Characterization of the Correlative Relationship between PCPT Radial and In Situ Horizontal Coefficients of Consolidation

Abstract

The coefficient of radial consolidation (cr) obtained from the piezocone penetration test (PCPT) differs in value from that of horizontal consolidation (ch) that is commonly adopted in the design of prefabricated vertical drain. In this paper, the correlative relationship between cr and ch was investigated and quantified to establish a more reliable PCPT-based ch estimation method. Large-deformation finite-element (LDFE) analysis using the arbitrary Lagrangian–Eulerian (ALE) method was performed to simulate the process of cone penetration and PCPT dissipation. Various influence parameters, including soil permeability, overconsolidation (OC) ratio, rigidity index, and compressibility ratio, were considered and adopted to quantify the correlative relationship between cr and ch. From the LDFE results, it was shown that the cone penetration process induced an increase and decrease in the excess pore pressure and effective stress of soil, respectively, which was related to the faster consolidation. Based on the characterized influences of considered influence parameters, a correlation model of cr/ch was proposed, which was applicable to various in situ soil conditions. Case examples were selected and adopted to check the validity and field applicability of the proposed method.