Comparison of LEAP-UCD-2017 CPT Results

A cone penetrometer was specifically designed for the LEAP project to provide an assessment of centrifuge model densities independent from mass and volume measurements. This paper presents the design of the CPT and analyses of the results. Due to uncertainty in the specifications about how to define zero depth of penetration, about 20% of the CPT profiles were corrected to produce more accurate results. The procedure for depth correction is explained. After these corrections, penetration resistances at the representative depths of 1.5, 2, 2.5, and 3 m (prototype depth) are correlated to the reported specimen dry densities by linear regression. Using the inverse form of the linear regression equations, the density of each specimen could be estimated from the penetration resistance. Kutter et al. (LEAP-UCD-2017 comparison of centrifuge test results. In Model Tests and Numerical Simulations of Liquefaction and Lateral Spreading: LEAP-UCD-2017, 2019b) found that the density determined from penetration resistance was a more reliable predictor of liquefaction behavior than the reported density itself. Finally, the centrifuge tests at different LEAP facilities modeled the same prototype in different containers using different length scale factors (1/20 to 1/44); thus the ratio of layer thickness to cone diameter was different in each experiment. It appears that the penetration resistances are noticeably affected by container width and, to a lesser extent, resistance is affected by the length scale factor.