There are two aspects in this study: cylinder penetrations and XBP (Expendable Bottom Penetrometer) interpretations. The cylinder studies firstly investigate the relationship between the soil resisting force and penetration depth by a series of rateindependent finite element analyses of pre-embedded penetration depths, and validate the results by upper and lower bound solutions from classical plasticity theory. Furthermore, strain rate effects are modeled by finite element simulations within a framework of rate-dependent plasticity. With all forces acting on the cylinder estimated, penetration depths are predicted from simple equations of motion for a single particle. Comparisons to experimental results show reasonable agreement between model predictions and measurements. The XBP studies follow the same methodology in investigating the soil shearing resistance as a function of penetration depth and velocity by finite element analyses. With the measurements of time decelerations during penetration of the XBP, sediment shear strength profile is inferred from a single particle kinetic model. The predictions compare favorably with experimental measurements by vane shear tests.