The effect of partial drainage on measurements by a piezoball penetrometer

Abstract

Full-flow penetrometers such as the T-bar and ball are now widely used in offshore site investigations to measure penetration resistance and then infer the strength properties of the seabed. To provide additional data on flow properties of the soil and increase the number of parameters that can be obtained from these tests, ball penetrometers fitted with pore pressure transducers, known as piezoballs, are now being used. Depending on the soil characteristics and rate of penetration, the soil conditions during penetration may vary from undrained to fully drained. The drainage condition during penetration will influence both the measured penetration resistance and excess pore pressure response..