Variability and Typical Value Distributions of Compressibility Properties of Fine-Grained Sediments in Finland

Abstract

Most geotechnical design projects are characterized by soil data scarcity, which can be tackled by means of quantified prior knowledge and Bayesian methods. This paper aims to extend the prior knowledge on typical ranges of mean and coefficient of variation (COV) of compressibility properties of Finnish fine-grained sediments; another objective is to study whether the estimated geological sediment type affects the observed variability. The inherent variability of compressibility properties is estimated for 13 sediment layers. Lastly, the data for the estimation of typical mean is further extended, and the typical value distributions are constructed for the selected sediment types. The results indicate that neither the sediment type nor soil type affects the variability of fine-grained sediments; the COV values are rather consistent and fall into the typical range reported in the literature. On the other hand, the mean values and typical value distributions are clearly affected by the dominant soil type of the fine-grained sediment.