Dissertação(mestrado) - Universidade Federal do Rio Grande, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Engenharia Oceânica, Escola de Engenharia, 2010. / Submitted by Lilian M. Silva (lilianmadeirasilva@hotmail.com) on 2013-04-15T00:06:33Z No. of bitstreams: 1 baldez,a.l.pdf: 8426528 bytes, checksum: 47e41efbe0e6ba9d1074f9667287d13a (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Bruna Vieira(bruninha_vieira@ibest.com.br) on 2013-06-10T18:46:55Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 baldez,a.l.pdf: 8426528 bytes, checksum: 47e41efbe0e6ba9d1074f9667287d13a (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2013-06-10T18:46:55Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 baldez,a.l.pdf: 8426528 bytes, checksum: 47e41efbe0e6ba9d1074f9667287d13a (MD5) Previous issue date: 2010 / Este trabalho tem por objetivo o desenvolvimento, construção e testes preliminares de um penetrômetro de queda livre para a caracterização de solos marinhos. O aparelho tem por finalidade medir as características de resistência do solo oceânico, através da medição e analise da desaceleração imposta ao penetrômetro após o seu impacto com o fundo. Este tipo de equipamento evita os elevados custos envolvidos em outros tipos de ensaios e na obtenção de amostras do fundo em condições de elevado risco e dificuldades naturais impostas pelas condições locais do mar. O dispositivo tem o formato de um aerofólio Joukowski simétrico (formato de gota), que consiste de duas partes: a primeira onde fica o acelerômetro e o chumbo granulado e a segunda onde há um conector que liga o acelerômetro a um cabo de dados e daí a um computador portátil que realiza a aquisição de dados. O penetrômetro pode ser lançado de certa altura acima da superfície da água, entra na água e mobiliza resistência hidrodinâmica durante a queda livre. Após choca-se contra o fundo marinho mobilizando resistências ao cisalhamento do solo sendo desacelerado até o repouso. Para os testes de funcionamento do equipamento foi utilizada a marina do Rio Grande Yacht Club localizado na cidade de Rio Grande - RS. Nos testes foram obtidos sinais de desaceleração registrados pelo acelerômetro que foram integrados numericamente duas vezes, a primeira obtendo dados de velocidade e na segunda dados de deslocamento percorrido pelo penetrômetro. Os dados assim coletados permitiram uma estimativa do perfil de resistência ao cisalhamento do solo marinho ao longo do comprimento penetrado,observando que o penetrômetro adquiriu a velocidade terminal sendo mensurada em torno de 5,7 m/s e o deslocamento máximo registrado obtido na marina foi de 5 metros. / This study aims at developing, constructing and testing a free fall penetrometer for the characterization of marine soils. The objective of this device is to measure the strength characteristics of the marine soil, through the measurement and the analysis of the deceleration imposed by its impact on the bottom.This kind of equipment reduces high costs involved in other tests and in the collection ofsamples on the bottom under bad sea conditions regarding risks and natural obstacles. The device was shaped as a symmetric Joukowski airfoil (the shape of a drop) which consists of two parts: one of them holds the accelerometer and the granulated lead and the other one has a connector that links the accelerometer to a data cable, and then, to a portable computer which collects the data. The penetrometer can be launched from a certain height above the water surface, and then penetrates into the water and mobilizes hydrodynamic resistance during the free fall. When it hits the bottom of the sea, it mobilizes shear strength and decelerates until it rests. The tests with the equipment were carried out in the marina at the Rio Grande Yacht Club located in Rio Grande, RS, Brazil. The tests got deceleration signals which wererecorded by the accelerometer and were integrated twice numerically in order to collectdata on the velocity and on the displacement of the penetrometer. These data enabled the estimate of the shear strength profile of the marine soil along the length in which penetration occurred. The datashow that the velocity of the penetrometer reached about 5.7 m/s and thatthe maximum displacement recorded in the marina was 5 meters.

