Abstract: The soft marine soils in Hangzhou area is a typical structural soil and the engineering test results might be offset by the samples disturbances in the sampling and test preparation process. The dilatometer has an excellent performance in the insitu testing of soft soils. This paper presents comparative studies between the laboratory test and insitu dilatometer test results on soft marine soils in Hangzhou area. The results indicate that: (1) the uniformity of soil has an obvious influence on the index parameters of soft marine soil; (2) the curve changes of soil index and lateral expansion modulus are similar. In the characterization of the soil stratigraphy change in soft marine soils, the soil index and lateral expansion modulus curve can be integrated to improve the accuracy; (3) in soft marine soils, the coefficient of horizontal subgrade modulus obtained by the flat dilatometer test is too large, so the difference in soil types should be considered and used carefully.

Key words: DMT, Soft Marine Soils, Hangzhou Area, Engineering Properties