Abstract

The Portoviejo – Manta road is a main land communication artery in the province of Manabí in Ecuador, a fundamental axis in the country's economic, social and tourism development. The decentralized autonomous government of the province of Manabí based on studies proposes an extension of the four existing lanes to six; for this, a comprehensive analysis involving a traffic, geological and geotechnical study is important. Given that this province at superficial levels presents a uniform clay formation, the present investigation evaluates the conditions of the track support terrain, proposing two dynamic cone penetrometer methods and the California support ratio, examining at the same time if the correlation between them exists. Standardized field and laboratory work was carried out over a length of 35 kilometers with paired tests every 500,00 m. The data obtained from the field and laboratory were processed and analyzed using statistical linear regression methods, validated through hypothesis testing and significance of the p-value. At first, a direct correlation was obtained between both methods and an equation with a correlation value of 0,80, with a significance of 7,246x10-5. A second multiple regression equation was carried out in which correlation values were obtained between the methods, plus the physical parameters of the soil of 0,82 and its corresponding p-value of 0,0091, thus validating the reliability of the results.

Abstract

Abstract

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Abstract

The Dynamic Penetration Test (DPT) is widely applied for soil field characterization. The technique is usually appreciated as a simple and cost-effective means of determine soil resistance which can be obtained either from Newtonian or from wave equation methods. While wave equation analysis has demonstrated numerous advantages in recent decades, its adoption is constrained by the need for specific instrumentation and more complex analysis. Consequently, the simpler Newtonian analysis, and particularly the Dutch Formula specified by ISO 22476-2, remains the more commonly used approach for routine geotechnical applications. To ensure its accuracy comparing to wave equation-based methods, a field campaigns were conducted on experimental sites with various soil types. The campaigns included Cone Penetration Test (CPT), which is used as a reference tool in this study, and instrumented DPTs allowing easy application of wave equation methods. Results revealed that Dutch Formula resistance values were comparable to both CPT results and those derived from wave equation methods in most cases. In addition, DF variation formula applying energy measurement seemed to underestimate cone resistance in all case examined. The study highlights the importance of applying good practice rules to enhance DPT results