3rd International Symposium on Cone Penetration Testing, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA - 2014

Accuracy and repeatability of CPT sleeve friction measurements

K. Cabal and P.K. Robertson
Gregg Drilling & Testing, Inc., Signal Hill, California, USA

ABSTRACT: Traditionally the CPT sleeve friction measurement (fs) has been considered to be less reliable than the tip resistance measurement (qc). This paper will discuss the main factors that influence the
reliability and accuracy of the sleeve friction measurement. One factor is the diameter of the sleeve relative to the diameter of the cone tip. Most standards (e.g. ASTM, IRTP) provide a tolerance range such
that the sleeve can have a diameter between the same diameter as the tip or up to 0.35mm larger, but the
sleeve should not be smaller than the tip. In very soft fine-grained soils, the sleeve friction values can be
very small. To avoid measuring zero or negative fs values, some manufacturers make the sleeve slightly
larger than the tip, but within the allowable tolerance (i.e. up to 0.35mm larger than the tip). Data from
a uniform soft clay site is presented to show the variability in fs measurements with variable diameter
friction sleeves.
Results show that sleeves that are larger in diameter than the tip produce higher fs values, but the values are variable depending on wear. Cones with sleeves made to the same size as the tip have greater
repeatability and accuracy since wear is consistent between the sleeve and the tip.
1 INTRODUCTION
The electric Cone Penetration Test (CPT) has been in use for over 40 years. The CPT has major advantages over traditional methods of field site investigation such as drilling and sampling since it is fast,
repeatable and economical. In addition, it provides near continuous data and has a strong theoretical
background. These advantages have lead to a steady increase in the use and application of the CPT in
North America and many other places around the world.
Most cones measure three basic parameters, tip resistance (qc), sleeve friction (fs) and pore pressure
(u). There are many standards that specify allowable dimensions and tolerances for the size of the tip
and sleeve with ASTM D5778-12 (2012) allowing for a 10cm2 and 15cm2 cone size.
It has been well recognized and documented (e.g. Lunne et al., 1986) that the CPT sleeve friction (fs)
is generally less accurate than the cone tip resistance (qc). The lack of accuracy in fs measurement is
primarily due to the following factors (Lunne and Anderson, 2007);

