Correlation between standard penetration test values and overburden pressure for desert sands

Abstract

The influence of the effective overburden pressure on the standard penetration test (SPT) values in calcareous desert sands is examined by field tests. A simple field testing procedure is proposed and employed in Kuwait at five sites having different relative densities for the surface soils. The correction factors for the SPT are determined from test results and compared with the most reliable correlations for clean silica sand. Key words: field tests, plate bearing tests, overburden pressure, standard penetration test, correction factors, relative density, calcareous soils, shear strength, compressibility.