First-Order Estimation of K_o in Sands and Clays

by Fred H. Kulhawy, Cornell Univ, United States,
Christina Stas Jackson, Cornell Univ, United States,
Paul W. Mayne, Cornell Univ, United States,



Document Type: Proceeding Paper

Part of: Foundation Engineering: Current Principles and Practices

Abstract:

The in-situ horizontal stress coefficient (K_o) is known to be the dominant design parameter controlling the side resistance of deep foundations. Because of the relatively high cost of determining K_o in-situ, as well as the lack of appreciation of the importance of this parameter until relatively recently, many designers explicitly or implicitly use K_onc corresponding to normally consolidated conditions. For deep foundations in overconsolidated soils, this assumption can be very conservative. This paper provides simple, first-order approximations for estimating the in-situ K_o of clays and sands.

Subject Headings: Penetration tests | Soil stress | Soil compression | Clays | Field tests | Sandy soils | Load and resistance factor design

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