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Centrifuge modelling of an instrumented free-fall sphere for measurement of undrained strength in fine-grained soils

Centrifuge modelling of an instrumented free-fall sphere for measurement of undrained strength in fine-grained soils
Centrifuge modelling of an instrumented free-fall sphere for measurement of undrained strength in fine-grained soils

This paper describes centrifuge tests in which a model free-fall sphere was allowed to free fall in water before dynamically embedding within reconstituted samples of kaolin clay and two offshore natural clays. Instrumentation within the sphere measured accelerations along three orthogonal axes. The resultant acceleration was used to calculate sphere velocities and displacements. This allowed the penetration resistance acting on the sphere to be expressed in terms of a single capacity factor that captures soil resistance from both shearing and drag, and varies uniquely with the non-Newtonian Reynolds number. Undrained shear strength profiles obtained from a simple inverse analysis of the acceleration data show good agreement with those obtained using conventional push-in penetrometer tests.

Clay, Dynamic, Fluid drag, Free fall, Physical modelling, Soil strength, Sphere
0008-3674
918-929
Morton, J.P.
44775484-92cc-4aaf-b49d-f83f8c3be260
O’Loughlin, C.D.
d2821636-d20b-4fea-82fb-c1c64b53433c
White, D.J.
a986033d-d26d-4419-a3f3-20dc54efce93
Morton, J.P.
44775484-92cc-4aaf-b49d-f83f8c3be260
O’Loughlin, C.D.
d2821636-d20b-4fea-82fb-c1c64b53433c
White, D.J.
a986033d-d26d-4419-a3f3-20dc54efce93

Morton, J.P., O’Loughlin, C.D. and White, D.J. (2016) Centrifuge modelling of an instrumented free-fall sphere for measurement of undrained strength in fine-grained soils. Canadian Geotechnical Journal, 53 (6), 918-929. (doi:10.1139/cgj-2015-0242).

Record type: Article

Abstract

This paper describes centrifuge tests in which a model free-fall sphere was allowed to free fall in water before dynamically embedding within reconstituted samples of kaolin clay and two offshore natural clays. Instrumentation within the sphere measured accelerations along three orthogonal axes. The resultant acceleration was used to calculate sphere velocities and displacements. This allowed the penetration resistance acting on the sphere to be expressed in terms of a single capacity factor that captures soil resistance from both shearing and drag, and varies uniquely with the non-Newtonian Reynolds number. Undrained shear strength profiles obtained from a simple inverse analysis of the acceleration data show good agreement with those obtained using conventional push-in penetrometer tests.

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More information

Accepted/In Press date: 17 November 2015
e-pub ahead of print date: 4 December 2015
Published date: 2016
Keywords: Clay, Dynamic, Fluid drag, Free fall, Physical modelling, Soil strength, Sphere

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 419536
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/419536
ISSN: 0008-3674
PURE UUID: 7d5e029d-b978-41ad-ad18-506db895a537
ORCID for D.J. White: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-2968-582X

Catalogue record

Date deposited: 13 Apr 2018 16:30
Last modified: 16 Mar 2024 04:32

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Contributors

Author: J.P. Morton
Author: C.D. O’Loughlin
Author: D.J. White ORCID iD

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