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compare to CPT?
February 9, 2015 - Posted by VertekCPT
149
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:
In short, DCP is a highly versatile testing tool that can be scaled and
customized for your application, allowing you to achieve the same
functionality as other testing systems for a fraction of cost and labor. To
learn more about DCP and the other geotechnical services we offer,
check out our website and our catalog.
ASTM Standard Cone Penetrometer Sizes:
Which is Best for Your Application?
March 31, 2015 - Posted by VertekCPT
38
Most CPT cones range from 5 cm2 to 15 cm2 in cross-sectional area, though
smaller cones (down to 1 cm2) are used in specialized lab or research
applications. Different cone sizes have different advantages depending
on the testing situation:
The larger 15 cm2 size is more robust and gives more accurate cone
resistance values in very soft soils. Additionally, it has more room inside
for additional sensors.
Smaller piezocones have faster pore pressure sensor response and
thus are better suited for characterizing very thin layers of soil.
The 10 cm2 cone is suitable for most applications. It is the industry
standard and considered the reference penetrometer for field testing.
It’s imperative to field check with calipers and document the diameter of the
peizocone tip and sleeve before each sounding to validate that the diameter of
the tip is smaller than the sleeve. Vertek can provide electronic
documentation to help track your daily readings that can be stored on
your field PC as well as easy-to-use field gauges, calipers and load cells
for more stringent field verifications.
Topics: Introductory
Liquefaction is of particular
concern in sandy, saturated
soils. Shaking due to an earthquake or other sudden force causes the grains
of loosely packed, sandy soils to settle into a denser configuration. If the soil
is saturated and the loading is rapid, pore water does not have time to
move out of the way of settling soil: pore water pressure rises,
effectively pushing the soil grains apart and allowing them to move
more freely relative to each other. At this point, the soil can shift and
flow like a liquid—hence the name liquefaction.
This dramatic reduction of soil
stiffness and strength causes soil
to shift under pre-existing
forces—say, the pressure of a
building’s foundation or the pull of
gravity on a slope. The increased
pore pressure also increases the
force of the soil on in-ground
structures such as retaining walls, dams, and bridge abutments.
How can the potential for these effects be evaluated using the CPT? The
subject is complex, as the wealth of research on the subject over several
decades shows! Many approaches for determining cyclic liquefaction potential
rely on the cyclic stress ratio (CSR), which requires a seismic analysis of
the site. It expresses the ratio of the average cyclic shear stress in an
earthquake of a given magnitude and the effective vertical overburden
stress at the test site.
CSR = 0.65(MWF)(amax/g)(σvo/σ′vo)rd
Where:
Where:
qc = tip resistance
pa = atmospheric pressure
σ′vo = effective vertical overburden
stress
Dynamic cone penetration test (DCPT) is widely used for field quality assessment of soils. Its
application to predict the engineering properties of soil is globally promoted by the fact that it is
difficult to obtain undisturbed soil samples, especially when loose or submerged sandy soil is
encountered. In this review, detailed discussion is presented on the current development of
DCPT correlations with resilient modulus, relative density, California Bearing Ratio (CBR),
unconfined compressive strength, and shear strength that have been developed for different
materials in both the laboratory and the field, as well as on the usage of DCPT in quality control
of compaction of earth fills and performance evaluation of pavement layers. In addition, the
relationship of the DCPT with other instruments such as falling weight deflectometer, nuclear
gauge, soil stiffens gauge, and plate load test, is reported. Lastly, the application of DCPT in
Saudi Arabia in recent years has been addressed in this manuscript.
THE DYNAMIC CONE PENETRATION TEST: A REVIEW OF ITS CORRELATIONS AND
APPLICATIONS (PDF Download Available). Available from:
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/279482103_THE_DYNAMIC_CONE_PENETRATIO
N_TEST_A_REVIEW_OF_ITS_CORRELATIONS_AND_APPLICATIONS [accessed Mar 01
2018].