CPT Correlations

Some Things Old, Some Things New, Some Things Borrowed, and Some Things Blue

Nick Ramsey

The recent increase in offshore wind farms throughout the world has provided an enormous amount of globally distributed CPT data in soils with a wide variety of geological histories. This has enabled Nick to develop new and more reliable CPT correlations for the evaluation of Plasticity Index, fines content, undrained shear strength, and low-strain shear modulus, Go (also known as Gmax). This presentation will discuss the challenges of developing reliable CPT correlations, the importance of understanding the underlying physical basis, and methods for assessing the most reliable correlation for a particular project. The presentation will include example soil profiles showing soil parameter estimates (illustrating some of the challenges and limitations) and an example demonstrating an approach for assessing the most reliable CPT correlation at a particular site.

About the speaker

Nick Ramsey Senior Principal Geotechnical Engineer, Fugro

Nick has over forty years of international geotechnical experience across a wide range of projects. He is a Fellow of Engineers Australia and a Chartered Engineer in both Australia and New Zealand.

Nick’s particular interest lies in formulating reliable ground models for engineering purposes by integrating in-situ testing, laboratory testing, and geophysical data. He has a strong focus on Cone Penetration Tests (CPTs) and has published over a dozen papers on their use and interpretation.

In addition to his work in Australia and New Zealand, Nick has delivered invited lectures on CPT interpretation at the University of Cambridge, Imperial College London, and international conferences in China, India, and Vietnam. He was also a Keynote Speaker at CPT’10, the second International Conference on Cone Penetration Testing in Huntington Beach, California.

Currently, Nick is a member of the steering committee for CPT’27, scheduled to take place in May 2027 in Canada.

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