SITE INVESTIGATION 4/9/2012

1.3.2 Methods of Sampling 1.3.2 Methods of Sampling

• Soil samples are generally classified as “disturbed” and b) Non-representative:
“undisturbed” samples. – Complete destruction of fabric and structure
– Useful for finding change in strata
Disturbed samples – Under water using auger the fines are lost or washed out
• natural structure is modified or destroyed – Bailer under water or slurry
– Wash boring samples
a) Representative:
Undisturbed samples
Used for identification and classification
– Structure and properties are preserved
• Samples partially deformed
(e, ω, soil skeleton are the same as in field).
• Engineering properties are changed but other properties are
same
– Taken from: block samples, pushing or driving tubes, core cutter
• Usually obtained from - - SPT split spoon
- Auger blade (in clays) above GWT – Engineering properties are unchanged
- Trial pits (hand samples) - shear strength
- Collecting excavated samples - permeability
Prepared by Dr. nat.techn. Tensay G 1 Prepared by Dr. nat.techn. Tensay G 2
- compressibility

1.3.2 Methods of Sampling 1.3.2 Methods of Sampling ... Cont‘d

• Disturbed samples • Correlations with these results could be used to make
• Disintegrated or rock flour, from wash boring or from preliminary estimation of the more important strength,
percussion drilling is infact a disturbed sample, but not compressibility and permeability properties.
representative enough for even the simplest tests to determine
properties. • To extract such samples in any of the above discussed boring
operations, the boring is stopped and the so called split spoon
• Representative disturbed sample should be good enough for sampler is attached pressed or driven in to the soil.
determination of index properties.

• Certain minimum care should be made for extracting such

samples; which can be used for Atterberg limit, grain-size
analysis specific gravity of soil solids, chemical tests.

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1.3.2 Methods of Sampling ... Cont‘d 1.3.2 Methods of Sampling ... Cont‘d
• ’Undisturbed’ samples are those which are of good quality: • The ratio of the contact area of the driving shoe to that of the
– for compression, shear strength, and permeability tests. internal cross-sectional area of the sampler is defined as:
• Such samples are retained by means of a thin walled samples
 
= 
× 100%
• The sample should be extracted by applying static pressure and 

if possible without rotation. ⟹  % = − 1 × 100%


• There are a number of factors that influence the quality of soil • Keeping other factors constant, the smaller the values of  ,
samples during recovery. the better the quality of the sample.
– type of force used for advancement of sampler • With all the care made to recover an ‘undisturbed’ sample it is
a requirement that  ,
• Rate of advancement.
• Example: #1. Compare the area of standard split spoon sampler
and thin-welled samples of outer diameter equal to 50.8 mm
• The ratio between thePrepared
contact area of the driving, shoe to that
by Dr. nat.techn. Tensay G 5 Prepared by Dr. nat.techn. Tensay G 6
of the internal cross-sectional area of the sampler.

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SITE INVESTIGATION 4/9/2012

1.3.3 Field Tests 1.3.3 Field Tests

• In most granular deposits and sensitive clays in-situ tests are 1.3.3.1 Sounding Tests
more preferable than lab tests on specimens. • The group of sounding tests we are going to discuss are all used
to measure the soundness of soil strata.
• Most field methods are developed for such soils after realizing
that small specimens do not sufficiently represent the natural • All the methods are based on the principle that a soil exhibiting
conditions. more resistance to the penetration of a standard device is more
sound.
• After longtime use of many field tests their applications have
been extended even to the less-sensitive soils. • Thus all sounding tests involve the deriving or pushing of a
certain device into the soil and measuring the resistance.
• The resistance recorded is then correlated with important
parameters of the soil.

