Análise comparativa de diferentes métodos laboratoriais na caracterização física de solos utilizados em obras de engenharia civil

Abstract

Soil is widely used for supporting foundations and as an excavation or construction material, which makes the study of its properties and performance essential. Soil characterization is performed using geotechnical evaluation techniques and, depending on the intended purpose of the soil use, in situ and/or laboratory tests. These activities should be performed in accordance with technical standards that define the methodology to be applied in each of these procedures. Recently, new European soil characterization standards are being formulated and implemented with the purpose of developing comparable methodologies in the different countries of the European Union. This work presents a study of the main changes in the new standardization for the determination of particle density and the determination of particle size distribution. In this study, to evaluate the impact of the new standard methodologies on the routine of the laboratories and on the results obtained, about 230 laboratory tests were carried out and two soil types were used: a granitic residual soil and a kaolinitic clay soil. From these tests it was possible to verify that the modifications introduced by the new standardization do not introduce significant changes in the obtained results in most situations; there are, however, certain aspects, insufficiently standardized in the new normalization, which do not guarantee uniformity of testing practices or fundamental accuracy in these types of determinations. They should, therefore, be addressed in future standards revisions.