Reliability of site investigations using different reduction techniques for foundation design

Abstract

The scope of a site investigation, with an aim to accurately estimate the response of a founda-tion design, typically involves using the results of several geotechnical tests, located at various locationsaround a site. However, many of the traditional settlement relationships only use a single set of soil proper-ties, generally varying with depth, to obtain a settlement estimate of a loaded area. It is therefore necessary,to reduce the results of a series of tests into a single set of values, applicable for use in the settlement model. As such, the authors have developed and implemented a framework to measure the effectiveness of severalcommon methods used to reduce the results of multiple tests into a single set of values. Results display theability of reduction methods to provide a reliable footing design compared to a design utilising the completeand exact knowledge of the site.