Cone penetration tests in a virtual calibration chamber

A virtual calibration chamber was built using a three- dimensional model based on the discrete-element method. The chamber was then filled with a scaled granular equivalent of Ticino sand, the material properties of which were selected by curve-fitting triaxial tests. Cone penetration tests were then performed under different initial densities and isotropic stresses. Penetration resis- tance in the virtual calibration chamber was affected by the same cone/chamber size effect that affects physical calibration chambers and was corrected accordingly. The corrected cone resistance obtained from the virtual cali- bration chamber cone penetration tests shows good quan- titative agreement with correlations that summarise previous physical results.