Archived Document Technical Report Documentation Page 1. Report No. 2. Government Accession No. 3. Recipient=s Catalog No. FHWA-IF-02-034 4. Title and Subtitle 4. Report Date GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERING CIRCULAR NO. 5 April 2002 Evaluation of Soil and Rock Properties 6. Performing Organization Code: 7. Author(s) 8. Performing Organization Report No. P.J. Sabatini, R.C. Bachus, P.W. Mayne, J.A. Schneider, T.E. Zettler 9. Performing Organization Name and Address 10. Work Unit No.(TRAIS) GeoSyntec Consultants 11. Contract or Grant No. 1100 Lake Hearn Drive, NE DTFH61-94-C-00099 Atlanta, Georgia 30342-1523 12. Sponsoring Agency Name and Address 13 Type of Report and Period Covered U.S. Department of Transportation Technical Manual Office of Bridge Technology Federal Highway Administration 14. Sponsoring Agency Code 400 Seventh Street, SW Washington, DC 20590 15. Supplementary Notes FHWA COTR: Chien-Tan Chang FHWA Technical Consultant: Jerry A. DiMaggio 16. Abstract This document presents state-of-the-practice information on the evaluation of soil and rock properties for geotechnical design applications. This document addresses the entire range of materials potentially encountered in highway engineering practice, from soft clay to intact rock and variations of materials that fall between these two extremes. Information is presented on parameters measured, evaluation of data quality, and interpretation of properties for conventional soil and rock laboratory testing, as well as in situ devices such as field vane testing, cone penetration testing, dilatometer, pressuremeter, and borehole jack. This document provides the design engineer with information that can be used to develop a rationale for accepting or rejecting data and for resolving inconsistencies between data provided by different laboratories and field tests. This document also includes information on: (1) the use of Geographical Information Systems (GIS) and Personal Data Assistance devices for the collection and interpretation of subsurface information; (2) quantitative measures for evaluating disturbance of laboratory soil samples; and (3) the use of measurements from geophysical testing techniques to obtain information on the modulus of soil. Also included are chapters on evaluating properties of special soil materials (e.g., loess, cemented sands, peats and organic soils, etc.) and the use of statistical information in evaluating anomalous data and obtaining design values for soil and rock properties. An appendix of three detailed soil and rock property selection examples is provided which illustrate the application of the methods described in the document. 17. Key Words 18. Distribution Statement Soil properties, rock properties, laboratory testing, No restrictions. This document is available to the public from the in-situ testing, subsurface investigation, data quality, National Technical Information Service, Springfield, Virginia data interpretation, shear strength, consolidation, 22161. hydraulic conductivity, modulus 19. Security Classif. (of this report) 20. Security Classif. (of this page) 21. No. of Pages 22. Price Unclassified Unclassified 385 Form DOT F 1700.7 (8-72) Reproduction of completed page authorized Archived Document ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The authors would like to express their appreciation to Mr. Jerry A. DiMaggio, P.E. of the U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) for providing significant technical assistance and review during preparation of the document. The authors would also like to thank Messer’s Norman Norrish, P.Eng. and Duncan Wyllie, P.Eng. of Wyllie & Norrish Rock Engineers for providing technical assistance on rock property evaluation. The authors would also like to thank the following individuals who reviewed the document and served on the Technical Working Group for this project: • Richard Cheney, P.E. – FHWA (retired); • Nari Abar – Geostructural Engineering, Inc. • David Shiells, P.E. – Virginia DOT; • Lawrence Pierson – Oregon DOT; • Sam Mansukhani – FHWA Midwestern Resource Center; and • Michelle Cribbs – FHWA The authors would also like to acknowledge Geotesting Express Inc. for providing photographs. Finally, the authors would like to thank Mrs. Ann Taylor and Mr. Michael Harris of GeoSyntec Consultants who drafted the figures and assisted in the layout of the document. i Archived Document PREFACE This document presents state-of-the-practice information on the evaluation of soil and rock properties for geotechnical design applications. This document was prepared to provide geotechnical engineers with tools to assist in the rational development of subsurface investigation programs, as well as in the execution of laboratory and field testing programs involving soil and rock, and interpretation of data from these programs. The document will be equally useful for structural engineers, engineering geologists, or geologists who may be responsible for field and laboratory testing programs. This document addresses the entire range of materials potentially encountered in highway engineering practice, from soft clay to intact rock and variations of materials that fall between these two extremes. In reviewing texts and course materials that are currently available to the practicing engineer, it is recognized that two important areas have not been sufficiently addressed. These are: (1) the use and role of in-situ testing; and (2) the interpretation of conflicting, contradicting, and inconsistent data. Regarding the first point, it is recognized that over the past 20 years, several in situ testing techniques have moved from the arena of university research to routine engineering practice. In 2002, in situ testing plays a critical role in assessing soil properties and, to a lesser extent, rock properties, particularly by complementing laboratory-derived data. In this document detailed information on parameters measured, evaluation of data quality, and interpretation of properties are provided for conventional soil and rock laboratory testing, as well as in situ devices such as field vane testing, cone penetration testing, dilatometer, pressuremeter, and borehole jack. Regarding the second point, data resulting from the range of laboratory and in situ tests are often not completely consistent with other data obtained for the project and/or soil deposit. This document provides the design engineer with information that can be used to develop a rationale for accepting or rejecting data and for resolving inconsistencies between data provided by different laboratories and field tests. This document relies on previous good practice in the evaluation of soil and rock properties. This good practice is extended by more recent developments in the areas of engineering property evaluation methods by including: (1) use of Geographical Information Systems (GIS) and Personal Data Assistance (i.e., handheld computer) devices for the collection and interpretation of subsurface information; (2) quantitative measures for evaluating disturbance of laboratory soil samples; and (3) use of measurements from seismic and geophysical testing techniques to obtain information on the modulus of soils for static deformation analyses. Other features of this document include a chapter on evaluating properties of special soil materials (e.g., loess, cemented sands, peats and organic soils), a chapter on the use of statistical information in evaluating anomalous data and obtaining design values for soil and rock properties, and an appendix of three detailed soil and rock property selection examples which illustrate the application of the methods described in the document for property evaluation. ii Archived Document TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER 1 ....................................................................................................... 1 1.1 INTRODUCTION................................................................................................................... 1 1.2 BACKGROUND ..................................................................................................................... 1 1.3 DOCUMENT ORGANIZATION.......................................................................................... 2 CHAPTER 2 ...................................................................................................... 4 2.1 INTRODUCTION................................................................................................................... 4 2.2 PROCESS OF SOIL AND ROCK PROPERTY SELECTION ......................................... 4 2.3 USE OF CORRELATIONS TO ASSIST PROPERTY SELECTION .............................. 7 2.4 USE OF OBSERVATIONAL METHOD ............................................................................. 9 CHAPTER 3 ..................................................................................................... 10 3.1 INTRODUCTION................................................................................................................. 10 3.2 PLANNING THE SUBSURFACE INVESTIGATION AND LABORATORY TESTING PROGRAM............................................................................................................................ 10 3.2.1 General.............................................................................................................................10 3.2.2 Identify Data Needs .........................................................................................................10 3.2.3 Gather and Analyze Existing Information .......................................................................11