CHINESE AND ASTM STANDARD PENETRATION TESTS AT SAND SITE: PENETRATION ENERGY ANALYSIS AND CORRELATION OF BLOW COUNTS

This paper examines the Standard Penetration Tests(SPTs) according to Standard Test Method for Standard Penetration Test(SPT) and Split-Barrel Sampling of Soils(ASTM D1586-11) and Chinese Code for Investigation of Geotechnical Engineering(GB 50021-2001). It conducts the SPT at a sand site in Guangdong province,China. It is found that tests conducted according to ASTM D1586-11 have higher penetration energy than those conducted according to GB 50021-2001. To consider the spatial variability of the blow counts,an empirical Bayesian Kriging method is used to interpolate the blow counts measured through tests conducted according to GB 50021-2001 at the locations where tests according to ASTM D1586-11 are conducted. The maximum likelihood method is used to calibrate the relationship between the blow counts measured from the two types of tests with and without consideration of the interpolation error. After the interpolation error is considered,the model uncertainty of the relationship between blow counts measured through the two types of tests is significantly reduced. Through the conversion relationship suggested in this paper,the liquefaction phenomena observed in a liquefaction database with case histories collected outside mainland China become more consistent with the liquefaction potential assessment model specified in the Chinese Code for Seismic Design of Buildings Code(GB 50011-2010).