Pulp and paper industries in Sweden have since the end of the 19th century until late 70s been active in dumping wastewater into adjacent water bodies that have created fibrous sediments called fiberbank and fiber-rich sediment. Fiberbanks are large banks of predominantly organic material while fiber-rich sediment is fibrous sediment that has been mixed with bottom sediment. The fiberbanks comprise of high levels of processed wood fibres and contaminants such as heavy metals and persistent organic pollutants (POPs). It also produces carbon dioxide and methane gas by microbial activity and leaves the sediment with exit holes called pockmarks. These sediments have been proven to cause environmental harm to the benthic biological environment around it, also causing it to become anoxic/hypoxic. Some of the POPs bioaccumulate which also affect humans through fishing. If the fiberbanks are disturbed through e.g. mass movement, toxic contaminants could be released into the aquatic environment. Fiberbanks need to be remediated and more research is needed to characterise it. In-situ capping is a remediation technique that is being tested at the laboratory scale for its application to fiberbanks. It involves placing a layer of clean material on top of the sediment, in order to stabilize it and to limit contaminant release.Because of their high organic content and low density, these sediments might behave differently than typical natural sediments. Therefore, laboratory experiments are necessary to understand their key properties. This thesis focuses on the Sandviken site, for which the bearing capacity of fiberbanks, their thickness, and the compression rate of fiber-rich sediments are studied. The bearing capacity is the capacity for a sediment to hold a weight, and in the case of in-situ capping it is an important parameter to study. The thickness was interpreted from physical data collected by a fluid mud penetrometer (FluMu), from the University of Bremen to assess the fiberbank volume. Fiber-rich sediment is examined to expand the knowledge on its physical properties by testing consolidation and potential gas production.Bearing capacity was tested by placing sediment in a tank and placing a cap on top of it. The site thicknesses were interpolated in ArcMap into a visual topography where the volume could be calculated. Fiber-rich sediment consolidation was tested by placing the sediment in columns with different capping thicknesses. By monitoring bubbles and pockmarks, gas production was confirmed.Results show that the tank sediment construction kept its shape without collapsing or failing at the edges. Sediment/cap interface was sharp, it means little to no mixing between the layers. This proves that Sandviken fiberbank has enough bearing capacity to hold up a cap and that it contains contaminants well. FluMu interpretation resulted in a fiberbank volume of 51885 m3. The fiberbank thickest layer was interpreted as being in front of the sulphate factory which is a credible result. The fiberbank volume is not conclusive since the FluMu has not measured complete thicknesses of the layers. This can be said since thicknesses have been measured at a minimum of 6 m and the thickest point interpreted was 1,11 m. The fiber-rich sediment consolidation showed that a cap that is very thick will cause most consolidation and more rapid dissipation of pore water. Bubbles and pockmarks were observed and confirm gas production. / Papper- och massa-industrin i Sverige har varit aktiv fram till 1970-talet och har dumpat förorenat vatten i angränsande vattendrag. Detta har gett upphov till fibersediment som kallas fiberbank och fiberrikt sediment. Fiberbanker är stora banker av övervägande organiskt material och fiberrikt sediment är en blandning av fiberbank sediment och bottensediment. Fiberbankerna består mestadels av bearbetade träfibrer och föroreningar som tungmetaller och långlivade organiska föroreningar (POPs). Sedimentet producerar även växthusgaser genom mikrobiell aktivitet. Dessa sediment orsakat miljöskada på den biologiska bottenmiljön i omgivningen då den förlorat syreinnehåll. Samtliga POPs samlas i fisk vilket därav även påverkar människors hälsa. Om fiberbankerna skulle störas, släpps giftiga föroreningar ut i miljön. Fiberbanker måste åtgärdas och en saneringsteknik som undersöks i laboratorieskala är in-situ övertäckning. Detta innebär att placera ett lager av rent material ovanpå sedimentet för att stabilisera det och stoppa frigöring av föroreningar.På grund av sedimentets annorlunda karaktär är experiment i laboratorier nödvändiga för att förstå deras nyckelegenskaper. Detta arbete fokuserar på fiberbanken i Sandviken, fiberbankens bärförmåga, dess tjocklek och kompressionshastigheten för fiberrika sediment studeras. Bärförmågan är kapaciteten för ett sediment att hålla en vikt och när man ska belasta ett sediment med ett övertäckningslager är detta viktigt. Tjockleken av sedimentet undersöks för att bedöma fiberbankens volym i området. Fiberrikt sediment undersöks för att utöka kunskapen om dess fysiska egenskaper genom att testa konsolidering och om det producerar gas likt fiberbanksediment.Bärförmågan testades genom att placera sediment i en tank och placera ett lager av rent material på. Platstjocklekarna tolkades från fysiska data från en typ av sensor som penetrerar sediment och interpolerades därefter i ArcMap till en visuell topografi där volymen kunde beräknas. Fiberrik sedimentkonsolidering och gasproduktion testades genom att placera sedimentet i kolumner med olika locktjocklekar.Resultaten visar att bärförmågan av fiberbanksedimentet var tillräckligt för att klara av en grundlig belastning. Gränsen mellan sedimentet och övertäckningslagret var skarp i slutskedet, det innebär liten eller ingen blandning mellan skikten. Detta bevisar att sedimentet bibehåller övertäckningslager väl över sig då ytan är platt. Tolkningen av sensordata resulterade i en fiberbankvolym på 51885 m3. Fiberbankvolymen är inkomplett eftersom FluMu inte har uppmätt skiktens fullständiga tjocklekar eftersom tjocklekar har tidigare uppmätts till minst 6 m och den tolkade tjockaste punkten var 1,11 m. Den fiberrika sedimentkonsolideringen visade att ett övertäckningslager som är mycket tjock kommer att orsaka mest och snabbast konsolidering. Observationer bekräftade även gasproduktion i sedimentet.

