University of New Hampshire University of New Hampshire Scholars' Repository Master's Theses and Capstones Student Scholarship Winter 2006 Modeling of a soft sensitive marine silty clay deposit for a landfill expansion study John Roche University of New Hampshire, Durham Follow this and additional works at: https://scholars.unh.edu/thesis Recommended Citation Roche, John, "Modeling of a soft es nsitive marine silty clay deposit for a landfill expansion study" (2006). Master's Theses and Capstones. 243. https://scholars.unh.edu/thesis/243 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Student Scholarship at University of New Hampshire Scholars' Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in Master's Theses and Capstones by an authorized administrator of University of New Hampshire Scholars' Repository. For more information, please contact [email protected]. MODELING OF A SOFT SENSITIVE MARINE SILTY CLAY DEPOSIT FOR A LANDFILL EXPANSION STUDY BY JOHN ROCHE B.S. Civil Engineering, University of New Hampshire, 2004 THESIS Submitted to the University of New Hampshire in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in Civil Engineering December, 2006 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. UMI Number: 1439288 INFORMATION TO USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. Broken or indistinct print, colored or poor quality illustrations and photographs, print bleed-through, substandard margins, and improper alignment can adversely affect reproduction. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if unauthorized copyright material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. ® UMI UMI Microform 1439288 Copyright 2007 by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights reserved. This microform edition is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. ProQuest Information and Learning Company 300 North Zeeb Road P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. This thesis has been examined and approved. Thesis Director, Dr. Jean BenoTt Professor and Chair, Civil Engineering Dr. Pedro de Alba Professor, Civil Engineering Researc tant Professor, Civil Engineering (JIa s Mr. Stephen Rab^gca, P.E. Geotechnical Engineer, Soil Metrics, LLC. u /lS '/o Q Date Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. DEDICATION To my parents, Dave and Carol Roche, who have provided never-ending support and encouragement to all of their children. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Many thanks to all of my family and friends who have provided incredible support during this research. For his unending support and guidance, my sincere thanks to my advisor, Professor Jean BenoTt. Many thanks for Stephen Rabasca of Soil Metrics, LLC. for providing the opportunity to perform this research, and for providing a wealth of data from the RWS site. For their assistance during the research program, and service on my thesis committee, I thank Professors Pedro de Alba and Jeffrey Melton. Thanks to the employees of ARA/Vertek for their assistance in preparation of the piezocone system. For their patience and assistance providing drilling support, thanks to Great Works Test Borings, Inc. Thanks to my fellow graduate students Steve Hall and Marc Grenier for their assistance in the field, and to the many undergraduates who assisted during laboratory testing. iv Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. TABLE OF CONTENTS DEDICATION..................................................................................................................... iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS................................................................................................ iv LIST OF TABLES.............................................................................................................. x LIST OF FIGURES............................................................................................................xi ABSTRACT........................................................................................................................xx CHAPTER PAGE INTRODUCTION.............................................................................................................1 I. IN SITU TESTING ....................................................................................................3 1.1 Introduction ....................................................................................................3 1.2 Field Shear Vane Testing ............................................................................3 1.2.1 Field Vane History ............................................................................ 3 1.2.2 The Geonor H-10 Vane Borer ........................................................ 4 1.2.3 General Mechanics of the Field Vane ........................................... 6 1.2.4 Factors Influencing the Field Vane .................................................8 1.3 Cone Penetration Testing ............................................................................12 1.3.1 Piezocone History .............................................................................12 1.3.2 Piezocone Mechanics ......................................................................20 1.3.2.1 Tip and Friction Sleeve Load Measurement ........................20 1.3.2.2 Pore Pressure Measurement Location .................................21 1.3.2.3 Filter Element Considerations ...............................................26 1.3.3 Piezocone Testing System .............................................................. 27 1.3.3.1 The Hogentogler 10 Ton Cone ............................................. 27 v Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 1.3.3.2 Depth/Velocity Transducer .................................................... 30 1.3.3.3 Data Acquisition System .........................................................31 1.3.4 Filter Element Saturation ................................................................. 34 1.4 Dilatometer Testing ....................................................................................... 36 1.4.1 Dilatometer History ........................................................................... 36 1.4.2 Operating Principle of the Dilatometer .......................................... 38 II. SITE CHARACTERISTICS..................................................................................... 42 2.1 Site History ..................................................................................................... 42 2.2 Subsurface Conditions ..................................................................................46 2.2.1 Stratigraphy ....................................................................................... 46 2.2.2 The Presumpscot Formation ...........................................................49 2.2.3 Groundwater Conditions ...................................................................50 2.2.4 Soil Properties ................................................................................... 51 2.3 Geotechnical Monitoring ...............................................................................56 2.4 Geotechnical Monitoring Assessment ........................................................58 III. IN SITU TESTING PROGRAM...............................................................................61 3.1 Purpose of the Site Investigation ................................................................ 61 3.2 Testing Locations ...........................................................................................62 3.3 Field Shear Vane Testing Procedure ..........................................................64 3.4 Piezocone Testing Procedure ......................................................................65 3.4.1 Introduction ........................................................................................ 65 3.4.2 Summary of the CPTu Procedure .................................................. 66 3.5 Dilatometer Testing Procedure ....................................................................68 3.6 Laboratory Testing Procedures ...................................................................68 vi Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. IV. INTERPRETATION OF IN SITU TEST DATA.................................................... 72 4.1 Field Shear Vane D ata ................................................................................. 72 4.1.1 Data Reduction .................................................................................. 72 4.1.2 Undrained Shear Strength Correction ............................................74 4.1.2.1 Corrections Used .....................................................................74 4.1.2.2 Index Properties of the Soil ................................................... 75 4.2 Piezocone and Dilatometer Data ................................................................ 76 4.2.1 Introduction .........................................................................................76