Abstract (EN):
Due to the difficulty in collecting undisturbed samples of cohesionless loose soils, the mechanical characterisation of liquefiable soils is routinely performed in advanced laboratory tests on reconstituted specimens. Following recent advancements in sampling, namely with the development of the Dames & Moore and the Gel-Push samplers, high-quality samples of loose sands to silty sands from Benavente (Portugal) have been collected. Documents about the 1909 earthquake demonstrate the occurrence of liquefaction phenomena in these soils, which are currently being studied as part of two research projects ongoing in the CONSTRUCT-GEO centre of FEUP. This paper introduces the sampling processes in the field with both techniques, as well as the laboratory preparation and setup of the samples for element testing. Preliminary assessment of the sampling quality of the collected samples has been made through the comparison of field and laboratory measurements of shear wave velocity, obtained by SCPTu and bender-element bench tests, respectively.
Language:
English
Type (Professor's evaluation):
Scientific