Segundo estudo de 2015 da FAO, 33% da área agricultável mundial estão degradados. Um dos principais problemas é a compactação do solo, causada pelo tráfego de máquinas ou animais em solo acima da capacidade de suporte de carga ou fora da condição de trafegabilidade. A compactação do solo desencadeia problemas ambientais e agronômicos como erosão, lixiviação e baixa produtividade. Sua reversão é um processo lento, caro, violento e ineficiente, por isso a melhor saída é previni-la. Para tanto, uma recomendação é mapeá-la regularmente. Um indicador indireto da compactação é a resistência (ou impedância) mecânica do solo à penenetração. O penetrômetro é o instrumento que mede a resistência da introdução de uma haste de ponta cônica no solo; teoricamente, solos mais compactados oferecem maior resistência. Há uma variedade de modelos de penetrômetro no mercado e literatura: bancada ou campo, manual ou automático, estático (penetrógrafo) ou dinâmico (de impacto), com ou sem registro eletrônico de dados etc. Naturalmente, surge a dúvida se é possível comparar dados de penetrômetros diferentes. Alguns trabalhos debruçaram-se sobre essa hipótese, mas a literatura ainda é escassa. Nos poucos artigos publicados, não hão há consenso a respeito da comparabilidade entre penetrômetros diferentes, que ora concordam, ora divergem. No presente trabalho, compararam-se os penetrômetros de campo Sondaterra PI-60 (impacto), Falker PLG1020 (manual) e Falker Solotrack (automático). O experimento observacional foi realizado em um latossolo vermelho eutroférrico de texturas argilosa, argiloarenosa e franco-argiloarenosa em Pirassununga-SP. A resistência mecânica foi avaliada simultaneamente pelos três penetrômetros em oito camadas entre 0,00-0,40 m, abaixo, dentro e acima do intervalo friável do local (10,2-35,1%(v/v)). Sob a mesma condição de umidade do solo, os três penetrômetros concordaram (não houve diferença estatística a 5%) em 58% das observações. Acordaram mais entre si os penetrômetros manual-automático (76%) e impacto-automático (70% das observações). Mesmo onde divergiram, as diferenças mínima, média e máxima de resistência foram respectivamente de 0,61; 0,91 e 1,23 MPa (excluindo-se a camada superficial 0,00-0,05 m), não interferindo no diagnóstico prático da compactação do solo. Em geral, PI-60 > Soltorack > PLG1020 (2,31; 2,14 e 1,91 MPa respectivamente). A compatibilidade entre penetrômetros abaixo, dentro e acima do intervalo friável foi a mesma: 31%, 36% e 33% das observações na mesma ordem. Não houve convergência em apenas três observações (de 120), todas na camada superficial. A resistência variou inversamente com a umidade do solo nos três penetrômetros, concordando com resultados semelhantes na literatura. Em média, a resistência diminuiu de 0,0596 MPa a cada acréscimo de 1% na umidade volumétrica (R2 = 0,44). Concluiu-se que é seguro comparar valores de resistência de penetrômetros diferentes desde que tenham sido coletados sob a mesma condição de umidade do solo. / According to a 2015 FAO study, 33% of the world\'s arable land is degraded. One of the main problems is soil compaction, caused by the traffic of machines or animals on soil over the load bearing capacity or outside of the trafficable condition. Soil compaction triggers environmental and agronomic problems such as erosion, leaching and low productivity. Its reversal is a slow, expensive, violent and inefficient process, so the best way out is to prevent it. To do so, a recommendation is to map it regularly. An indirect indicator of compaction is the mechanical resistance (or impedance) of the soil to penetration. The penetrometer is the instrument that measures the resistance of the introduction of a conical tipped rod into the ground; theoretically, more compacted soils offer greater resistance. There are a variety of penetrometer models in the market and literature: bench or field, manual or automatic, static (penetrograph) or dynamic (impact), with or without electronic data record etc. Of course, the question arises whether it is possible to compare data from different penetrometers. Some papers have dealt with this hypothesis, but the literature is still scarce. In the few articles published, there is no consensus about the comparability between different penetrometers, which now agree, or differ. In the present work, we compared the field sensors Sondaterra PI-60 (manual dynamic), Falker PLG1020 (manual static) and Falker Solotrack (automatic static). The observational experiment was carried out in a red eutroferric latosol (USDA oxisol) of clay, sandy clay and sandy clay loam textures in Pirassununga-SP, Brazil. The mechanical strength was evaluated simultaneously by the three penetrometers in eight layers between 0,00-0,40 m, below, within and above the friable interval of the site (10.2-35.1%(v/v)). Under the same soil moisture condition, the three penetrometers agreed (there was no statistical difference at 5%) in 58% of the observations. Best agreed among themselves the automatic-manual static (76%) and automatic-dynamic (70% of observations) penetrometers. Even where they diverged, the minimum, mean and maximum resistance differences were respectively 0.61; 0.91 and 1.23 MPa (excluding the superficial