Development and Application of a New Assembled In-Flight Miniature Cone Penetrometer for Centrifuge Testing

Cone penetration test (CPT) is a common testing method for both field and laboratory studies. A new assembled in-flight miniature cone penetrometer for centrifuge testing was proposed, developed, and applied in this study. The assembled penetrometer with low cost and easy maintenance mainly consists of a cone tip, a miniature underwater load cell, a steel sleeve, and a tail S-shaped load cell and can measure both tip resistance and sleeve friction. Penetration tests on saturated fine sand deposits were conducted under 1g and 25g conditions to check the penetrometer performances and study the sand behaviors. The results demonstrated that satisfactory performances can be provided by the penetrometer and favorable uniformity of the model deposits can be provided by water sedimentation method. The proposed assembled cone penetrometer provides a simpler and more inexpensive way to investigate the soil strength in the centrifuge testing.