Abstract
A large number of probes, including dynamic penetrometers, are known for exploration and site investigation purposes. The Mackintosh probe is one of most widespread penetrometers in use in Saudi Arabia. It is light, portable and handy. The purpose of this paper is to present the capability and limitations of this probe. An equation has been derived to relate the Mackintosh M-value with the SPT N-value for cohesive soil. The values of the soil unconfined compressive strength and undrained shear strength can then be deduced with the knowledge of the M-value. For cohesionless soil, correlations were made to determine the relative density, friction angle and unit weight. However, due to the relatively low energy hammer, the Mackintosh probe is not a feasible method of exploring very dense cohesionless material.
Résumé
Un grand nombre de sondes, dont les pénétromètres dynamiques, sont couramment utilisées pour la reconnaissance des sites. Le pénétromètre Mackintosh est l'un des plus utilisés en Arabie Saoudite. Il est léger, portable et facile d'utilisation. L'article présente les possibilités et les limites de ce matériel. Une équation a été établie pour corréler les valeurs obtenues au Mackintosh (M) à celles obtenues au SPT (N) pour un sol cohérent. Les valeurs de la résistance à la compression simple et de la résistance au cisaillement non drainée peuvent alors être déduites, connaissant les valeurs de (M). Pour les sols sans cohésion, des corrélations ont été faites pour déterminer la densité relative, l'angle de frottement et la masse spécifique. Cependant, en raison de la puissance relativement faible du marteau, le pénétromètre Mackintosh ne s'est pas avéré satisfaisant pour l'étude des matériaux sans cohésion mais très denses.
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Sabtan, A.A., Shehata, W.M. Mackintosh probe as an exploration tool. Bulletin of the International Association of Engineering Geology 50, 89–94 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02594960
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02594960