Dilatometer Test

Result of DMT sounding in clayey silts and silty

sands (data from Schmertmann 1986)
qD ID ED KD p3
 DETERMINATION OF SOIL PARAMETERS

The DMT can be used to estimate:

unit weight (Marchetti and Crapps 1981)
undrained shear strength (Marchetti 1980;
Lacasse and Lunne 1983; Rogue et al. 1988)
effective angle of friction (Schmertmann 1982;
Marchetti 1985)
drained constrained modulus (Marchetti 1980),
elastic modulus
the very small-strain shear modulus, Gmax
Unit weight
 Undrained shear strength
In clays, the undrained shear strength can be
estimated from a form of the bearing capacity
equation: p
su 2 ho

ND

Table: Values proposed by Rogue et al. (1988)

ND
Soil type
Brittle clay and silt 5
Medium clay 7
Non-sensitive plastic clay 9
 In sands, the drained constrained modulus (M)
can be obtained from the expression:
M = RM ED

where ED = dilatometer modulus, and

RM = coefficient given as a function
of the horizontal stress index, KD
 ESTIMATION OF IN-SITU PORE PRESSURE AND HORIZONTAL
STRESS
Lutenegger and Kabir (1988) and Robertson et al. (1988) have
found that in sands the p3 pressure is equal to the in situ pore
pressure, u.
This is because in the minute or so after loading, sufficient
drainage occurs to re-establish equilibrium pore pressures.
This will not be the case in clays or other slower-draining soil
types.
In normally consolidated, young clays Lunne (1990) has proposed
that, for KD < 4:

where m is a coefficient varying from 0.44 (high-plasticity clay) to

0.64 (low-plasticity clay).
 In sands, correlations been KD and K0 have been proposed by
Schmertmann (1983) and Marchetti (1985).
Schmertmanns method is complex.
Marchettis method (Fig.) requires an estimate of qc, which he
suggests should be obtained from a nearby CPT profile.
However, because qD is similar to qc, it is suggested that this
can be used.
Correlation between K0 and DMT KD for sand
(Marchetti 1985)
 Effective angle of friction
(Schmertmann 1982; Marchetti 1985)

Chart for determining effective angle of friction

from CPT qc and K0 (from DMT data) (Marchetti
1985)
Thank you