Relationship between geophysical and geotechnical properties of marine sediments using biot-stoll model

The objective of the present investigation is to develop possible relationships between geophysical and geotechnical properties of marine sediments from the east (Madras) and the west (Cochin) coasts of India by experimental and theoretical methods. Among different types of geophysical properties of the sediment, acoustical and electrical properties were measured in the experiment. To correlate the acoustical electrical and the geotechnical properties, experiments were conducted with the help of a modified consolidometer. The permeability was predicted from the Biot-Stoll model with the use of geophysical and geotechnical parameters. The permeability predicted from the Biot-Stoll model was compared with the measured values (both direct method and indirect method from consolidation testing). Permeability predicted from the Biot-Stoll model agrees reasonably well with the measured values for both clays tested. The Biot-Stoll model underestimates the coefficient of permeability by 40% at a porosity of 0.6659, this reduces to about 3% at a porosity of 0.5506 for Cochin clay. Considering that the permeability of clays varies in the order of 10−7 to 10−9 cm/s, even 40% variation will appear relatively small for permeability. The results also show that correlations can be attempted between acoustical (i.e., compressional wave velocity), electrical (formation factor), and various geotechnical properties. © 1995 Taylor and Francis Group, LLC.