Blow counts are affected by operational procedures, by the presence of gravel, or cementation. They do not reflect fractures or slickensides in clay, which may be very important to strength characteristics. The standard penetration test results (N values) are influenced by operational procedures as given in the following table. No. Procedure Its Affect 1. Inadequate … Read more
Even though plate load tests are very commonly used, they do not represent the behavior of prototype foundations totally for the following reasons: The zone of influence for prototype foundation is larger and deeper than for small size plate. Thus, in stratified soil deposits the soils at greater depths will have a significant influence on … Read more
There are many pitfalls associated with the standard penetration test. If these are not carefully avoided, the N-values collected from SPT are mere numbers rather than being useful indicators of soil parameters. Some of the precautions to be taken are: Results of standard penetration test are not reproducible in cohesion less soil below water level … Read more