As you all know one of the substantial advantages of Cone Penetration Test (CPT) is that the test provides a continuous profile of soil response. This is why CPT methods generally give superior predictions of axial pile capacity compared to most conventional methods (Robertson, 2015). Bustamante and Gianeselli (1982) proposed a CPT-based analysis procedure based on the results of 197 pile load tests. The load tests included different type of piles (driven, drilled shaft, grouted, and piers) embedded in wide range of soil types. The details of analysis procedure have been outlined in Guide to Cone Penetration Testing for Geotechnical Engineering by Robertson (2015). I implemented the procedure, a.k.a. LCPC Method, in a C++ programming code. The input for the code is CPT data in the format of “.txt”. The input text file should contain depth (ft) in column 1, uncorrected cone resistance (tsf) in column 2, sleeve friction (tsf) in column 3, and pore pressure (psi) in column 4. The data must start from the first line without any header.
You can download the .cpp and .hpp files here: Geotech-Capacity-BG-1982.zip
A sample main file is also included to clarify how to properly use the class and its functions. Please note that you need to specify pile type for calculation of end bearing and skin friction. Per the approach of Bustamante and Gianeselli (1982), input the following IDs into the function “getValues(…)”:
For calculation of end bearing capacity:
- Group I: Driven Piles
- Group II: Bored Piles
For calculation of ultimate skin friction:
- Group IA and IIA: driven precast piles, jacket concrete piles and any pile with skew type installation technique (e.g. cast in place, prefabricated, cast in place with additional grouting, prefabricated with additional grouting, CFA piles, bored or piles sheeted by bentonite suspense);
- Group IB: cased bored piles and driven cast piles;
- Group IIB: driven metal piles and jacket metal piles
The code has been verified, however, it is highly recommended that you carry out your own verification.
Please write comments if you need further clarifications or you find anything incorrect.