United States Department of Transportation
i
Control of embankment settlement field verification on PCPT prediction methods : tech summary.
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2011-07-01
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OCLC Number:755096988
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Edition:Tech summary.
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NTL Classification:NTL-HIGHWAY/ROAD TRANSPORTATION-Soils and Geology;NTL-HIGHWAY/ROAD TRANSPORTATION-Bridges and Structures;
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Abstract:Depending on loading and embankment height, the magnitude and progression of settlement can signifi cantly impact the safety and
serviceability of the infrastructures that are constructed on saturated fi ne-grained soils. Therefore, the construction of embankments,
bridge abutments, and other structures on such soils requires a reasonable estimate of the magnitude and time-rate of consolidation
of the natural soil deposits in order to conduct a rational and safe analysis and design of these structures.
Calculation of embankment settlement is usually made by using Terzaghi’s consolidation theory based on laboratory tests. Laboratory
tests, such as the oedometer consolidation test, are usually conducted on small intact samples recovered from embankment
sites at selected depths. Inevitable sample disturbance makes consolidation parameters obtained from laboratory tests not truly
representative of the actual in-situ conditions. Moreover, laboratory testing has great diffi culty interpreting interbedded soils due
to the limited number of samples. In contrast to laboratory tests, the piezocone penetration test (PCPT) can provide reliable results
similar to laboratory tests in evaluating the actual strength and consolidation properties of the soil under in-situ stress and drainage
conditions. PCPT has gained wide popularity and acceptance for subsurface investigation and soil characterization. PCPT is a robust,
fast, and economical in-situ test that can provide continuous soundings of subsurface soil with depth.
A research project was conducted previously at the Louisiana Transportation Research Center
(LTRC) to evaluate the current PCPT interpretation methods for their capability to accurately
predict the consolidation parameters needed to calculate the magnitude and time-rate of
consolidation settlement of cohesive soils as well as the overconsolidation ratio (OCR). The
previous research recommended new interpretation methods for constrained modulus and
the Teh and Houlsby method for horizontal coeffi cient of consolidation. In this study, more
embankment sites were selected to verify the settlement prediction method based on PCPT and
dissipation tests.
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