The paper considers two techniques to model the Cone Penetration Test (CPT) end resistance, q_c in a dense sand deposit using commercial finite element programmes. In the first approach, Plaxis was used to perform spherical cavity expansion analyses at multiple depths. Two soil models, namely; the Mohr-Coulomb (MC) and Hardening Soil (HS) models were utilized. When calibrated using simple laboratory element tests, the HS model was found to provide good estimates of q_c. However, at shallow depths, where the over-consolidation ratio of the sand was highest, the relatively large horizontal stresses developed prevented the full development of the failure zone resulting in under-estimation of the q_c value. The second approach involved direct simulation of cone penetration using a large-strain analysis implemented in Abaqus/Explicit. The Arbitrary Lagrangian Eulerian (ALE) technique was used to prevent excessive mesh deformation. Although the Druker-Prager soil model used was not as sophisticated as the HS model, excellent agreement was achieved between the predicted and measured q_c profiles.

Item Type:	Refereed Article
Keywords:	Cone Penetration Test, finite element analysis, cavity expansion, Arbitrary Lagrangian Eulerian, over-consolidated sand
Research Division:	Engineering
Research Group:	Civil engineering
Research Field:	Civil geotechnical engineering
Objective Division:	Expanding Knowledge
Objective Group:	Expanding knowledge
Objective Field:	Expanding knowledge in engineering
UTAS Author:	Tolooiyan, A (Dr Ali Tolooiyan)
ID Code:	129515
Year Published:	2011
Web of Science® Times Cited:	53
Deposited By:	Engineering
Deposited On:	2018-12-04
Last Modified:	2019-01-21
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