UTILIZING CPT DATABASES TO BETTER INFORM LIQUEFACTION EVALUATIONS

While liquefaction evaluations made using cone penetration test (CPT) data have historically performed well for homogenous clean sand sites, they have been notoriously inaccurate for sites with complex subsurface conditions. Some of this inaccuracy has been attributed to the limitations of the CPT in characterizing complex profiles. Because the tip resistance measured by the CPT is influenced by soils in a relatively large zone around the tip of the cone, the true characteristics of individual soil layers in a highly interlayered soil profile may be obscured. This phenomenon is referred to as multiple thin-layer effects. In this work, we highlight recent advances in approaches to correct CPT data for multiple thin-layer effects. We also discuss the creation of a combined laboratory and numerical CPT database that can be used to develop and validate multiple thin-layer correction procedures and ultimately improve the accuracy of liquefaction evaluations.