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Cone Penetration Testing (CPT): a valuable tool for investigating polar snow
Conference poster

Cone Penetration Testing (CPT): a valuable tool for investigating polar snow

Adrian B McCallum
American Geophysical Union (AGU) Fall Meeting, 2012 (San Francisco, United States, 03-Dec-2012–07-Dec-2012)
American Geophysical Union
2012
url
http://fallmeeting.agu.org/2012/View
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Abstract

Physical Geography and Environmental Geoscience CPT Cone Penetration Testing
Penetrative testing is the best means of assessing snow strength in situ. However, existing snow penetrative equipment is unable to penetrate to substantial depth, at a constant rate, in hard polar firn. Therefore, existing Cone Penetration Testing (CPT) equipment, typically used in soils, was modified to allow efficient testing in snow. CPT equipment was mounted on the back of a tractor, and was hydraulically powered, enabling rapid testing to depths of 10 m, in polar firn as hard as 10 MPa. Data recorded included cone tip resistance and cone sleeve friction, and analysis of results suggests that three main determinants of snow's physical behaviour, its strength, density, and microstructure, can potentially all be obtained via this one test: the CPT.

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