layer 0.00-0.05 m), values that do not interfere with the practical diagnosis of soil compaction. In general, PI-60 > Solotrack > PLG1020 (2.31, 2.14 and 1.91 MPa respectively). The compatibility between penetrometers below, within and above the friable interval was the same: 31%, 36% and 33% of observations in the same order. There was no convergence in only three observations (of 120), all in the superficial layer. The resistance varied inversely with soil moisture in the three penetrometers, agreeing with similar results in the literature. On average, the resistance decreased by 0.0596 MPa for each increment of 1% in the volumetric humidity (R2 = 0.44). It was concluded that it is safe to compare resistance values from different penetrometers provided they have been collected under the same soil moisture condition.

O presente trabalho tem como objetivo avaliar a utilização de um penetrômetro manual para quantificar a resistência à penetração em um solo poroso e não-saturado. Os ensaios foram efetuados com monitoração de sucção, obtendo-se assim correlações entre resistência à penetração do penetrômetro e a sucção do solo. Os valores de tensão de ruptura obtidos nos ensaios penetrométricos foram comparados com valores de capacidade de carga de ensaios de placa e de provas de carga em sapatas realizados à mesma profundidade, no mesmo local, com medidas simultâneas de sucção. Finalmente, o trabalho comprova a influência da sucção nos resultados dos ensaios realizados / The objective of this work is to evaluate the use of a hand penetrometer to quantify the penetration resistance of a porous and unsaturated soil. The tests were done with suction monitoring, thus, it was obtained correlation between resistance of the penetrometer penetration and the soil suction. The values of rupture pressure obtained by the penetrometer tests were compared with values of bearing capacity of plate load tests and footing load tests, that were done at the same deep and at the same location, with suction measurement. Finally, this work proves the influence of the suction on the tests results

The design of interface elements in geotechnical engineering traditionally involves empiricism and lacks a solid fundamental underpinning based on the controlling mechanisms. These design shortcomings exist due to deficiencies in the fundamental understanding of geotechnical interface behaviors and the lack of test methods and devices available to directly measure interface properties in situ. The current work strives to improve the state of geotechnical knowledge and design with regard to interface behavior through fundamental laboratory studies and the development and use of a new in situ testing device. The current investigations are focused across a range of scales from micromechanical interactions to full scale field implementation. A series of laboratory investigations at the micromechanical level have been performed, specifically aimed at investigating the mechanisms controlling granular interactions against conventional and textured friction sleeves, and hook and loop type interactions present within textured geomembrane - geotextile systems. Additionally, a new in situ testing device has been designed and developed, the Multi Piezo Friction Attachment (MPFA), to allow for the characterization of geotechnical interface properties in situ within the context of an effective stress framework. The MPFA simultaneously provides four independent measures of interface friction (f

A laboratory experimental programme was carried out to investigate the behaviour of the piezocone in lightly over consolidated clay. The clay samples were prepared from reconstituted kaolin. The powdered form of this clay was mixed with water to form a slurry at a moisture content of approximately 120% under vacuum. The clay slurry was consolidated and then allowed to swell in chambers which were well instrumented. Penetration tests were carried out with two sizes of piezocones. The smaller piezocone had a cross sectional area of 1cm² with pore pressure measurement at the cone shoulder. The larger piezocone with a cross sectional area of 5cm² had pore pressure measurements at four locations. In addition to penetration testing, further information on the strength and consolidation characteristics of the test chamber samples was obtained form shear vane, restricted flow consolidation, flow pump permeability and consolidated undrained triaxial tests. The horizontal effective stress and the vertical stress ratio were found to influence the generated excess pore pressure at all four different locations on the piezocone shaft and the net tip resistance. This led to the establishment of direct correlations for the tip resistance factor Q with the coefficient for lateral earth pressure at rest Ko and the vertical effective stress ratio (OCR). Direct correlations for the excess pore pressure ratio at all four measuring positions with Ko and OCR were also established. Several methods of estimating over consolidation ratio were examined. One of the factors examined was Bq which was found to correlate poorly with OCR before tending asymptotically to a value of approximately 0.4. Other examples of factors which showed promising results as estimators of OCR were Bmi, the excess pore pressure ratio, and Q, the tip resistance factor. The excess pore pressures well behind the cone shoulder, which are partly generated by the shear stress in the area, showed promising correlations with the undrained shear strength. However, because correlations with pore pressure on the piezocone are dependent upon the position of the filter element, the particular results from this series may only be used for piezocones whose filter elements are at equivalent positions. The undrained strength ratio was also correlated with the tip resistance factor Q and the result was very promising for future interpretation of piezocone data.

