Abstract: The soil disturbance deformation induced by sampler penetration has a significant influence on the physical and mechanical properities of soil in soil investigation engineering. A series of small-scale model tests with different sampler diameters and penetration rates are conducted to investigate the disturbance deformation characteristics of soil and the influence factors during sampler penetration by using transparent soils and PIV (particle image velocimetry) technique. The test results show that the disturbance deformation of soil increases with the depth of sampler penetration, and the disturbance deformation of soil in sampler is mainly upheaval, and the maximum upheaval deformation occurs at the depth about 20 mm. Increasing the sampler diameter can reduce the disturbance deformation of soil at sampler centerline effectively, but the reduced magnitude of deformation decreases with the sampler diameter. The sampler penetration rate has no effect on the disturbance deformation of non-structured soil.