Parameterisation of the Koppejan settlement prediction model using cone penetration testing and gradient boosting

Abstract

This study examines how cone penetration test (CPT) parameters, such as cone tip resistance and friction sleeve resistance, can be used to assess the compressibility of fine-grained soils across the Netherlands based on a database of 286 paired CPTs and oedometer tests from across the country. This is done with the aim of refining and simplifying the parameterisation of the Koppejan consolidation coefficients, a procedure which can yield significant error and is prone to misinterpretation. It was found that there is significant potential
in using gradient boosting methods to obtain a relationship between the CPT parameters and the Koppejan parameters, with further investigation required into the noise within the dataset and the acquisition of additional high-quality samples. The use of such methods will offer a means of reducing the influence of human error or misinterpretation on the prediction of settlement and provide further confidence in the use of machine learning methods in engineering practice