IN SITU TESTING OF PEATY ORGANIC SOILS: A CASE HISTORY

In 1985, a section of a New Hampshire roadway located over a deposit of peaty organic soil 20 ft (6 m) thick was widened and raised. On the basis of vane shear strengths, the required embankment height increase of 5 ft was implemented in three stages over a 6-month period. Two years after the initial loading, more than 6.5 ft (2 m) of vertical displacement was observed. This paper presents the results of various in situ tests conducted following these events in material located away from and below the road embankment. The tests included plate load tests, self-boring and full-displacement pressuremeter tests, standard penetration tests, field vane tests, and dilatometer tests. Assessment of the effectiveness of these tests in evaluating useful geotechnical soil parameters for embankment design over very soft peaty organic soils is discussed.

• Record URL:
  http://onlinepubs.trb.org/Onlinepubs/trr/1989/1235/1235-002.pdf
• Record URL:
  https://scholar.google.com/scholar_lookup?title=IN+SITU+TESTING+OF+PEATY+ORGANIC+SOILS%3A+A+CASE+HISTORY&author=N.+Nichols&author=J.+Benoit&author=F.+Prior&publication_year=1989
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• Supplemental Notes:
  • This paper appears in Transportation Research Record No. 1235, In Situ Testing of Soil Properties for Transportation. Distribution, posting, or copying of this PDF is strictly prohibited without written permission of the Transportation Research Board of the National Academy of Sciences. Unless otherwise indicated, all materials in this PDF are copyrighted by the National Academy of Sciences. Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved
• Authors:
  • Nichols, Nancy J
  • Benoit, Jean
  • Prior, Frederic E
• Publication Date: 1989

Media Info

• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: p. 10-23
• Monograph Title: In situ testing of soil-properties for transportation
• Serial:
  • Transportation Research Record
  • Issue Number: 1235
  • Publisher: Transportation Research Board
  • ISSN: 0361-1981

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Case studies; Dilatometers; Dislocation (Geology); Embankments; Evaluation; Measures of effectiveness; Peat soils; Plate bearing test; Pressure gages; Properties of materials; Soil penetration test; Soils; Vane shear tests
• Uncontrolled Terms: Effectiveness; Soil properties; Vertical displacement
• Subject Areas: Geotechnology; Highways; Materials; I42: Soil Mechanics;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00495010
• Record Type: Publication
• ISBN: 0309049628
• Files: TRIS, TRB, ATRI
• Created Date: Jun 30 1990 12:00AM