DYNAMIC PENETRATION RESISTANCE AND THE PREDICTION OF THE COMPRESSIBILITY OF A FINE-GRAINED SAND - A LABORATORY STUDY

Dynamic penetration tests, such as the standard pene-tration test, are widely used in conjunction with em-pirical or ad hoc relationships to determine the com-pressibility of granular soil under foundations. This Paper reviews those factors which control the com- pressibility of sand, and those which are thought to influence dynamic penetration resistance. The results of a laboratory study of the compressibility and dynamic penetration resistance of an uniform fine sand at a single density are presented. It is shown that while the compressibility of the sand is strongly dependent on its previous stress path, and is relatively unaffected by its current stress level, dynamic penetration resis-tance is strongly influenced by current stress level and is unaffected by stress path. Des essais dynamiques de penetration, tel que le ‘stan-dard penetration test’, s'emploient tres frequemment en combinaison avec des rapports empiriques ou specialement elabores dans le cas particulier pour determiner la compressibili...