crreli yes EPRI EL-6800
Project 1493-6
Testing Final Report
Foundations ‘August 1990
‘Transmission towers
‘Transmission lines.
Design
Manual on Estimating Soil
Properties for Foundation Design
Prepared by
Cornell University
Ithaca, New YorkSUBJECTS
TOPICS
AUDIENCE
BACKGROUND:
OBJECTIVE
APPROACH
RESULTS
REP Oe Sw WN Mes Ge
‘Overhead structures and foundations / Overhead transmission
Soils ‘Transmission towers
Testing ‘Transmission tines
Foundations Design
‘Transmission managers and engineers
Manual on Estimating Soil Properties for
Foundation Design
This manual provides foundation engineers with a comprehensive
reference on estimating engineering soil parameters from field or
laboratory test data. Empirical correlations are used extensively to
evaluate soil parameters. The manual describes the most impor-
tant of these correlations completely and systematically with an
emphasis on the correlations of relatively common tests, including
those that are seeing increased usage in practice.
The analysis of all geotechnical problems, such as transmission structure
foundation design, requires the adoption of a soil behavioral model that
must include all relevant soil properties. These soil properties are not
known in advance and require the design engineer to either measure or
‘estimate properties using correlations. However, the source, extent, and
limitations of correlations are most often obscured in the presentation of
the relationships. When plotted, most correlations are presented as a sim-
ple line, but in reality they may be based on a veritable shotgun blast of
data points.
‘To present a readily usable, comprehensive set of correlations for estimat-
ing soil properties with each correlation presented in the context of its
historical evolution and statistical variability; to update existing correlations
with new data when possible.
The researchers established a context for basic soil characterization, in-
cluding simple soil descriptions, classification, unit weight, relative density,
and consistency. Next, they developed correlations for in situ state of stress,
strength, elastic behavior, time-dependent deformability, and permeability—
both for common tests and for newer tests coming into increasing use.
This work is a collection of correlations that organize a huge body of dis-
persed knowledge into a coherent framework. Comprehensive correlations
are given for basic soil characterizations, in situ stress state tests, strength
tests, tests of elastic and time-dependent deformability, permeability tess,
and liquefaction resistance tests. Each correlation is constructed from its
beginnings in the literature. Some correlations are original amalgams of
EPRI EL-68008
lecvic Power Research InsiteEPRI PERSPECTIVE
PROJECT
several different presentations, and several correlations are consider-
ably enhanced by the addition of new data. Further, many new correla-
tions were developed when sufficient data were available. All of the
presentations give the foundation designer an immediate feel for the
variability of each relationship.
This manual is intended to make the job of the transmission structure
foundation designer easier. A second application is to aid in the devel-
‘opment of local scil property correlations specific to particular utility
service areas. This use of the soil properties manual will tie in directly
with the use of the TLWorkstation™ foundation task modules, CUFAD
and MFAD (EPRI report EL-6420, volumes 16 and 17), and the recently
released CUFAD+ EPRIGEMS module (report EL-6583-CCML). Finally,
the manual can serve to alert the design engineer, who previously had
only standard penetration test data on which to base soil characteriza-
tions, that several other in situ tests are vastly superior predictors of
soil properties. The engineer is thus presented with the data to make a
cost-benefits analysis of the worth of better data on which to base de-
sign. For other EPRI work on soil properties and foundation design see
EPRI reports EL-2870 and EL-6420, volume 2.
RP 1493.6
EPRI Project Manager: Vito Longo
Electrical Systems Division
Contractor: Cornell University
For further information on EPRI research programs, call
EPRI Technical Information Specialists (415) 855-2411