Evaluation of Strength and Deformability of Soft Sedimentary Rocks in Dry and Saturated Conditions Through Needle Penetration and Point Load Tests: A Comparative Study

The preparation of standardized soft rock specimens to perform unconfined compressive strength (UCS) tests is typically difficult, expensive and time-consuming. Needle penetration test (NPT) was originally developed in Japan as an alternative for the indirect estimation of UCS of soft rocks. The needle penetrometer is a simple, portable and non-destructive testing device that measures applied load and penetration depth for the rock to calculate the needle penetration index (NPI). A complimentary, portable and widely used destructive test is the point load test (PLT), which measures regular and irregular specimens by the application of a concentrated load using two coaxial conical platens that yield the point load strength index (IS(50)). We investigated and compared the NPT and PLT in terms of measuring changes induced by water saturation and obtaining UCS and the static Young’s modulus (Est) for dry and saturated soft sedimentary rocks. The results point to significant correlation functions from which to infer UCS and Est in terms of NPI and IS(50) in dry and saturated soft rocks. Furthermore, both NPT and PLT are suitable tests for evaluating changes in strength and deformability induced by water saturation. We also found a good correlation between the NPI and Is(50).