth correction factor, C
n
.
A correction factor may be needed to correct the blow count
for an energy ratio of 60%, which has been adopted as the
average SPT energy.
Additional correction factors may need to be applied to
obtain the corrected normalized SPT N-value, (N
1
)
60
.
Standard Penetration Test
18
Standard Penetration Test
N value normalized to an overburden pressure of 1 t/ft
2

(N
1
)

= N C
N

Where N is the SPT value measured
C
N
= over burden correction factor
'
0
1
o
=
N
C
Where is the effective
overburden stress in ton/ft
2

which is based on water
table during SPT
'
0
o
Fig: SPT over burden correction
factor after Liao & Whitman (1986)
19
Standard Penetration Test: (N
1
)
60
Standard penetration test results are used in evaluating
many important dynamic properties of soils
The (N
1
)
60
value is especially used for estimating the
liquefaction potential of sands
(N
1
)
60
value is the N value normalized to an overburden
pressure of 1 t/ft
2
and corrected to an energy ratio of 60%
Energy ratio = E
m
/E
eff

Where E
m
= Measured Hammer energy
E
eff
= Theoretical free-fall hammer energy
(N
1
)
60
= N C
N
(E
m
/0.60 E
eff
)
20
Standard Penetration Test: (N
1
)
60
' 0 '
3
2 1
o m
K
o o
+
=
Fig. Relation between the cyclic stress ratio causing
liquefaction and (N
1
)
60
(after Seed et al., 1975)
Shear modulus of the soil can be
obtained from the SPT N value using
empirical correlations
Where K
0
is the coefficient of lateral
earth pressure and
o
is the
effective vertical overburden
pressure
( ) | | ( )
2 / 1
' 3 / 1
60
1 max
2000 10
m
N G o =
21
22
Kramer (1996) Geotechnical Earthquake Engineering, Prentice Hall.
Braja M. Das, Ramana G.V. (2010) Principles of soil dynamics, C L Engineering.
Prakash, S. (1981) Soil Dynamics, McGraw-Hill.
Kearey P., Brooks, M. Hill I. (2002) An Introduction to Geophysical Exploration,
Wiley-Blackwell.
Burger H.R, Sheehan A.F., Jones, C.H. (2006)Introduction to Applied Geophysics:
Exploring the Shallow Subsurface, W. W. Norton & Company.
http://civil.iisc.ernet.in/~madhavi/ce202/lecture3.pdf



References