KIM - Numerical studies on the spherical cavity expansion problem

The paper describes the challenges that arise during execution and quality control of deep vibrocompaction works on land reclamation projects. The achieved relative density can be measured indirectly by
performing Cone Penetration Tests (CPT). Well established empirical correlations between the cone resistance
qc and the relative density ID are not suitable to reproduce the characteristics of carbonate sands, as commonly
used for land reclamation projects, because these sands show significantly lower qc-values than silica sands under
similar conditions. An alternative to traditional correlation methods to derive the qc-requirement is the use of the
Karlsruhe Interpretation Method (KIM). This paper deals with the numerical simulation of the spherical cavity
expansion problem as part of the KIM. After a short introduction to the theory of this interpretation method a
curve-fitting procedure is proposed which can be used for the determination of the KIM-parameters required for
the approximation of the spherical cavity expansion limit pressures. A detailed description of the FE-model to
solve the spherical cavity expansion problem is presented. Further, a full KIM-analysis of a land reclamation
project in Dubai using a hypoplastic constitutive model is discussed. Additionally, a sensitivity analysis is
performed and a comparison of the proposed FE-model with a finite-difference code is presented.