Spatial variability of medium dense sand deposit

Zhongqiang Liu; Åse Marit Wist Amdal; Jean-Sébastien L'Heureux; Suzanne Lacasse; Farrokh Nadim; Xin Xie; Zhongqiang Liu; Åse Marit Wist Amdal; Jean-Sébastien L'Heureux; Suzanne Lacasse; Farrokh Nadim; Xin Xie

doi:10.3934/geosci.2020002

AIMS Geosciences

2020, Volume 6, Issue 1: 6-30. doi: 10.3934/geosci.2020002

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Spatial variability of medium dense sand deposit

1.
Norwegian Geotechnical Institute, Oslo, Norway
2.
Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Trondheim, Norway
3.
Tongji University, Shanghai, China, formerly Norwegian Geotechnical Institute, Oslo, Norway
Correction on: AIMS Geosciences 6: 149-150

Received: 26 March 2019 Accepted: 22 November 2019 Published: 20 December 2019

This paper presents a study of the spatial variability of the cone resistance in a medium dense sand deposit in Norway. Spatial variability studies have been done earlier for clay deposits, but there are few results available for sands. To bridge this gap and to compare the spatial variability of sand and clay, the in situ cone resistance measured with the piezocone at the Øysand benchmark site near Trondheim was studied. Corrected cone resistances q_t derived from the measured cone resistance and pore pressure measurements were used to establish the autocorrelation structure of the Øysand deposit. The q_t data were examined visually and conclusions were drawn on the data that should be analyzed. A depth interval of 7 to 12 m was selected for spatial variability further analysis. The scale of fluctuation was identified. Several autocorrelation functions were considered, and the single exponential function was found to be the one offering the best autocorrelation. The spatial variability in the vertical and horizontal directions was analyzed statistically, using three different approaches, the auto-correlation fitting, maximum likelihood estimation and simplified Vanmarcke method. The results indicate short autocorrelation distances of 3 m or less in the horizontal direction, suggesting a very variable sand at the Øysand site. These horizontal autocorrelation distances are much shorter than those obtained for clays. In the vertical direction the scale of fluctuation was less than one meter, as obtained for other soils.
- sand,
- piezocone test,
- cone resistance,
- scale of fluctuation,
- spatial variability,
- autocorrelation functions
Citation: Zhongqiang Liu, Åse Marit Wist Amdal, Jean-Sébastien L'Heureux, Suzanne Lacasse, Farrokh Nadim, Xin Xie. Spatial variability of medium dense sand deposit[J]. AIMS Geosciences, 2020, 6(1): 6-30. doi: 10.3934/geosci.2020002

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Abstract

This paper presents a study of the spatial variability of the cone resistance in a medium dense sand deposit in Norway. Spatial variability studies have been done earlier for clay deposits, but there are few results available for sands. To bridge this gap and to compare the spatial variability of sand and clay, the in situ cone resistance measured with the piezocone at the Øysand benchmark site near Trondheim was studied. Corrected cone resistances q_t derived from the measured cone resistance and pore pressure measurements were used to establish the autocorrelation structure of the Øysand deposit. The q_t data were examined visually and conclusions were drawn on the data that should be analyzed. A depth interval of 7 to 12 m was selected for spatial variability further analysis. The scale of fluctuation was identified. Several autocorrelation functions were considered, and the single exponential function was found to be the one offering the best autocorrelation. The spatial variability in the vertical and horizontal directions was analyzed statistically, using three different approaches, the auto-correlation fitting, maximum likelihood estimation and simplified Vanmarcke method. The results indicate short autocorrelation distances of 3 m or less in the horizontal direction, suggesting a very variable sand at the Øysand site. These horizontal autocorrelation distances are much shorter than those obtained for clays. In the vertical direction the scale of fluctuation was less than one meter, as obtained for other soils.

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