The dataset contains 1339 cone penetration tests (CPT, CPTu, SCPT, SCPTu) executed within Austria and Germany by the company Premstaller Geotechnik ZT GmbH. As a first processing step, core drillings, located within a maximum distance of approximately 50 m to the insitu tests, were assigned to these cone penetration tests, which allow an interpretation of the insitu measurements based on its grain size distribution. In a second step, the software Geologismiki was used to calculate various normalized measures, which can e.g. be used as input parameters for soil behaviour type charts. The present data can be utilized by researches for example to develop new approaches related to soil classification based on cone penetration test. Furthermore, it provides a framework for combining insitu measurements (qc, fs, Rf, u2, Vs), normalized measures (i.e. Qt, Bq, U2) and soil classifications.

Fine-grained sedimentary deposits can bear an increased risk for building settlements due to their moderate stiffness and strength properties, as well as high groundwater tables. However, some buildings, e.g., situated on shallow foundations in Alpine basins, show only relatively small settlements because the formation of carbonate cement can create bridging bonds between the detrital soil particles, leading to increased stiffness. These weak bonds can be damaged through dynamic loads and high static loads, causing a weakening of the soil’s microstructure and resulting in large settlements in several cases. However, the environmental controls and mechanistic processes underlying the formation versus damaging of microstructure in fine-grained, postglacial sediments are, to date, poorly understood. In the present study, fine-grained sediments are artificially cemented by calcium carbonates (CaCO₃) to investigate (i) the influence of a mild and sustainable cementation process on the stress–strain behavior of silicate- and carbonate-rich soils and (ii) the possibilities and limitations of artificial microstructure development for soil stabilization. Incremental load oedometer testing (IL), bender element testing (BE), X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) specific surface area (SSA) measurements are used to characterize the development of cementation and to elucidate the improvements in the soil mechanical properties. It is shown that cementation induced by CaCO₃ mineralization (by 5–15% replacement) leads to an increased stiffness (factor ≈ 5–7) and shear wave velocity (factor ≈ 1.1), caused by the formation of nanocrystalline, particle-binding CaCO₃ cements. The improvement of soil stiffness is dependent on the CaCO₃ replacement level, reaction time and primary soil mineralogical composition.

Soil microstructure, often defined as the combination of particle arrangement and bonding, can strongly influence the stiffness and strength of sedimentary deposits. As undisturbed soil sampling is a challenging task in fine-grained soils, seismic in situ testing is becoming increasingly more important to investigate its mechanical behaviour. The aim of this article is to evaluate the influences of sediment depositional age and structure-forming processes on the degree of soil structure development in Alpine deposits. Seismic in situ and laboratory testing comprising X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), pore water chemical analysis and hydrochemical modelling were executed at three Austrian test sites, namely Lokalbahn Salzburg, Rhesi and water reservoir Raggal. Based on the comparison of in situ shear wave velocities (V_S,SDMT) with bender element results (V_S,BE), executed on reconstituted soil specimens, it is shown that the Pleisto–Holocene-aged deposits are characterized by a V_S,BE/V_S,SDMT ratio of < 1, indicating the presence of microstructure. However, the youngest sediments (< 50 years) exhibit the weakest microstructure (V_S,BE/V_S,SDMT ≈ 1). The increase of soil structure with sediment age is represented by the updated normalized small-strain rigidity index, K^*_G, which is situated at the proposed transition between structured and unstructured soils (K^*_G = 330), ranging between 250 and 350, at all test sites. The development of microstructure can be attributed to the precipitation of calcite (CaCO₃) cements in open pores, which strengthens the interparticle bonding between detrital quartz, feldspar, clay minerals and carbonate grains, subsequently reducing the soil`s porosity with increasing sediment age.

The compaction control of earth works is an essential task in geotechnical engineering. In order to build more sustainably and to reduce project costs, fine-grained materials are more often used for embankment construction nowadays. The quality control of compacted soil layers is usually defined in terms of deformation moduli obtained from static and dynamic plate load tests or based on the degree of compaction, which is generally related to the Proctor density. Penetration tests, such as cone penetration tests (CPT), seismic flat dilatometer tests (SDMT) or dynamic probings (medium heavy dynamic probings (DPM)), show a potential for assessing the compaction along vertical profiles but no standardized quality criteria have been elaborated yet. The present work investigates the effects of different water contents and degrees of soil stabilization on results of CPT, SDMT, DPM, plate load tests and Proctor tests for an 8 m high trial embankment, characterized by a clayey to silty material. CPT and DMT results were found to strongly correlate with deformation moduli of static and dynamic plate load tests, enabling the definition of new quality criteria for compaction control.