Laboratory-controlled cone penetration test results for an unsaturated sand are presented, obtained using a suction-controlled calibration chamber. The cone penetration resistances are found to increase significantly, owing to the presence of suction, when compared with those for saturated or dry states, for a given relative density and net confining stress. Increases of as much as 50% for a relative density of 0·33 and net confining stress of 50 kPa are recorded. When suction is included in the effective stress, the same semi-empirical expressions used for saturated sands are found to link penetration resistance to the relative density and effective confining stress. The expressions may also be used to back-calculate the suction changes in a soil profile when cone penetration resistances for two unsaturated states are known. It is also shown that failure to account for suction influences may lead to significant and non-conservative overestimations of relative density or peak friction angle.
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November 2013
Research Article|
November 01 2013
The cone penetration test in unsaturated sands Available to Purchase
M. POURNAGHIAZAR;
* Centre for Infrastructure Engineering and Safety, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia.
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A.R. RUSSELL;
A.R. RUSSELL
*
* Centre for Infrastructure Engineering and Safety, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia.
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N. KHALILI
N. KHALILI
*
* Centre for Infrastructure Engineering and Safety, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia.
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* Centre for Infrastructure Engineering and Safety, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia.
† Now with Pells Sullivan Meynink, North Ryde, Australia.
Publisher: Emerald Publishing
Received:
June 13 2012
Accepted:
December 07 2012
Online ISSN: 1751-7656
Print ISSN: 0016-8505
© 2013 Thomas Telford Ltd
2013
Geotechnique (2013) 63 (14): 1209–1220.
Article history
Received:
June 13 2012
Accepted:
December 07 2012
Citation
POURNAGHIAZAR M, RUSSELL A, KHALILI N (2013), "The cone penetration test in unsaturated sands". Geotechnique, Vol. 63 No. 14 pp. 1209–1220, doi: https://doi.org/10.1680/geot.12.P.083
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