Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in
Book cover

GeoShanghai International Conference

GSIC 2018: Proceedings of GeoShanghai 2018 International Conference: Multi-physics Processes in Soil Mechanics and Advances in Geotechnical Testing pp 139–146Cite as

Evaluation of the Auto-Correlation Distance of Unsaturated Soils

  • Conference paper
  • First Online:

Abstract

The value of a soil parameter may vary greatly in space from one point to another due to different depositional and post-depositional conditions. The phenomenon is known as soil variability which is characterized by auto-correlation of soils. The extent of auto-correlation is generally expressed by its auto-correlation distance. This paper examines the auto-correlation distance properly for unsaturated soils through laboratory tests focusing on three types of soil parameters, including the physical, deformation, and hydraulic parameters. Test results show that the variability of the physical parameters (water content, bulk density, void ratio, specific gravity, free swelling ratio, liquid limit, plastic limit, and plasticity index) is very small; the variability of the deformation parameters (shrinkage limit, maximum linear shrinkage ratio, coefficient of contraction, volume shrinkage ratio and volume expansion ratio) is moderate; while the variability of the hydraulic parameters (soil-water characteristic curve fitting parameters, and the saturated hydraulic conductivity) is relatively large. Generally, the horizontal auto-correlation distance is greater than the vertical auto-correlation distance.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.

Chapter
USD   29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD   169.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD   219.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD   219.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Learn about institutional subscriptions

References

  1. Vanmarcke, E.H.: Probabilistic modeling of soil profiles. J. Geotech. Div. 103(11), 1227–1247 (1997)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Phoon, K.K., Kulhawy, F.H.: Characterization of geotechnical variability. Can. Geotech. J. 36(4), 612–624 (1999)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Akbas, S.O., Kulhawy, F.H.: Characterization and estimation of geotechnical variability in ankara clay: a case history. Geotech. Geol. Eng. 28(5), 619–631 (2010)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Onyejekwe, S., Kang, X., Ge, L.: Evaluation of the scale of fluctuation of geotechnical parameters by autocorrelation function and semivariogram function. Eng. Geol. 214, 43–49 (2016)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Spry, M.J., Kulhawy, F.H., Grigoriu, M.D.: Reliability-based foundation design for transmission line structures: volume 1, geotechnical site characterization strategy: final report (1988)

    Google Scholar 

  6. Li, X.Y., Xie, K.H., Yu, Y.: Research of the characteristics of correlation distance on soil properties indexes. Chin. J. Geotech. Eng. 36(8), 91–95 (2003)

    Google Scholar 

  7. Yan, S.W., Zhu, H.X., Liu, R., Sun, W.H.: Study on methods for estimating correlation distance of soil layers. Rock Soil Mech. 28(8), 1581–1586 (2008)

    Google Scholar 

  8. Phoon, K.K., Quek, S.T., An, P.: Identification of statistically homogeneous soil layers using modified bartlett statistics. J. Geotech. Geoenvironmental Eng. 129(7), 649–659 (2003)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Haldar, S., Babu, G.L.S.: Design of laterally loaded piles in clays based on cone penetration test data: a reliability-based approach. Géotechnique 59(7), 593–607 (2009)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Firouzianbandpey, S., Griffithsd, V., Ibsenl, B., Andersenl, V.: Spatial correlation length of normalized cone data in sand: case study. Can. Geotech. J. 51(8), 844–857 (2014)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. Moradi, F., Moosavi, A.A., Moghaddam, B.K.: Spatial variability of water retention parameters and saturated hydraulic conductivity in a calcareous Inceptisol (Khuzestan province of Iran) under sugarcane cropping. Archives of Agronomy and Soil Science (2016)

    Google Scholar 

  12. Gupta, N., Rudra, R.P., Parkin, G.: Analysis of spatial variability of hydraulic conductivity at field scale. Can. Biosyst. Eng. 48(1), 55 (2006)

    Google Scholar 

  13. Li, P.: Assessment of spatial variability of unsaturated clay in Hefei. Master Dissertation, Hefei University of Technology (2014)

    Google Scholar 

  14. Standard for soil test methodGB/T 50123-1999

    Google Scholar 

  15. Li, P., Tan, X.H., Wang, X., Xin, Z.Y., Wang, X.E.: Experimental study on volume deformation characteristics of expansive soils during shrinkage and swelling process. Ind. Constr. 45(9), 93–98 (2015)

    Google Scholar 

  16. Wang, X.E., Tan, X.H., Xin, Z.Y., Xu, Q., Xie, Y.: Experimental study of shrinkage properties of expansive soil. Chin. J. Geotech. Eng. 37(s2), 107–114 (2015)

    Google Scholar 

  17. Sillers, W.S., Fredlund, D.G.: Statistical assessment of soil-water characteristic curve models for geotechnical engineering. Can. Geotech. J. 38(6), 1297–1313 (2001)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. Genuchten, M.T.V.: A closed-form equation for predicting the hydraulic conductivity of unsaturated soils. Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J. 44(5), 892–898 (1980)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. Shen, M.F., Tan, X.H., Xin, Z.Y., Xie, Y., Xu, Q.: Laboratory research of soil water characteristic curve by osmotic method and filter paper method. Electron. J. Geotech. Eng. 18, 5421–5434 (2013)

    Google Scholar 

  20. Fenton, G.A.: Random field modeling of CPT data. J. Geotech. Geoenvironmental Eng. 126(12), 486–498 (1999)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  21. Spry, M.J., Kulhawy, F.H., Grigoriu, M.D.: Reliability-based foundation design for transmission line structures: geotechnical site characterisation strategy. Report EL-5507(1). Palo Alto: Electric Power Research Institute (1988)

    Google Scholar 

  22. Cho, S.E., Park, H.C.: Effect of spatial variability of cross-correlated soil properties on bearing capacity of strip footing. Int. J. Numer. Anal. Meth. Geomech. 34(1), 1–26 (2010)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  23. Gao, D.Z.: Safety index and its application in geotechnical engineering design. Geotech. Invest. Surv. 1, 1–6 (1996)

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

The financial support from the National Natural Science Foundation, China (41572282, 41372281) and the Natural Science Foundation of Anhui, China (JZ2015AKZR0045) are greatly acknowledged.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Hefei University of Technology, Hefei, Anhui, 230009, China

    Xiaohui Tan & Muzi Hu

  2. Clemson University, Clemson, SC, 29634, USA

    Xiaohui Tan, C. Hsein Juang & Mengfen Shen

  3. Rongzhi College of Chongqing Technical and Business University, Chongqing, 401320, China

    Peng Li

Authors
  1. Xiaohui Tan
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Muzi Hu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. C. Hsein Juang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Peng Li
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Mengfen Shen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Xiaohui Tan .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Toledo, Toledo, OH, USA

    Liangbo Hu

  2. Geotechnical Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai, China

    Xiaoqiang Gu

  3. The University of Akron, Akron, OH, USA

    Junliang Tao

  4. Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, Melbourne, VIC, Australia

    Annan Zhou

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2018 Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.

About this paper

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this paper

Tan, X., Hu, M., Juang, C.H., Li, P., Shen, M. (2018). Evaluation of the Auto-Correlation Distance of Unsaturated Soils. In: Hu, L., Gu, X., Tao, J., Zhou, A. (eds) Proceedings of GeoShanghai 2018 International Conference: Multi-physics Processes in Soil Mechanics and Advances in Geotechnical Testing. GSIC 2018. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-0095-0_16

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation