Volume 31, N. 3

September-December 2008

A Procedure to Quantify the Variability of Geotechnical Properties

Article

Volume 31, N. 3, September-December 2008 | DOWNLOAD PDF (9 downloads)

Abstract

The geotechnical properties of soil should be considered for several civil engineering purposes. Geotechnical information is used for urban planning, environmental management, slope stability analysis, and foundation design, among others. Given the importance that geotechnical information assumes in several engineering applications, geotechnical mapping is deemed relevant. Methods for integrating field tests and quantifying estimate uncertainty in the construction of these geotechnical maps is preferably used in the decision-making process. A methodology to build this kind of maps is proposed based on geostatistical stochastic simulation. Maps covering an area of 4 km2 were built, based on the information derived from 141 boreholes, where standard penetration tests (SPT) were carried out. Sequential Gaussian simulation was used for building these maps, since it reproduces data statistics and spatial continuity. The soil resistance to penetration of panels of 100 x 100 m2 was estimated and the estimation error was calculated. The results demonstrate the appropriateness and usefulness of the methodology for mapping geotechnical attributes.

Keywords: Geotechnical mapping, Geostatistical simulation, SPT, Uncertainty analysis,


Submitted on April 17, 2008.
Final Acceptance on September 29, 2008.
Discussion open until April 30, 2009.
DOI: 10.28927/SR.313127