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1.3.3.1 Sounding Tests … cont’d

• The advancement of the device may be accomplished either by • The method has gone through a number of modifications.
static push or dynamic impact. • However, the basic procedure in the test method includes,
– static sounding tests pushing a conical metallic wedge into the soil.
– dynamic sounding tests • The wedge has an apex of angle of and base area of  ( cm).
• The wedge is connected to a deriving rod encased in a metal
Static sounding (Penetration) Test- Dutch Cone Penetration test- tube (Sleeve) with external diameter equal to the base
cone penetration Test (CPT) diameter of the cone.
• This method is developed at Delft-University- the Netherlands • The earlier version of this device pushing the cone first for a
• Found originally convenient for silty sand and fine sand depth of 13 cm at a rate of .
deposits of the locality. • This is then followed by the pushing down of the sleeve by the
• Widely used in the Netherlands, Belgium and the Scandinavian same depth.
countries. • Finally both the cone and the sleeve are pushed together by a
• It is also standardized in ***. depth of cm (totally cm).
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• The pressures needed for penetration are read from connected • The frictional resistance has a direct application for friction-pile
dial gauges. This device is also called mechanical friction cone design. It is; however, less reliable as compared to the point
penetrometer. resistance,  .
• Another modern version is the so called electric friction-cone • The more reliable data, the point resistance, is correlated with
penetrometer. eng’g properties of soil.
• It involves only pushing both the cone and the sleeve together. • Lancellota (1983) and Jamilkawiski et al (1985) suggested for
• The total resistance is directly measured and the resistance the relative density of sand, 

from the cone is measured by means of strain gauges  % =  +  log 

connected to it.
• The difference provides the frictional resistance. •  "#$ ′ [ unit ??]
• The point resistance is commonly denoted by  and the • Where ′ = effective vertical pressure at the depth under
frictional resistance as  . consideration .
• Another important correlation between  and angle of
Prepared by Dr. nat.techn. Tensay G 11 internal friction is suggested
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nat.techn. Tensay G and Campanalla
12

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SITE INVESTIGATION 4/9/2012

Correlations with properties of cohesive soils • Precmpression pressure, 2

• Mayne and Kemper (1988) suggested correlations of  with 2 = 0.243( ).9:, where 2 "#$  ";< =# >2"
undrained cohesion, & , precompression pressure ' , over
consolidation ratio, OCR for clayey soils. • Over consolidation ratio (OCR)
Undrained Cohesion .
 − /
)* +, ?(@ = 0.37
(& = ; where / = total vertical stress /
-.
01 is ‘’bearing capacity factor’’, (why in bracket??)
= 15 for electric cone and
=20 for mechanical cone
• How is the unit of  "#$/ ??

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• Rough estimation of φ and Es of granular deposits can also be • Dynamic Sounding (Penetration) Test
made using the following table: • The principle underlying dynamic sounding tests is that the
 (M2D ) Qualitative φ(deg) E (M2D )
soundness of the soil stratum is directly proportional to the
compactness resistance if offers against the penetration of a device into it by
means of a deriving dynamic impact.
<5 Very loose 30 15 to 30

5 to 10 Loose 30 30 to 50 • There are a number of varieties, whose difference is lying in the

10 to 15 Med. Dense 35 50 to 80
mass of the hammer inducing the impact, height of fall, the
15 to 20 Dense 37.5 80 to 100
cross-sectional area of the penetrating element of the device
and the time of the penetrating element.
> 20 Very dense 40 100 to 120

• Based on these differences we can identify four types of

dynamic sounding tests, as compared using the table below.
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Standard Penetration Test (SPT)

• Recommended by EBCS-7 (1995), widely used in the U.S.A
Type Mass of Drop Ht Area of tip ( ) • The method consists of deriving a standard split-spoon
hammer (cm) sampler of 50.8 mm outer diameter and the length 60.96
(kg)
cm into the soil.
Light Penetrometer 10 50 10 (conical wedge)
• The number of blows required for the penetration of the
middle 30.48 cm length of the sampler is regarded as the
Media Penetrometer 30 50 10 (conical wedge)
penetration resistance or commonly called N-value.
Heavy Penetrometer 50 50 15 (conical wedge) • Test is conducted intermittently with boring operation.
• The method, besides providing the soundness of the soil,
SPT 63.6 76.2 Tip open (why??) has also the advantage of sample recovery for tests on
index properties.
• It is also found to be economical items of cost per unit
Prepared by Dr. nat.techn. Tensay G 17 information. The equipment has also a longlife eqpmnt.18
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