Variability of some geotechnical parameters in South Eastern Nigeria

Abstract. The variability of geotechnical material is usually modeled as a random field which can be described concisely by its mean, variance and the scale of fluctuation. This paper focuses on the second moment statistics (mean and variance, including the coefficient of variation [COV]), and the probability distribution of geotechnical properties of fine-grained soils in South Eastern Nigeria. Published values of second moment statistics of geotechnical parameters are based on data sourced from far and wide and hence may not be most appropriate for local situations. The total COV of parameters is determined as the components of the COV, like measurement error, are not considered. Data on parameters are grouped according to test methods deployed. Probability distribution of parameters were also determined. The results of this study: mean, variance, COV, and probability distribution of parameters will be very useful in preliminary engineering and in stimulating the use of probabilistic design methods like reliability-based design (RBD).