Evaluation of Undrained Shear Strength of Soils from Field Penetration Tests

Abstract

ABSTRACT The evaluation of undrained shear strength of soils is necessary in determining the possibility of occurrence of flow deformation during earthquakes. The present study is aimed at examining the evaluation of undrained shear strength of silty sands from field with Swedish weight sounding tests and cone penetration tests. Based on the outcome of the previous studies on laboratory triaxial tests, the undrained shear strength ratio is defined as the undrained shear strength divided by the initial effective major principal stress. The undrained shear strength ratio is then formulated with respect to the relative density. The penetration resistances of Swedish weight sounding and cone penetration tests are then formulated with respect to the effective overburden stress and relative density, based on laboratory calibration chamber tests. By combining these formulations, the correlations of the undrained shear strength with Swedish penetration resistance and cone tip resistance are established. The range of values of penetration resistances indicative of soil layers susceptible to flow deformation is discussed. The correlations of the undrained shear strength with field penetration resistances thus derived are then examined from case history studies. Two case history studies are carried out with Swedish weight sounding tests at the sites of flow failures induced during the recent earthquakes. A series of case history studies are reexamined, which were carried out with Dutch cone penetration tests in the past studies.