The quasi-static penetration of a cone penetrometer into clay can be formulated as a steady state problem by considering a steady flow of soil past a stationary cone. The soil velocities are estimated from the flow field of an inviscid fluid, and the incompressibility condition is achieved by adopting a stream function formulation. Emphasis is placed on obtaining an accurate velocity estimate and this is accomplished by a solution of the Navier-Stokes equations. The strain rates are evaluated from the flow field using a finite difference scheme. The clay is modelled as a homogeneous incompressible elastic-perfectly plastic material and the soil stresses are computed by integrating along streamlines from some initial stress state in the upstream region. These stresses do not in general obey the equilibrium equations, although one of the two equations can be satisfied by an appropriate choice of the mean stress. Several attempts have been made to use the remaining equilibrium equation to obtain an improved velocity estimate and three plausible iterative methods are detailed in this thesis. In a second study, a series of finite element calculations on the cone penetration problem is performed. In modelling the penetration process, the cone is introduced in a pre-formed hole and some initial stresses assumed in the soil, incremental displacements are then applied to the cone until a failure condition is reached. Although the equilibrium condition is satisfied very closely in the finite element calculations, it is extremely difficult to achieve a steady state solution. In a third series of computations, the stresses evaluated by the strain path method are used as the starting condition for the finite element analysis. This is believed to give the most realistic solution of the cone penetration problem because both the steady state and equilibrium conditions are approximately satisfied. Numerically derived cone factors are presented and these are found to depend on the rigidity index of the soil and the in situ stresses. The pore pressure distribution in the soil around the penetrometer is estimated using Henkel's empirical equation. The dissipation analysis is based on Terzaghi's uncoupled consolidation theory. The governing equation is formulated in the Alternating-Direction-Implicit finite difference scheme. This formulation is unconditionally stable and variable time steps are used to optimise the solution procedure. The dissipation curves are found to be significantly affected by the rigidity index of the soil and a dimensionless time factor is proposed to account for this effect.

The research was intended to enhance the understanding of penetrometer behaviour in normally consolidated clay. The effects of varying penetration rate and clay shear strength were studies and the distribution of pore pressures determined. The meet these objectives laboratory testing was undertaken. Penetration tests were to be performed in tanks of clay consolidated from slurry and maintained under known stresses. An initial series of tests examined the effect of stiff tank walls. These showed unexpectedly high radial boundary stresses were generated with tank to probe diameter ratios of 50:1. This finding dictated laboratory tests with small scale penetrometers in the largest practical size of tank. Field tests with small scale and full size penetrometers demonstrated an absence of scale effect in the penetrometer pore pressures and total stress data. Two consolidation tanks of 580mm diameter and one of 1000mm diameter were built with the facility for maintaining constant stresses on top of the sample during penetration. Piezocone penetrometers of 5cm2 and 1cm2 cross-section were built. Penetration tests were performed from 2cm/s to 3m/s with hydraulic insertion equipment. At lower rates the total cone resistance factor Nkt was shown to be 10.3±0.9 in normally consolidated kaolin. The corresponding pore pressure factor NΔu was 8.25±1.0 at the cone shoulder. A hundredfold increase in the penetration rate increased the Nkt factor by 40% but the NΔu factor was unchanged. Various subsidiary points emerged. The type of strength test used for comparison with penetrometer data is significant. Major strength reductions occur on sample depressurization. These were demonstrated with vane and triaxial tests. Baligh and Levadoux’s method for determining ch from pore pressure dissipation around penetrometers matched experimental data. Ratios of excess pore pressures on the cone face and shoulder show some promise in the evaluation of OCR.

