ENGINEERING SERVICE CENTER Port Hueneme, California 93043-4370 SP-2209-OCN Handbook for Marine Geotechnical Engineering Technical Editors: David Thompson Diane Jarrah Beasley February 2012 Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited. [This page intentionally left blank] [This page intentionally left blank] ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Much of the background material for this second edition of the Handbook for Marine Geotechnical Engineering was developed by the Naval Facilities Engineering Service Center (NAVFAC ESC) and is based on the first edition (Rocker, 1985). These materials were extensively updated and supplemented with experience from both the public and private sector by a number of ESC and contractor subject matter experts. The primary contributors for each of the chapters is listed below. Chapter Primary Contributor 1 Mr. Phil K. Rockwell, MAR, Inc., Ventura, CA 2 Mr. James C. Miller, MAR, Inc., Boca Raton, FL 3 Mr. Herb Herrmann, NAVFAC ESC, Washington, DC Mr. Kyle Rollins, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT 4 Dr. Daniel G. True, MAR, Inc., Ventura, CA 5 Dr. Sheng (Tom) Lin, NAVFAC ESC, Port Hueneme, CA 6 Mr. William N. Seelig, NAVFAC ESC, Washington, DC 7 Dr. Sheng (Tom) Lin, NAVFAC ESC, Port Hueneme, CA 8 Dr. Daniel G. True, MAR, Inc., Ventura, CA 9 Mr. Blake Jung, NAVFAC ESC, Port Hueneme, CA 10 Dr. Jean-Louis Briaud, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX i [This page intentionally left blank] ii TABLE OF CONTENTS 1 INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................................... 1-1 1.1 OBJECTIVE ................................................................................................................... 1-1 1.2 HANDBOOK ORGANIZATION ....................................................................................... 1-2 1.3 SELECTION OF FOUNDATION/ANCHOR TYPE .............................................................. 1-3 1.4 REFERENCES ................................................................................................................ 1-9 2 SITE SURVEY AND IN-SITU TESTING....................................................................................... 2-1 2.1 INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................... 2-1 2.1.1 Purpose .......................................................................................................... 2-1 2.1.2 Factors Influencing the Site Survey ................................................................ 2-1 2.2 DESK TOP STUDY ......................................................................................................... 2-5 2.2.1 Information Sources ....................................................................................... 2-5 2.2.2 Typical Ocean Sediments ................................................................................ 2-7 2.3 REGIONAL SURVEYS................................................................................................... 2-17 2.3.1 General ......................................................................................................... 2-17 2.3.2 Subbottom Profiling ..................................................................................... 2-17 2.3.3 Limited Sampling .......................................................................................... 2-18 2.3.4 Sidescan Sonar.............................................................................................. 2-18 2.3.5 Visual Observation........................................................................................ 2-22 2.3.6 Survey Line Spacing ...................................................................................... 2-22 2.4 SITE-SPECIFIC SURVEY ............................................................................................... 2-22 2.4.1 General ......................................................................................................... 2-22 2.4.2 Shallow Sampling.......................................................................................... 2-24 2.4.3 Deep Sampling .............................................................................................. 2-28 iii 2.4.4 Location, Number, and Depth of Sampling ................................................... 2-29 2.4.5 Sample Handling ........................................................................................... 2-29 2.5 IN-SITU TESTING ........................................................................................................ 2-30 2.5.1 General ......................................................................................................... 2-30 2.5.2 Vane Shear Tests .......................................................................................... 2-33 2.5.3 Cone Penetration Tests ................................................................................ 2-35 2.5.4 Pressuremeter Tests ..................................................................................... 2-42 2.5.5 Dynamic Penetrometer ................................................................................ 2-42 2.5.6 Borehole Logging Techniques ....................................................................... 2-43 2.6 REFERENCES .............................................................................................................. 2-44 2.7 SYMBOLS ................................................................................................................... 2-47 3 LABORATORY DETERMINATION OF SOIL PROPERTIES .......................................................... 3-1 3.1 INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................... 3-1 3.1.1 Scope .............................................................................................................. 3-1 3.1.2 Special Considerations .................................................................................... 3-1 3.2 SOIL CLASSIFICATION................................................................................................... 3-1 3.2.1 Classification Information ............................................................................... 3-1 3.2.2 Classification by Origin ................................................................................... 3-1 3.2.3 Classification by Grain Size ............................................................................. 3-2 3.2.4 Classification by Grain Size and Behavior ....................................................... 3-3 3.3 INDEX PROPERTY TESTS ............................................................................................... 3-5 3.3.1 General ........................................................................................................... 3-5 3.3.2 Sample Preparation ........................................................................................ 3-5 3.3.3 Water Content ................................................................................................ 3-8 3.3.4 Unit Weight .................................................................................................... 3-8 iv 3.3.5 Specific Gravity ............................................................................................... 3-9 3.3.6 Liquid Limit, Plastic Limit, and Plasticity Index ............................................... 3-9 3.3.7 Grain Size Analysis ........................................................................................ 3-11 3.3.8 Carbonate and Organic Carbon Content ...................................................... 3-12 3.4 ENGINEERING PROPERTY TESTS ................................................................................ 3-13 3.4.1 General ......................................................................................................... 3-13 3.4.2 Vane Shear Test ............................................................................................ 3-15 3.4.3 Unconfined Compression Test ...................................................................... 3-17 3.4.4 Unconsolidated, Undrained Triaxial Compression Test ................................ 3-17 3.4.5 Consolidated-Undrained and -Drained Triaxial Compression Tests .............. 3-17 3.4.6 Consolidated-Drained Direct Shear Test ....................................................... 3-18 3.4.7 Consideration for Triaxial Testing of Marine Soils ........................................ 3-18 3.4.8 One-Dimensional Consolidation Test ........................................................... 3-18 3.5 PROPERTY CORRELATIONS ........................................................................................ 3-19 3.5.1 General ......................................................................................................... 3-19 3.5.2 Nearshore Sediments ................................................................................... 3-19 3.5.3 Deep Sea Sediments ..................................................................................... 3-22 3.6 REFERENCES .............................................................................................................. 3-24 3.7 SYMBOLS ................................................................................................................... 3-25 4 SHALLOW FOUNDATIONS AND DEADWEIGHT ANCHORS ..................................................... 4-1 4.1 INTRODUCTION ..........................................................................................................