Uncovering soft soils with 3D Empirical Bayesian Kriging: A case study on cone penetration test data

The present work investigates the coexistence of soft and very soft soils in the foundation of a dam and aims to create a 3D map of excess pore pressure using the 3D Empirical Bayesian Kriging geostatistical method. A previous study had revealed that the only distinctive property in these residual soils is the generation of excess pore pressure during shear, which varies significantly depending on the weathering process of the parent rock, and so the pore-pressure parameter is the main feature here. The purpose of the study is not only to demonstrate that zoning the foundation of the dam is possible, but also to clarify that this zoning is more than a simply geometric delimitation of geotechnical units with previously defined deterministic properties. The values of the geotechnical properties of the equivalent soil grouped in a unit, regardless of the zoning method adopted, must represent the partial contributions of each of the soils gathered there, in variable and uncertain proportions, but estimable with s