Comparison of Different Electrical Resistivity Measurement Methods of Soft Marine Clays

The electrical resistivity of soil is one of the comprehensive indexes of the inherent property of soil, which has important theoretical signification and application value. The measured methods of soil electrical resistivity mainly can be divided into two groups: laboratory tests and in-situ tests. The in situ testing has been widely used in geotechnical site characterization due to its high accuracy and repeatability. Especially the emergence and development of resistivity piezocone penetration test (RCPTU), the RCPTU becomes the main tool of in situ measurement of the electrical resistivity of soil due to its not only include a conventional piezocone penetration test, but also provides a continuous profile of electrical resistivity. The objective of this paper was to compare the different methods for measuring the electrical resistivity of soil. First, the principle of the electrical resistivity of soil was briefly presented. Then, the comparison of different electrical resistivity measurement methods of soft marine clays was made based on the Ningbo marine clay and the advantages and disadvantages of various measured methods were also analyzed and summarized. The results of comparative analysis was verified the reliability of soil electrical resistivity measured by RCPTU.