CPT’22 – 5th International Symposium on Cone Penetration Testing took place in Bologna, Italy, on 8-10th June 2022. The event was hosted by the Italian Geotechnical Association (AGI) and the University of Bologna, organised under the auspice of the ISSMGE Technical Committee on ground Characterisation, TC102.

CPT’22 brought together CPT users and supporters from all over the world. Researchers, designers, consultants and contractors had a unique opportunity to share up-to-date knowledge related to advancements of equipment, testing procedures, international standards updates, data interpretation and other related practical applications, as well as opportunities for discussing emerging solutions and new ideas.

The conference exceeded all expectations with the high quality of technical papers and speakers. 48 oral presentations followed by lively technical discussions and 70 posters were presented during 8 technical sessions. In Situ’s Darren Ward, Luisa Dhimitri and Mathew Taylor were involved with 3 technical papers. One with John Powell of Geolabs looked at soils’ interpretations from CPTU based correlations to point out the limited validity of some of these correlations in specific soil conditions with a positive intention to raise awareness on their use without site specific correlations.

Another contribution, in cooperation with Orsted and NGI teams, was presented by Greg Tucker of Orsted and looked at the potential use of Cone Pressuremeters in the offshore industry, specifically for obtaining the stiffness degradation for wind turbine foundations design.

The third paper, written in co-authorship with our friends at PileDesigns outlined an economic pile design approach on a challenging historical site in England where the ground model for design purposes was built based on CPTU results, emphasising the successful use of CPTU in difficult materials and sites.

Overall, it was an enjoyable few days in Italy; great opportunities for networking, sharing expertise and bringing industry professionals together. We are already looking forward to CPT’26 in Vancouver!