Summary: | The undrained shear strength in cohesive soils can be evaluated based on measurements obtained from the standard dilatometer test (DMT) using single- and multi-factor empirical relationships. However, the empirical relationships presented in the literature may sometimes show relatively high values of the maximum relative error. The add-on seismic module to the seismic dilatometer test (SDMT) extends parameters measurable in a standard dilatometer test by the shear wave velocity <i>V<sub>s</sub></i> as an independent variable. Therefore, a method for evaluating the undrained shear strength in cohesive soils based on data obtained from the seismic dilatometer test is presented in this study. In the method proposed, the two-factor empirical relationship for evaluating the normalized undrained shear strength <i>τ<sub>fu</sub>/σ’<sub>v</sub></i> is used based on independent variables: The normalized difference between the corrected second pressure reading and the corrected first pressure reading (<i>p</i><sub>1</sub> − <i>p<sub>o</sub></i>)/<i>σ</i>’<i><sub>v</sub></i> and the normalized shear wave velocity <i>V<sub>s</sub></i>/100. The proposed two-factor empirical relationship provides a more reliable evaluation of the undrained shear strength in the tested Pleistocene and Pliocene clays in comparison to the empirical relationships presented in the literature, with a maximum relative error max <i>RE</i> at about ±20% and the mean relative error <i>RE</i> at about 8%.
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