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A comparison between undrained shear strength of clayey soils acquired by “PMT” and laboratory tests

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Abstract

A pressuremeter test (PMT) is one of the in situ tests, which is used to evaluate deformation and strength parameters of soils for various projects, including subway projects. The limit pressure (PL) and undrained shear strength (Su) are the key parameters that are obtained directly and indirectly from the pressuremeter testing results. This research was carried out using geotechnical information obtained from a subway project in Qom city, Iran. Based on 44 PMT and uniaxial tests on very stiff to hard saturated clayey soils, a linear empirical equation between Su − PL and Su − PL* = (PL − σH) with R2 = 0.68 was proposed and it was found that σH had an insignificant effect on the proposed relationship. The effect of physical properties of soil, including plastic index (PI), liquid limit (LL), and water content (ω), was evaluated, and a multivariate equation was proposed between them. A comparison between the equations obtained in this research and those proposed by other researchers reveals that the empirical relationships between Su and PL are associated with the consistency of soils; the stiffer the soil is, the slope of relationship between Su and PL is less.

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Abbreviations

PMT:

Pressuremeter test

PBP:

Pre-boring pressuremeter

SBP:

Self-boring pressuremeter

P L :

Limit pressure

EPMT :

Pressuremeter modulus

β:

Pressuremeter constant

S u :

Undrained shear strength

σH :

Total horizontal stress

PI:

Plastic index

LL:

Liquid limit

ω:

Water content

CPT:

Cone penetration test

FVT:

Field vane test

FDT:

Flat dilatometer test

CU:

Consolidation untrained

SPT:

Standard penetration test

NSPT :

Standard penetration number

OCR:

Over consolidation ratio

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank SOI Company for their collaboration in testing and data sharing.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Structural and Engineering Geology, School of Geology, College of Science, University of Tehran, 16th Azar St., Enghelab Sq, Tehran, Iran

    Akbar Cheshomi & Ehsan Bakhtiyari

  2. School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology, University of Technology Sydney, Room: 224, Level 11, Building 11, PO Box 123, Broadway, NSW, 2007, Australia

    Hadi Khabbaz

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  1. Akbar Cheshomi
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  2. Ehsan Bakhtiyari
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  3. Hadi Khabbaz
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Correspondence to Akbar Cheshomi.

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Responsible Editor: Zeynal Abiddin Erguler

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Cheshomi, A., Bakhtiyari, E. & Khabbaz, H. A comparison between undrained shear strength of clayey soils acquired by “PMT” and laboratory tests. Arab J Geosci 13, 640 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12517-020-05660-9

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