Dynamic Cone Penetrometer test

Application & Principle of the test:

- It is a field test equipment widely used for the evaluation of the properties of thhe
materials at site, such as subgrade soil and the materials below the pavement without
the need to cut open the pavement layers.
- The basic principle of the test is based on the fact that the resistance to penetration of
a standard cone pushed into a layer depends on the strength characteristics of the
materials in the layer including its dry density and moisture content.
Its usefulness
- It is useful for assessing the boundaries between different layers with different strength
and density and thus to estimate the thickness of the layer.
- It is generally used to evaluate the properties of soil layers in the field, up to a depth of
800 mm without an extension rod and up to 1200 mm with an extension rod.
Equipment
- Steel rod having 15.8mm diameter with a replaceable cone tips. The tip has an included
angle of 60 degrees and a diameter of 20 mm at the base.
- Hammer of 8 kg is used and which is dropped from a fixed height of 575 mm, a coupler
assembly and a handle for holding the rod in a vertical position.
- A hammer of 4.6 kg weight may be used on weak materials, where 8.0 kg hammer may
produce excessive penetration per blow, however the standard drop height is to be
maintained same.
- A vertical scale graduated in increments of 1.0mm or measuring rod longer than the
longest drive rod, if the drive rod are not graduated.
- Disposal cone tips.
- Extraction jack, if disposal cone tips are not used.
- Tools for assembling the DCP test equipment at the test site.
Testing Procedure
- The tips of the cone is checked carefully from any damage before the test.
- All the connections should be tightened securely.
- The DCP assembly if held vertically by the operator and the cone is seated such that
the top of the widest part of the cone is flush with the surface the layer to be tested.
- The initial reading of the graduate drive rod is noted to the nearest mm.
- The hammer is released from the standard drop height and the penetration reading and
the corresponding number of hammer blow is determined.
- The penetration readings and the corresponding number of hammer blows may be
recorded in increments of about 10 mm penetration.
- Alternatively, the penetration scale readings may be recorded after a set of 5 or 10
blows.
- The no. of blow between each reading may be decided depending upon the extend of
penetration or the resistance to penetration offered by the material.
 - For hard pavement layers like granular sub base/ stabilized layers, the readings may be
taken at every 5-10 blows whereas for weak soil layers, it may be appropriate to record
readings for every blow or two blows.
- However, too less readings are recorded, there is a possibility of missing the weak spots
and it may be difficult to identify the boundaries of different layers accurately.
- If the total depth of the penetration is more than 400 to 500 mm, the extension rods of
the DCP are to be used.
- The metre scale has to be detached from the base plate and the bottom rod is to be split
to accept the extension rod and the test is continued.
Data and recording of results.
- Table 1 shows the format for the recording of the data and some typical observations
taken during a DCP test for computation of the penetration rate or the DCP value.
- A graph is plotted with the cumulative values of number of blows on the X- axis and
the depth of penetration in mm on the y-axis.
- The DCP value of a layer of material is the penetration value in mm per blow at that
depth.
- The penetration rate or the slop of the plot represents the strength characteristics of the
material in the layer.
- The change in penetration rate or change in slope of the curve indicates change in
material type.
- The boundaries between the layers and the depth of the layers may be identified by the
change in the rate of penetration.

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Interpretation of results.
- Correlations have been established by various agencies between DCP value and the
CBR values, so that the results can be compared and later used for pavement design.
- Correlations have also been established between the rate of penetration and the resilient
modulus of the soil layers.
- The DCP may also be used to check the quality of construction at the site.
- The penetration rate per blow is used to estimate the CBR value or the shear strength
using appropriate correlation.
- The general equation recommended by some of the organizations are given below:
 - US Corps of the Engineers: For all soils except for CL and CH soils having CBR value
less than 10%.
- CBR = (292)/(DCP)^1.12
Where, DCP is the penetration per blow
- For CL soils with CBR < 10,
CBR = 1/(0.017019×DCP)

TRRL of UK (vide Road Note 8, with 60º cone)

Log10 (CBR) = 2.48-1.057 LOG10 DCP (mm/blow)

Merit and demerit of DCP

- The DCP can be used to assess the density of a fairly uniform material and therefore,
DCP may be used to check the quality of construction especially the amount of
compaction.
- The test is intended to evaluate the in-situ strength of a material under existing field
conditions.
- Weak spots beneath the pavement may be identified and rectified.
- DCP doesn’t measure the density directly.
- Difficult to work on granular layers, crusher run macadam, wet mix macadam etc.
- Thick layers of bituminous surface and binder course should be removed by core
drilling, prior to starting the DCP test.
- The cone will have to be replaced after 15 tests in hard material hence not economical.