Pore pressure effects on the ends of the sleeve,

Tolerance in dimensions between the cone and sleeve,
Surface roughness of the sleeve, and,
Load cell design and calibration.
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The sleeve friction measurement is generally used to estimate soil type and can also be used to estimate the remolded shear strength in fine-grained soils. Increasingly, interpretation methods make use of
the soil behavior type index (Ic) to modify empirical correlations to incorporate soil type (e.g. Robertson,
2009). These interpretation methods can be somewhat sensitive to variations in interpreted soil type due
to variations in measured sleeve friction. Hence, it is becoming increasingly important that the sleeve
friction measurements be as accurate and repeatable as possible.
Boggess and Robertson (2010) illustrated the importance of equal end-area friction sleeve design and
the use of separate load cells for measuring the CPT sleeve friction in soft soils. ASTM, D5778 (2012)
specifies the use of equal end-area friction sleeve to minimize the pore (water) pressure effects. All
standards have strict limits on dimensional tolerances. The IRTP (1999) has clear specifications on surface roughness. Increasingly manufacturers prefer a cone design with an independent sleeve friction
load cell in compression for improved accuracy and repeatability. ASTM D5778 (2012) and the IRTP
(1999) specify zero-load readings before and after each sounding for improved accuracy. Robertson
(2009) suggested that with good quality control it is possible to obtain repeatable sleeve friction measurements. However, fs measurements, in general, will be less accurate than tip resistance in most soft fine-grained soils.
Most standards specify a range in dimensions for the sleeve to allow for slight differences in manufacturing and wear. ASTM D5778 (2012) specifies that the sleeve diameter can range in size from the
same diameter as the tip up to 0.35mm larger, but the sleeve should not be smaller from the tip. As the
sleeve is behind the tip and is therefore in the shadow of the tip, sleeve measurements can be sensitive
to the diameter of the tip relative to the sleeve. In soft fine-grained soils the sleeve friction can be very
small and close to zero as the soil in contact with the sleeve can be completely remolded by the large
shear strains induced by the cone tip.
To avoid measuring zero or even negative sleeve friction values, some manufacturers machine the
sleeve to a diameter larger than the tip diameter, but within the tolerance set by the standards. The larger
diameter sleeve that is within the tolerance set by the standards warrants some further research to determine any benefits or differences compared to a cone with an equal sized sleeve. The objective of this
study was to investigate the influence of friction sleeve diameter on the repeatability of the sleeve friction measurement in uniform soft sensitive clay.
2 EXPERIMENTAL STUDY
To accurately compare the difference between an equal sized sleeve and a slightly oversized sleeve, it
was important to do some side-by-side comparisons at a site exhibiting uniform, very soft clay. This
would allow for an accurate test of how sleeves of different diameter compare. To try and obtain better
accuracy in these soft soils, low capacity cones were also used. A low capacity cone has a thinner load
cell with lower capacity and improved accuracy. Most strain gauged load cells have an accuracy of 0.1%
of maximum capacity (FSO), hence, a low capacity load cell has improved accuracy compared to a high
capacity load cell. In addition, Field Vane Testing (FVT) was also conducted at the site to provide an independent measure of the peak and remolded strength of the soil.
Hamilton Air Force Base was chosen as the location for this comparison study. Located on the Western shore of San Pablo Bay, north of San Francisco, California, this site is used by the University of California, Berkeley as a test site for their geotechnical engineering research and teaching. The soils in the
upper 20m at the site are composed Young Bay Mud (YBM). Below a 2m surface crust, the Young Bay
Mud is essentially normally consolidated.
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Four CPTs were conducted at close spacing (less than 2m apart) with varying components installed as
described in Table 1. The cones are digital and were designed and manufactured by Gregg Drilling &
Testing and have separate load cells and equal end-area friction sleeves (Boggess and Robertson, 2010).
The cones are 15 cm2 tip area (i.e. diameter of 43.71mm) and are manufactured to have sleeves of equal
diameter to the tip. A special sleeve was made that was 0.3mm larger in diameter to the tip (i.e.
44.01mm diameter) to evaluate the influence of sleeve diameter on the measured data.
Table 1 Summary of test program
Location Name
CPT 1
CPT 2
CPT 3
CPT 4

Sleeve Diameter
43.71mm (15cm2 cone)
44.01mm (l5cm2 cone + 0.3mm)
44.01mm (l5cm2 cone + 0.3mm)
43.71mm (15cm2 cone)

Cone Capacity (tip)

Standard capacity (100 MPa)
Low capacity (30 MPa)
Standard capacity (100 MPa)
Low capacity (30 MPa)

3 TESTING & COMPARISON

Figure 1 shows the comparison of the basic CPT parameters (corrected tip, qt, sleeve friction fs and pore
pressure, u2) from CPT 1 (high capacity) and CPT 4 (low capacity) and provides a check on accuracy
and repeatability. Both CPTs were completed with the same size cone (tip and sleeve), although CPT 4
used a low capacity load cell to gain better accuracy. As shown in Figure 1, these two tests have excellent repeatability. There is a slight decrease in repeatability in the sleeve friction in the softest part of
the clay between depth of 2m to 10m, with a variability of about 1 kPa. The tip and pore pressures have
excellent repeatability.

Figure 1: Comparison of CPT 1 (red) and CPT 4 (blue) showing good repeatability (both same sized sleeve)
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Figure 2 shows the comparison of the same basic cone parameters from CPT 2 and CPT 4. CPT 2
was the low capacity cone with an oversized sleeve and CPT 4 was the same low capacity cone with a
standard sleeve of the same diameter as the tip. Both sleeves were manufactured with the same surface
roughness.

