Interpretation of design soil parameters from cone penetration tests A fuzzy set approach

Interpretation of soil parameters from cone penetration test (CPT) data is a complex process. The authors present an improved method based on fuzzy sets for estimation of design parameters of sands, such as relative density and drained angle from CPT data. Uncertainty is handled by the use of fuzzy numbers. The fuzzy number inputs are processed by fuzzy arithmetic, and in this way, uncertainty is allowed to propagate in the interpretation process. Knowledge extracted from the literature is used to determine proper fuzzy numbers that characterize uncertainties in the interpretation process. Results show that the method can reliably estimate design soil parameters from cone penetration tests