Since its development by Wolmar Fellenius around 1910, the Swedish weight sounding (SWS) test is among the easiest and most reliable in situ methods for testing soft clays and loose sands. Although, SWS tests have been widely utilized for post-earthquake liquefaction assessment, existing equations can vary depending on soil type and deposition conditions; hence, verification is recommended. In this study, we analyze the applicability of existing equations to estimate the undrained shear strength of a lacustrine clay. Deposits of this material are generally normally consolidated, reach depths of about 500 m, and near ground surface often alternate with very thin layers of fine sands. Structures founded on this material, sustained widespread damage during the 2015 Gorkha earthquake. The authors conducted SWS tests at six different locations within the same deposit, as well as, vane shear tests (VST) to compare existing correlations between the undrained shear strength and Swedish cone penetration values. Additionally, constant volume simple shear tests were performed in the laboratory and undrained strengths were compared to those from the in situ tests. The results obtained from the SWS, VST, and laboratory tests were comparable to each other.
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