Figure 2: Comparison of CPT 2- oversized sleeve (green) and CPT 4- same sized sleeve (blue)

Figure 2 shows that the larger diameter sleeve used in CPT 2 produces sleeve friction values that are
approximately 5 kPa higher in the soft clay than those measured with the same cone but with a sleeve of
equal diameter to the tip (CPT 4). In this soft clay, this represents an increase of about 80% in the
sleeve friction using a sleeve that is 0.3mm larger than the tip. The higher sleeve friction measured with
the oversized sleeve is likely due to the additional end-bearing acting on the oversized annulus at the
base of the sleeve. Figure 2 clearly shows that friction sleeves that are larger in diameter than the cone
tip can produce higher sleeve friction values than cones with equal diameter sleeves and tip. However,
the key questions are: which sleeve friction is a more correct measure of soil behavior and how sensitive
is the oversized sleeve to wear?
It has often been suggested (e.g. Luune et al., 1997) that the CPT sleeve friction is a good measure of
the remolded shear strength in clays, since the clay is essentially fully remolded by the time it passes the
sleeve due to the vary large shear strains around the tip. To evaluate this concept and to evaluate what
sleeve diameter (relative to the tip) provides the correct measure of the remolded shear strength, field
vane shear testing (FVT) was carried out adjacent to the CPTs. The field vane shear tests were carried
out according to ASTM 2573-08 to measure both the peak undrained shear strength (su) and the remolded shear strength (su(remolded)).
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Figure 3 compares the field vane results with the CPT data. The peak undrained shear strength from
the CPTs were matched to the FVT results using Nkt = 8. Considering that the clay has a sensitivity of
between 5 to 10, the low Nkt is consistent with previous documented sites as well as local experience in
these Young Bay Mud soils. The remolded shear strength from the CPT is taken directly from the
measured sleeve friction values (fs). Figure 3a shows that the standard cone with an equal end-area
sleeve, separated load cells and a sleeve of equal diameter to the tip (CPT 1) provides excellent agreement between the measured sleeve friction values and the remolded shear strength from the FVT. Figure 3b shows that the cone with the oversized sleeve (CPT 2) has a measured sleeve friction larger than
the remolded shear strength. Hence, it would appear that the cone with a sleeve of equal diameter to the
tip produces sleeve friction values very similar to the remolded shear strength of the clay, whereas, the
cone with the oversized sleeve over-estimates the remolded shear strength.

Figure 3: Comparison of FVT results and CPT (su peak & remolded)
(a) CPT 1- same sized sleeve (b) CPT 2- oversized sleeve

To evaluate the issue of wear on the oversized sleeve, a second sounding was performed using the same
oversized sleeve but fitted to the standard (high capacity) cone (CPT 3). Figure 3 shows a comparison
between CPT 1, 2 and 3. CPT 1 was a standard cone with a sleeve of equal diameter, CPT 2 was the
low capacity cone with the new oversized sleeve and CPT 3 was the standard cone with the oversized
sleeve that had been used on CPT 2 (i.e. the sleeve used for one previous sounding).

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Figure 4: Comparison of CPT 1- same sized sleeve (red), CPT 2 - new oversized sleeve (green), CPT 3 - used
oversized sleeve (orange)

By comparing the measured sleeve friction values from these three CPTs, it is evident that the oversized sleeve initially produces larger sleeve friction values, but through normal use and wear, this effect
is decreased. The sleeve friction for CPT 3 is somewhere between CPT 1 (standard size) and CPT 2
(oversized size). The average value of fs in CPT 3 between 4 to15m is 6.8kPa, resulting in a 33% drop
in sleeve friction from CPT 2 with the second use of the oversized sleeve.
It appears that an oversized sleeve may initially provide larger sleeve friction measurements, but the
sleeve friction values decrease with use and wear to values closer to an equal-sized sleeve.
4 INTERPRETATION OF SOIL BEHAVIOR TYPE
The most common use of the CPT sleeve friction (fs) is to estimate the soil behavior type (SBT) using
friction ratio. Robertson (1990) suggested a SBT chart based on normalized parameters that has become
very popular and generally provides good estimates of soil behavior type. Figure 5 shows the normalized CPT results in the soft clay between 5m and 15m from CPT 1 and CPT 2. The CPT data from the
standard (high capacity) cone with a sleeve of equal-diameter to the tip (CPT 1) plots slightly on the
sensitive side of the normally consolidated zone and the SBT is defines as clay (zone 3). This is consistent with the sampling, FVT and UC Berkeley laboratory test results. However, the CPT data from
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the low capacity cone with the oversized sleeve plots to the right of the normally consolidated zone and
the SBT is defined as organic soil (zone 2). Hence, it appears that the cone with a friction sleeve of
equal diameter to the tip provides a more consistent estimate of soil behavior. However, the cone with
the oversized sleeve tends to over-estimate the friction ratio and hence, can incorrectly estimate soil behavior type.