O presente trabalho tem como objetivo avaliar a utilização de um penetrômetro manual para quantificar a resistência à penetração em um solo poroso e não-saturado. Os ensaios foram efetuados com monitoração de sucção, obtendo-se assim correlações entre resistência à penetração do penetrômetro e a sucção do solo. Os valores de tensão de ruptura obtidos nos ensaios penetrométricos foram comparados com valores de capacidade de carga de ensaios de placa e de provas de carga em sapatas realizados à mesma profundidade, no mesmo local, com medidas simultâneas de sucção. Finalmente, o trabalho comprova a influência da sucção nos resultados dos ensaios realizados / The objective of this work is to evaluate the use of a hand penetrometer to quantify the penetration resistance of a porous and unsaturated soil. The tests were done with suction monitoring, thus, it was obtained correlation between resistance of the penetrometer penetration and the soil suction. The values of rupture pressure obtained by the penetrometer tests were compared with values of bearing capacity of plate load tests and footing load tests, that were done at the same deep and at the same location, with suction measurement. Finally, this work proves the influence of the suction on the tests results

Made available in DSpace on 2014-06-11T19:23:25Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2010-02-10Bitstream added on 2014-06-13T20:10:48Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 ribeiro_ca_me_jabo.pdf: 1153832 bytes, checksum: 4684fdbe087506f522d6bf08ebedb7a8 (MD5) / O uso intensificado de máquinas agrícolas em áreas de cana-de-açúcar contribui para o aumento do estado de compactação do solo e pode ter como consequência a redução de produtividade. O objetivo deste trabalho foi caracterizar a variabilidade espacial da resistência mecânica do solo à penetração (RMSP) em áreas cultivadas com cana-de-açúcar de primeiro a quinto corte, com manejo totalmente mecanizado. As amostras de RMSP foram coletadas a cada 1 cm até a profundidade de 50 cm, na entrefileira e na fileira de plantio, utilizando-se penetrômetro eletrônico georreferenciado. Em cada área experimental foi determinado um grid amostral, sendo cada ponto de ensaio georreferenciado por meio de um receptor GPS acoplado ao penetrômetro. Os dados foram submetidos à análise de estatística descritiva e geoestatística, com o intuito de avaliar o comportamento geral dos dados e a dependência espacial da RMSP. Foram construídos mapas de isolinhas, utilizando o método de krigagem, para identificar áreas com valores de RMSP impeditivos para o desenvolvimento radicular da planta. Constatou-se que a área de primeiro corte não possui valores de RMSP considerados críticos (> 4 MPa) ao desenvolvimento da canade- açúcar, ao passo que áreas com segundo corte em diante apresentaram valores críticos em alguma camada de profundidade / The intensified use of agricultural machinery in planting areas of the sugarcane contributes to the increase of the state of soil compaction and may have the effect of reducing productivity. The objective of this work was to study the spatial variability of soil mechanical resistance to penetration (RMSP) in areas cultivated with sugarcane from first to fifth cut, with management fully mechanized. The Samples of RMSP were collected in the between row and row of planting, every 1 cm to a depth of 50 cm, using a penetrometer electronic georeferenced. In each experimental area was given a sample grid, where each point was georeferenced by a GPS receiver attached to the penetrometer. Data were submitted to analysis of descriptive statistics and geostatistics in order to assess the general behavior of the data and the spatial dependence of the RMSP. Maps of isolines were constructed using the kriging method to identify areas with values of RMSP impede the development of the plant root. It was found that the area of the first cut does not have critical values (> 4 MPa) of the RMSP to the development of the sugarcane, while areas with a second cut in front of RMSP showed high values in some layer of depth