Revival of a Canadian CPT Calibration Chamber

ABSTRACT: Calibration chamber tests have been used worldwide to develop general or soil-specific CPT interpretation correlations for over half a century. Some of the most fundamental contributions to CPT interpretation and soil mechanics came from Golder Associate's calibration chamber in Calgary through the work of the late Ken Been and coworkers. In the 80s and 90s, important testing programs were supported by oil exploration in the Beaufort Sea and oil sands before the chamber was repurposed and eventually decommissioned in the 2000s. The chamber was donated to the University of Toronto in 2018. This paper summarizes the process of recommissioning that chamber and describes a test performed and innovative measurements made. A series of sensors were used to measure the strains and stresses that soil experiences as the cone advances. The sample preparation process, boundary conditions, cone push system, and post-test measurements are discussed.