Figure 5: Robertson (1990) normalized SBT chart

(a) CPT 1- same sized sleeve, data from 5-15m (b) CPT 2 (oversized sleeve), data from 5-15m

5 SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS

CPTs were carried out at a site composed of uniform soft sensitive clay to evaluate the influence on
measured sleeve friction of diameter of the friction sleeve relative to the tip, but within ASTM tolerance.
Results suggest that an oversized sleeve produces sleeve friction values higher than those measured with
the same cone but with a sleeve of equal diameter to the tip. The additional sleeve resistance appears to
come mainly from the larger exposed base of the sleeve and that this exposed area can quickly wear resulting in a drop in measured sleeve friction. With continued wear, it would appear that the oversized
sleeve would give results very similar to the results from a sleeve that was initially made to the same diameter as the tip. The additional sleeve friction due to the oversized sleeve can be significant in very
soft sensitive clays where the remolded shear strength is very small. However, in sands the difference
may not be as significant, since the sleeve friction values are much larger.
The two main uses of the sleeve friction measurements are: to estimate the soil behavior type (SBT)
using charts that use friction ratio, and to estimate the remolded shear strength of fine-grained soils.
Comparison of field vane shear test results suggests that sleeve friction values recorded with a sleeve of
equal diameter to the tip are very similar to the remolded shear strength of the clay. Oversized sleeves
tend to produce friction sleeve values that are higher than the remolded shear strength of the clay but
over time and with continued wear, the friction sleeve values tend to approach those of the remolded
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shear strength of the clay. It appears that a cone with a friction sleeve of equal diameter to the tip provides a more consistent estimate of soil behavior in soft clay. However, a cone with an oversized sleeve
tends to over estimate the friction ratio and hence, can incorrectly estimate soil behavior type.
It appears that using a cone with an oversized sleeve, but within the tolerance defined by ASTM, introduces an added level of uncertainly resulting in less repeatability and accuracy in measured sleeve
friction values. The authors recommend that the tolerance limits for friction sleeve diameter in the current standards be reduced in magnitude to encourage the manufacture of sleeves to the same diameter as
the tip.

6 REFERENCES
ASTM D5778-12(2012). Standard Test Method for Performing Electronic Friction Cone and Piezocone Penetration Testing of Soils, ASTM International. www.astm.org.
Boggess, R., and Robertson, P.K., 2010. CPT for soft sediments and deepwater investigations. Proceedings of 2nd International Symposium on Cone Penetration Testing, CPT10, www.cpt10.com
IRTP, 1999. International Reference Test Procedure for Cone Penetration Test (CPT). Report of the
ISSMFE Technical Committee on Penetration Testing of Soils, TC 16, Swedish Geotechnical Institute,
Linkoping, Information, 7, 6-16.
Lunne, T., Eidsmoen, T., Gillespie, D., and Howland, J.D., 1986. Laboratory and field evaluation on
cone penetrometers. Proceedings of ASCE Specialty Conference In Situ86: Use of In Situ Tests in Geotechnical Engineering. Blacksburg, ASCE, 714-729
Lunne, T., Robertson, P.K., and Powell, J.J.M., 1997. Cone penetration testing in geotechnical practice. Blackie Academic, EF Spon/Routledge Publ., New York, 1997, 312 pp.
Lunne, T., and Andersen, K.H., 2007. Soft clay shear strength parameters for deepwater geotechnical
design. Proceedings 6th International Conference, Society for Underwater Technology, Offshore Site
Investigation and Geomechanics, London, 151-176.
Robertson, P.K., 1990. Soil classification using the cone penetration test. Canadian Geotechnical
Journal, 27(1): 151-158.
Robertson, P.K., 2009. Interpretation of cone penetration tests a unified approach. Canadian Geotechnical Journal, 46:1337-1355

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