PREDICTION OF SOIL PROPERTIES FROM SIMPLE INDICES

The Indiana geotechnical data bank has been established to collect geotechnical information from the subsurface investigation reports of various geotechnical projects previously conducted in the State. The data bank is user oriented, simple to use, and flexible to accommodate further change as the requirements of users become more clearly defined. Statistical operations on the data, varying from generation of sample distribution parameters of soil characteristics to correlation efforts among variables, are done to aid in evaluating information from new sites or in approximating geotechnical information for preliminary investigations. Correlations between simple soil indices and soil characteristics and properties that are costly to measure directly are discussed. Significant relations were developed for compressibility parameters under sustained loading and for compaction parameters under repeated transient loadings. Little success was achieved in predicting strength parameters from simple indices. The study establishes relations between soil characteristics, which may be valuable in preliminary studies. The information does not replace fuller site investigation, sampling, and testing but does produce a framework against which various test results can be judged for their consistency and reliability. (Author)