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How to Interpret Soil Test Results from CPT Testing

Even if you already have a solid grasp of what Cone Penetration Testing is and how CPT rigs test soils, understanding soil test results is a bigger task. You likely already know that CPT rigs are equipped with automated interpretation programs, but that doesn't mean test results are easily readable right away. Fortunately, even if you aren't a technician, it is possible to gain some understanding into soil test results. Read on to find out how. The basics of soil test results At the most basic level, the results of CPT testing are based on the relationship between cone bearing, sleeve friction and pore water pressure. With these three measurements, you can learn quite a bit about soil composition and conditions. For example, friction ratio measured by the sleeve is used to determine soil type. Soil is then classified according to the Unified Soil Classification System (USCS). CPT can also measure: Soil parameters Computer calculations of interpreted soil behavior types (SBT) Additional geotechnical parameters It's also possible to determine temperature shifts and zero load offset through the use of baseline readings. This essentially means comparing test results to those generated from initial testing before work begins on a site. With careful observation, it's possible to determine even more about the soil tested. Some examples include noting trends in water content to determine the type of soil (ie, sand does not retain water as well as clay) and knowing that larger values of cone resistance and sleeve friction usually indicate coarser soils, while lower values tend to indicate fine-grained soils. Although they won't put you on the level of a trained technician, these basics should make soil test results much easier to understand. More importantly, with this information in mind, you should have a much greater understanding of CPT testing as [...]

By smadi66|December 3rd, 2019|Geotechnical Louisiana, Geotechnical Kentucky, Geotechnical Maine, Geotechnical Michigan, Geotechnical Massachusetts, Geotechnical Missouri, Geotechnical Maryland, Geotechnical Minnesota, Geotechnical Kansas, Geotechnical Mississippi, CPT Data, Introductory, Soil Testing|0 Comments

CPT 101: Determining Soil Profiles from CPT Data

Cone Penetration Testing allows the tester to identify the nature and sequence of subsurface soil types and to learn the physical and mechanical characteristics of the soil – without necessarily taking a soil sample. How does it work? During a CPT test, a hardened cone is driven vertically into the ground at a fixed rate, while electrical sensors on the cone measure the forces exerted on it. The zone behavior type of the subsurface layers can be extrapolated from two basic readings: cone or tip resistance and sleeve friction. Cone Resistance, denoted qc, represents the ratio of the measured force on the cone tip and the area of the normal projection of the cone tip. The cone resistance indicates the undrained (i.e., including in-situ moisture) shear strength of the soil. Sleeve Friction, denoted fs, is the friction force acting on the sleeve divided by its surface area. The relationship between these two measurements is expressed in the Friction Ratio, denoted Rf and given as a percent. It is the ratio of the sleeve friction to the cone resistance. High friction ratios (high friction, low cone resistance) indicate clayey soils, while low friction ratios indicate sandy soils. The relationship between friction ratio and cone resistance is the simplest method of identifying soil strata with a CPT system, and is especially convenient because the soil behavior type can be extrapolated immediately as the data is collected. An example soil classification chart is given below (though this example uses the corrected cone ratio qt, which we’ll discuss in another blog). As you can imagine, several factors can affect the accuracy of these predictions, for example: Overburden Stress: the pressure exerted on a substrate by the weight of the overlying material Pore Water Pressure: the pressure of the groundwater in the gaps between soil [...]

By smadi66|December 2nd, 2019|Geotechnical Montana, Geotechnical Maryland, Geotechnical Minnesota, Geotechnical Mississippi, Geotechnical Nebraska, CPT Data, Introductory, Cone Penetration, Geotechnical Louisiana, Geotechnical Maine, Geotechnical Michigan, Geotechnical Massachusetts, Geotechnical Missouri|0 Comments

CPT 102: Common Corrections in CPT Data Analysis

In a previous blog, we discussed the pore pressure sensor that is common to most modern CPT cones and briefly introduced why this reading is helpful in soil profiling. Today we’ll take a closer look at how pore pressure data is used to correct and analyze CPT data. Pore pressure data is used to correct or “normalize” sleeve friction and cone resistance readings in the presence of in-situ moisture and overburden stress. This is especially important in soft, fine-grained soils where in-situ moisture takes longest to dissipate, and in tests at depths greater than 100 feet. Corrections based on pore pressure data also help standardize soil behavior type characterizations when CPT cones of different shapes and sizes are used. How are these corrections calculated, and how do they work? Correction of cone resistance data: The corrected cone resistance, qt, corrects the cone resistance for pore water pressure effects. qt = qc + u2(1 - a) qc = cone resistance u2 = pore pressure measured directly behind the cone a = cone area ratio (this value is dependent on the design and geometry of the cone, and is determined via lab calibration) Corrected cone resistance is used in calculating the normalized cone resistance, Qt, which indicates the cone resistance as a dimensionless ratio while taking into account the in-situ stress: Qt = (qt – σvo)/ σ′vo σvo = total vertical stress σ′vo = effective vertical stress (the stress in the solid portion of the soil – in other words, the total vertical stress minus the stress due to in-situ water and air) Some geologic knowledge of the test site – for example soil unit weight and groundwater conditions – is necessary to estimate σvo and σ′vo. Correction of sleeve friction data: Sleeve friction data is sometimes corrected for the effects of [...]

