AbstractThis paper describes the methods available to perform static electric cone penetration tests (CPT's) in shallow waters. It refers to both the coastal environment and inland waterways up to a water depth of around 25 to 30 m.Whilst the benefits of the speed of CPT's over water are reduced, compared with testing on land, the technique is still much quicker than conventional boring and sampling methods and offers significant cost savings. One of the other main advantages is the quality and accuracy of the information obtained particularly in submerged fine grained granular soils.There are a number of techniques which can be used to perform CPT's in shallow waters. These include detached CPT rigs mounted on small jack-up barges, fixed platforms and floating barges and seabed ballast block systems. The most suitable technique depends on a number of factors including water depth, site exposure, tidal conditions and seabed soil conditions.The cone design, testing methods and interpretation of CPT data are discussed briefly. Particular reference is made to recent developments in the use of the piezocone and other sensors.
Numerical study on undrained cone penetration in structured soil using G-PFEM
