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Dry density derived by factor analysis of engineering geophysical sounding measurements

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Abstract

Statistical processing of engineering geophysical sounding data is applied to the determination of dry density as an important geotechnical parameter of shallow formations. Dry density has been measured in laboratory or in the field as point information. In order to get more extensive results, dry density is extracted from high-resolution penetration logs. Dry density is related to measured bulk density as well as porosity and shale volume computed directly from engineering geophysical sounding data. The most critical parameter for the calculation is water saturation, which is estimated by factor analysis of all penetration logs. This approach is based on a strong linear correlation between water saturation and one of the extracted variables (factors). The interpretation method is tested in twelve penetration holes drilled in a Hungarian location. A 2D multi-well application is presented, in which the spatial distribution of dry density between the drill-holes is given. A local relationship between bulk density and dry density is also estimated. The study demonstrates that dry density can be estimated as continuous and in-situ information to support geotechnical operations in soil environments.

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Szabó, N.P. Dry density derived by factor analysis of engineering geophysical sounding measurements. Acta Geod. Geoph. Hung 47, 161–171 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1556/AGeod.47.2012.2.5

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