Stress History and Effective Shear Strength Parameters Evaluation of a Dilative Stiff Clay
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The Cone Penetration Test (CPTu) can be used to evaluate the soil behavior and properties through correlations (empirical and/or analytical), and the results obtained must be compared to laboratory tests to validate the results. This paper presents the evaluation of the effective friction angle (φ’) of a stiff over consolidated Brazilian clay based on CPTu data and laboratory tests characterization such as index properties and the comparison of the effective shear strength parameters obtained by the triaxial test. Based on CPTu data, the soil was classified using the Soil-Behavior Type Classification System proposed by Robertson (2016), and properties such as over-consolidation ratio (OCR) and the effective friction angle were determined using well-known correlations as shown by Mayne et al. (2023). The shear response defined after the CPTu was compared to the results of isotropic consolidated triaxial compression tests. The results showed mainly a clay-like behavior based on the CPTu data, in agreement with the laboratory characterization, which indicated high plasticity. Regarding the shear response, the triaxial test and the CPTu data indicated dilative behavior under shear. Furthermore, the effective friction angle obtained from the triaxial test and the CPTu data were similar depending on the OCR used in the equation, demonstrating the applicability of the adopted methodologies for the Brazilian stiff over-consolidated clay. Finally, based on the CPTu data, it is proposed a complement of the SBTn developed by Robertson (2016) with OCR isolines.