CORRELATIONS BETWEEN DYNAMIC AND STATIC MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF CLAYEY SOILS

Static Parameters of soil such as the Static Elastic modulus (E_s) and the Unconfined Compressive Strength (UCS) are important parameters used to predict the behavior of soil under static load. However, the tests to obtain such parameters are time-consuming and destructive. By correlating the static parameters to the dynamic ones, one can use a nondestructive method such as the ultrasonic test to predict the needed parameters. This study presents the results of experiments conducted on clayey soil samples in the aim of investigating possible correlations between their mechanical properties and ultrasonic pulse velocities of Primary wave and Shear wave. Uniaxial Compression and ultrasonic tests were carried out on 20 clayey soil samples retrieved by wash coring from different sites. A regression analysis was done to find the best fit equations for predicting the static parameters of the tested clay. The obtained equations provide high correlation coefficients and can be used to predict certain parameters (modulus of elasticity, shear modulus and unconfined compressive strength) with acceptable accuracy.