Site Characterization of a Tropical Soil by In Situ Tests

The plate load test (PLT) is the most reliable in situ testing for studying the load–settlement behaviour of footings on unsaturated collapsible soils. In these soils, the suction profile is not constant along the depth, and the scale effect between the prototype and footing leads to different suction averages and, consequently, different data. One method to eliminate the effect of soil suction on the test data is to fully saturate the soil prior to the test, which is also recommended at the design process for footing on collapsible soils. However, the inundation process on PLTs is expensive and time-consuming, which makes this procedure difficult to incorporate into engineering practice. This study presents a device that can be attached to flat dilatometer (DMT) to allow local inundation of the soil as part of the in situ test campaign and obtain the DMT-constrained modulus (MDMT) for both natural and inundated conditions. The MDMT presented an average reduction of 56% from natural to inundated condition. This parameter can be used in a model to predict load–settlement curves by DMT data considering the suction influence on this behaviour. The curves obtained from the prediction model were compared to curves determined by PLT conducted under the same in situ conditions. Good agreement was found between the curves predicted by DMT and those measured by PLT for both conditions. The proposed procedure, which uses a device attached to the DMT blade, provides an investigation method to obtain the load–settlement curve under different suction conditions, which can help in the selection and performance prediction of shallow foundations, taking into account suction and collapse phenomenon-related problems.

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“… In situ and laboratory tests previously carried out in the experimental site. Adapted from [ 38 , 39 ]. …”

Section: Figurementioning

confidence: 99%

Suction Influence on Load–Settlement Curves Predicted by DMT in a Collapsible Sandy Soil

Saab

Rodrigues

Rocha

et al. 2023

Sensors

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“…The geotechnical behavior of these soils is therefore influenced more by their unsaturated condition and by factors such as their structure, macro-and microporosity, anisotropy, and genesis than by their stress history [27][28][29].…”

Section: Characterization and Properties Of Lateritic Tropical Soilsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Tropical Soils: Considerations on Occurrence and Characteristics and Studies in Brazil

Aguiar¹

2022

New Approaches in Foundation Engineering

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Soil engineering is challenging as soils are found in different conditions of climate, topography and location and have properties that vary in depth and laterally. The tropical soils represent types of soils with similar characteristics and can be found in locations where tropical climate occurs. Inevitably, engineering projects must consider the particularities of these soils due to their genesis and the study of their properties, which requires investigations ranging from simpler methods to more complex field and laboratory tests, is essential to predict their behavior. In the case of lateritic soils, their differentiated characteristics impose additional challenges on designers since their classification does not fit perfectly into the classifications formulated for temperate climate soils. One limitation found in developing countries is that there are few or no geotechnical mappings and the knowledge of these soils are restricted at the central-south region of Brazil, where the major urban centres and the largest engineering companies and laboratories are located. Although studied by authors from all over the world, it is still possible to deepen the understanding of the properties of tropical soils and their application in the most diverse requests of civil engineering and others. This chapter was developed from bibliographic research.

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“…SPT remains the most current test for geotechnical site characterization. The test is simple and provides a sample of disturbed soil while measuring resistance to penetration [33]. Fig.…”

Section: Data Collectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The empirical correlation between shear wave velocity and penetration resistance for the eolian sand deposits in the city of Olmos-Peru

Trejo¹,

Alhuay-León²

2021

DYNA

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Shear wave velocities (Vs) and the number of blows of SPT (N) are parameters that are generally recorded in a geotechnical exploration campaign, in the literature there are several publications on the empirical correlations between N y Vs in different types of soil, the first studies being attributed to Japanese researchers in the 60s and 70s. North Peruvian pipeline was built on a recent quaternary eolian deposit, so a research area in Olmos near to the structure was used for tests. In the geotechnical research campaign were carried out in an arrangement multi-channel and standard penetration test in order to obtain Vs and N respectively. The correlations in this publication are for eolian sand deposits that can potentially be used in other regions with similar characteristics. The correlations presented are; N₆₀ - Vs considering and incorporating into the model the influence of the effective overload.

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Site Characterization of a Tropical Soil by In Situ Tests

Cited by 11 publications

References 16 publications

Suction Influence on Load–Settlement Curves Predicted by DMT in a Collapsible Sandy Soil

Suction Influence on Load–Settlement Curves Predicted by DMT in a Collapsible Sandy Soil

Tropical Soils: Considerations on Occurrence and Characteristics and Studies in Brazil

The empirical correlation between shear wave velocity and penetration resistance for the eolian sand deposits in the city of Olmos-Peru

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