Small- and High-Strain Measurements of in Situ Soil Properties Using the Seismic Cone Penetrometer

Abstract

Seismic cone penetration tests provide an economical and expedient means of assessing small-strain properties (low-amplitude shear modulus, GMAX) and large-strain behavior (shear strength, τmax) of soil deposits from a single sounding. That measurements are taken at complete opposite ends of the strain spectrum permits development of the entire stress-strain-strength representation of soil layers with depth. A modified hyperbola is shown to be appropriate in a modulus degradation scheme for application to static monotonic loading of soils. Also, a global correlation of mass density (ρ) with shear wave velocity (Vs) for all types of geomaterials is presented, which facilitates the calculation of GMAX = ρVs2.