Abstract: Through electrical resistivity experiments and geotechnical experiments, the characteristics of electrical resistivity of thick soft soil layer and the correlativity between electrical resistivity and engineering mechanical parameters in the foundation of Suzhou-Nantong Yangtze River Bridge in China’s Jiangsu Province, were studied. It was found that, firstly, in CZK30 bore, from clay→powdery sand→thin sand→medium and coarse sand, the electrical resistivity of soil sample increased gradually, the electrical resistivity decreased with the increase of water content, void ratio and saturation, and increased with the increase of the vertical and horizontal infiltration coefficient, compression modulus and standard penetration test (STP); secondly, in CZK30 bore, electrical resistivity of clay soil decreased with the increase of the water content, void ratio, saturation, compression coefficient, liquid coefficient, and increased with the increase of compression modulus and cohesion; thirdly, through linear and polynomial fit, the mathematic expressions between electrical resistivity and engineering mechanical parameters of soil were offered, and the correlativity coefficients were high (larger than 0.88 mostly). The following conclusions can be drawn that there exist affinity between electrical resistivity and other physical and mechanical parameters.

Key words: electrical resistivity, experiments, physico-mechanical parameters, thick soft soil, lower reaches of Yangtze River