A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Engineering, School of Civil Engineering

Thesis (M.Eng.) - Asian Institute of Technology

The portable in-situ testing equipment, such as piezoprobe and Dynamic Cone Penetrometer, are simple and inexpensive tools which can be used to determine the consolidation and strength characteristic of soils. These equipment were used in this research at different test site in Thailand together with some conventional tools, including piezocone and Standard Penetration Tests. Fifteen (15) piezoprobe dissipation tests were performed in very soft clay layer from 4 m to 9 m depth at Nong Ngu Hao Test Site. The horizontal coefficient of consolidation was estimated by matching the measured and theoretical dissipation curves. The estimated ch value from piezoprobe are about almost the same as results from piezocone dissipation test at 5 m depth. At 8 m depth, the miniature piezoprobe gives higher ch value than results from piezocone by about 2 times. Nine (9) portable dynamic cone penetrometer tests were performed in sandy soil at Test Site A and B in Rayong. The penetration resistance of dynamic cone ( DCP Number) are correlated with standard penetration blow counts (SPT N value). The field correlation agrees well with simplified theoretical solution for both 8 kg and 4kg sliding hammer.