Standard Penetration Test (SPT):-

Reference: Foundation analysis and design by joseph E. Bowles Fifth

ED Chapter # 3.

Underwater sampling:
It is usually necessary to collect enough data to make a strength estimate. Soil shear
strength determines how much pile embedment is required or whether a fill will require special
construction procedures. Estimates of settlement are also often required—both how much
and how long it will take. This is very critical for land recovery operations, since the client
will want to know when enough settlement has occurred so that construction of surface facilities
can begin.
The in situ testing and recovery procedures for underwater samples, either in a freshwater or a
saltwater environment, are not much different from those for dry land for water depths up
to about 45 m.
Originally the SPT was developed for sands but now it also done for all the soils. That being
said, it is a good qualitative indicator of the compactness of the soil, or in a comparison of
subsoil stratification.
The test consists of the following:-
 Driving the standard split barrel sampler a distance of 460mm into the soil at the bottom
of the boring.
 Counting the number of blows for the last 150 mm (total 300mm) to determine the N
value.
 Using the mass of 63.5 kg hammer free falling from a height of 760 mm.

Refusal of the test:

1. 50 blows are required for any 150mm increment.
2. 100 blows are required for 300mm displacement.
3. 10 successive blows required for no advancement.
Kovacs and Salomone (1982) found that the actual input driving energy Ea to the sampler
to produce penetration ranged from about 30 to 80 percent; Riggs et al. (1983) obtained energy
inputs ranging from about 70 to 100 percent. These discrepancies appear to arise from factors
such as the following:
Ea depends upon:
1.
 Rope condition and diameter
 Diameter and condition of the cathead.
 Number of turns of roap around cathead.
 The actual drop height at which the operator drops the hammer.
 Whether a liner is used inside the split barrel sampler.

2. Overburden pressure. Soils of the same density will give smaller N values if p'o is
smaller
(as near the ground surface). Oversize boreholes on the order of 150 to 200 mm will also
reduce N unless a rotary hollow-stem auger is used with the auger left in close contact
with the soil in the hole bottom. Degree of cementation may also be significant in giving
higher N counts in cemented zones that may have little overburden pressure.
3. Length of the rod above about 10m it is not critical but for shorter lengths it is critical.
Conventional practice:
Conventional practice is to do an SPT every 1 or 2 m after penetrating the topsoil or starting
the first test at about 1- to 1.5 m depth. For each test there is a sample recovery of about 460
mm including the seating depth to provide a visual profile of around 50 percent of the boring
depth.
SPT correlations:
The SPT has been used particularly for unit weight, relative density, undrained compressive
strength and angle of internal friction.
Bearing capacities of the foundations can also be found out.
Modulus of the soil can also be estimated.
 Dilatancy correction is applied due to the pore-water increase which ultimately increases
the SPT N value.
Design N values:
Current practice is to use the average value in the zone of major stress.

Cone Penetration Test ASTM D 3441

The test seems suitable for soft silts and soft clay deposits and in fine to medium sand deposits.
Not well adopted to gravels and hard cohesive deposits.
  In general the CPT is pushing the standard cone into the ground at the rate of 10-20mm/s
and recording the resistance.
 The total resistance is the summation of side resistance on the shaft cone perimeter and
the tip pressure.
 Data usually recorded as the qc (tip resistance), qs( shaft resistance), pore-pressure,
temperature, depth and vertical alignment.
 This test is rather popular for sites where there are deep deposits of transported soil such
as in flood plains, river deltas, and along coastlines.
 Data deteriorate as the cone slope increases from the vertical. When this occurs, the test is
usually halted, the equipment moved a few meters away, and a new test begun.
Types of cones:
1. Mechanical cone oldest type measures both cone and skin friction.
2. Electric friction uses the strain gauges to measure the cone resistance.
3. Electric Piezo a modification to Electric friction that also measures the pore-pressure.
4. Seismic cone includes a vibratory sensor to measure the shear wave velocity from the
hammer impact so that the Dynamic Shear modulus can be computed.
Steps:
The cone is advanced by pushing an inner rod to extrude the cone tip and a short length of cone
shaft. This action measures the tip resistance qc.
The outer shaft is now advanced to the cone base, and skin resistance is measured as the
force necessary to advance the shaft qs.
Now the cone and sleeve are advanced in combination to obtain total which should be
approximately the sum of the qc + qs just measured.
The CPT test data are used to classify a soil, to establish the allowable bearing capacity of
shallow foundation elements, or to design piles. They have been extensively used in the design of
piles for offshore oil-drilling platforms.
The measured point resistance qc and sleeve friction (or side friction) are used to compute
qs
the friction ratio fr as =fr
qc
It is used primarily for the coil classification to see how much the soil is stiff.
CPT correlations:
One correlation between the cone bearing resistance qc and undrained shear strength su is
based on the bearing capacity equation and is as follows:
qc=( N∗C+ overburden pressure )
Field Vane Shear Test ASTM D2573:
 The vane shear test VST is a substantially used method to estimate the in situ undrained
shear strength of very soft, sensitive, fine-grained soil deposits.
 The test is performed by inserting the vane into the soil and applying a torque after a
short time lapse, on the order of 5 to 10 minutes. If the time lapse is less than this, the
insertion effects reduce the measured sUfV, and if much over this time the soil tends to
set up or consolidate, with an increase in sUtV.
 The vane test is done at a depth of at least five sheath diameters below the sheath or at
least five diameters below the bottom of a drill hole.
 It is common to continue the vane rotation for 10 to 12 complete revolutions after the
peak value (which occurs at soil rupture) so that the soil in the shear zone is substantially
remolded.
  Somewhat similar to the SPT, the vane test is usually performed every 0.5 to 1 m of depth
in soft clays and fine silty sands. The test is not well suited for dense, hard, or gravelly
deposits.

Flat Dilatometer Test DMT:-

This test consists of inserting the dilatometer probe to the depth of interest z by pushing or driving. The

CPT pushing equipment can be used for insertion of the device, and in soils where the SPT TV is greater
than 35 to 40 the device can be driven or pushed from the bottom of a predrilled borehole using SPT
drilling and testing equipment.

According to both Marchetti (1980) and Schmertmann (1986) the DMT can be used to
obtain the fiill range of soil parameters (ED, K0, OCR, su, phi, and mv) for both strength and
compressibility analyses.
The pressure meter Test:

Rock Sampling: