Pénétromètre à chute libre: Impact et pénétration dans des argiles reconstituées
The use of a free-fall penetrometer for the determination of the in situ mechanical properties of reconstituted clays is presented. The penetrometer is equipped with an accelerometer for measuring continuously the acceleration or the deceleration. The equipment is relatively simple and the test is fast. The usefulness of such a test is demonstrated, and its adaptation to in situ testing is easy to achieve. Laboratory tests indicate that the shear strength can be directly computed as a function of depth. The penetrometer, as developed, can reach a depth of 0.50 m, but it is possible to achieve greater depths with some modifications. The results presented pertain to a few test series on reconstituted clays, with impact velocities up to 8 m/s. Key words: penetrometer, impact, reconstituted clays, tests, dynamic resistance, cohesion. [Journal translation]