ABSTRACT
Thermal-Cone Penetration Test (T-CPT) is proposed as a new type of in-situ soil testing method for estimations of both mechanical and thermal properties of soil layers. Physical modelling of T-CPT is conducted in this study to obtained the effects of soil density, penetration depth and heating duration on the penetration resistance and thermal responses. Discrete Element Method (DEM) is then adopted to simulate the processes of penetration, heating and cooling, for investigations of penetration induced stress and temperature distributions in the surrounding soil. The measurements of thermal responses are analyzed to validate the simulation and to evaluate the interpretation method for thermal properties. The results could be used as a benchmark for further analyses of mechanisms of penetration and heat transfer. The interpretation method for T-CPT data is to be developed to improve the performance, with implications to utilization of geothermal energy.