By smadi66|December 1st, 2019|Geotechnical Minnesota, Geotechnical Mississippi, Geotechnical Nebraska, CPT Data, Introductory, Geotechnical Maine, Geotechnical Massachusetts, Geotechnical Montana, Geotechnical Michigan, Geotechnical Nevada, Geotechnical Missouri, Geotechnical Maryland|0 Comments

CPT Dictionary: Overburden Stress

Overburden stress, also called vertical stress or overburden pressure, is the pressure imposed on a layer of soil by the weight of the layers on top of it. Overburden stress can cause errors or drift in CPT measurements, creating the need for correction factors in deeper tests depths and soft or fine-grained soils. However, overburden stress is also useful in determining the soil’s mechanical properties. In this blog, we’ll give an overview of the effect of overburden stress on CPT testing and what we can learn from it. The formula for overburden stress is given by: σvo = overburden stress ɤi = in situ density of soil layer hi = height of soil layer If it’s been a while since you’ve seen summation notation, this means that for each soil layer, you multiply the density of the layer by its height, then add all the resulting weights together until the pressure at the desired depth is known. In practice, the exact height and density of the soil layers at the test site are usually not known, so you may have to determine an average density based on what you do know about the geology of the area. CPT measurements of tip resistance, sleeve friction and pore pressure tend to increase along with increasing depth and increasing overburden stress. This effect can be seen in the graph at right. For this reason, we correct for overburden stress in calculating the normalized friction ratio and normalized tip resistance: to ensure that your data is consistent, it is important to use these parameters in deep tests and in soft, fine-grained soils, as we discussed in an earlier blog. In addition to normalized CPT parameters, overburden pressure allows us to understand and calculate the following engineering parameters: Effective overburden stress: the effective stress on [...]

By smadi66|December 1st, 2019|Geotechnical Mississippi, Geotechnical Nebraska, Geotechnical Massachusetts, Geotechnical Montana, Geotechnical Nevada, Geotechnical New Hampshire, Geotechnical New Jersey, Soil Testing, CPT Dictionary, Geotechnical Michigan, Geotechnical Missouri, Geotechnical Minnesota|0 Comments

Data Analysis With DCP

DCP (Dynamic Cone Penetration) Testing is a simple, reliable and cost-effective method to evaluate the in-situ stiffness profile of soil to a depth of about three feet. Its extreme portability, minimal disturbance of the subgrade, and ability to produce a continuous depth profile make it an ideal system for testing the mechanical properties of a pavement system during any stage of construction. The following simple equation is traditionally used to express the stiffness of a material from DCP test values: PR = Depth of Penetration / Number of Blows If you are new to DCP testing, you may be wondering whether the PR value can be used to calculate to other, more familiar geotechnical parameters, and whether DCP test results correlate well with those from other testing systems. Much has been researched and written on this subject, and the short answer is yes —DCP testing can easily and repeatably measure the same parameters as other in-situ and lab-based soil testing methods. For example, the California Bearing Ratio (CBR) test is another penetration test commonly used to measure the load bearing capacity of road beds. Perhaps you want to know the CBR values for a test site, but you have opted for a DCP system instead, due to its simplicity and lower cost. No problem! PR values can be converted to CBR values by applying a simple equation. This widely used conversion was developed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and is used by many state DOTs and federal agencies: Log (CBR) = 2.465 - 1.12 Log (PR) This calculation and many others can be performed automatically by a state-of-the-art DCP setup. The Vertek SmartDCP kit can be operated and transported by a single user by hand, and provides instantaneous data collection and graphing capabilities via smartphone app. Data can [...]

By smadi66|November 29th, 2019|Geotechnical Montana, Geotechnical Nevada, Geotechnical New Hampshire, Geotechnical New Jersey, Geotechnical New Mexico, Geotechnical New York, Geotechnical Missouri, Geotechnical Minnesota, Geotechnical Mississippi, Geotechnical Nebraska, DCP|0 Comments