Distribution of Excess Porepressure caused by PCPT into OC clay

This paper presents the results of an analysis of the excess porewater pressure distribution due to piezocone penetration in overconsolidated clays. From piezocone test results for moderately and heavily overconsolidated clays, it was observed that the excess porewater pressure increases monotonically from the piezocone surface to the outer boundary of the shear zone and then decreases logarithmically to the outer boundary of the plastic zone. It was also found that the size of the shear zone decreases from approximately 2.2 to 1.5 times the cone radius with increasing OCR, while the plastic radius is about 11 times the piezocone radius, regardless of the OCR. The equation developed in this study based on the modified Cam clay model and the cylindrical cavity expansion theory, which take into consideration the effects of the strain rate and stress anisotropy, provide a good prediction of the initial porewater pressure at the piezocone location. The method of predicting the spatial distribution of excess porewater pressure proposed in this study is based on a linearly increasing ${\Delta}u_{shear}$. In the shear zone and a logarithmically decreasing ${\Delta}u_{oct}$, and is verified by comparing with the excess porewater pressure measured in overconsolidated specimens at the calibration chamber.