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What you need to know about cone penetration testing system

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What you need to know about cone penetration testing system

There are different CPT testing codes that testing professionals have to adhere to. Cone penetration testing is an insitu penetrometer test used for geotechnical site investigations. It has high production rates and near-continuous profiling of the geotechnical parameters that are important to understanding the behaviour of soil. Cone penetration testing is a universally trusted investigation method and it can be deployed from the surface of the ground with a wide range of rigs or over the water from platforms and barges.


There are a lot of companies that provide cone penetration tests for geotechnical applications to examine and record the site soils’ geotechnical engineering properties. This method of soil testing provides accurate information of the subsurface soil such as soil strength, type and certain soil conditions.


The test involves a cone penetrometer that is pushed into the ground at a standard rate. The electronic measurements are then recorded at regular intervals. The cone penetration test rig then pushes the steel cone into the ground vertically. The cone penetrometer is designed to measure the resistance of the cone at the tip and the friction in the sleeve as it penetrates the soil.


In addition to measuring sleeve friction and the tip resistance of the cone obtained with electric cone penetration testing probes, CPTu systems also record the pore pressure of water and are compatible with SCPTu to determine the shear valve velocities. Samples can be rapidly collected with direct push technology in the adjacent locations.



Benefits of cone penetration testing


CPT testing has a lot of benefits but we shall only mention the major ones. This test provides near-continuous profiling of various geotechnical parameters. It also provides rapid data collection and real-time visualization. Cone penetration testing is compatible with external modules and it comes with a built-in inclinometer to ensure that there are no deviations from the vertical axis.


Sensitive cones are designed for mine tailings and very soft soils. Design codes and universal quality standards are reliable and repeatable.



Cost-effective alternative to SPT


CPTu and CPT have been commonly found to be less time consuming and more accurate than SPT. CPTu and CPT also measure multiple geotechnical parameters and are cheaper than SPT when compared on a per data point basis.



Geo-probe mounted CPT benefits


The first benefit is that you can access almost any location with track-mounted machines. You can also use rotary air and augers to predrill through the ballast. You can also install other geotechnical instruments using the same rig and this saves on costs.



More information


When adhering to all CPT testing codes, there are still some factors that affect the final results. These factors include moisture content, stress history, density and local inclusions such as concretions, pebbles and lenses. Some researchers noted that there are some discrepancies in distance between the sleeve friction and the cone. The cone penetrates the soil ahead of the sleeve and changes the properties of the soil. This affects the measured friction values. The cone resistance and friction are typically related by a friction ratio and both parameters are taken as the average values from results of nearly continuous curves. These curves have a lot of drops and peaks and this depends on the local variation encountered in the mass of soil. More refined methods result in better predictions.



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