INDIAN INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY KANPUR

DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL ENGINEERING

GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERING LABORATORY

Plate Load Test (IS: 1888-1982)

Purpose: To determine the ultimate bearing capacity of soil and likely settlement under a
given load.

Materials and equipment: Test pit, Mild steel plate (also known as bearing plate), Dial
gauges, Proving ring, Reaction truss, Hydraulic jack and Stop watch.

Procedure:

1. A pit is constructed whose width dimension 5 times of size of tests plate.

2. The bearing plate is placed at the centre of the pit.

3. The hydraulic jack is placed centrally over the plate with the loading column in
between hydraulic jack and reaction beam so as to transfer load to the plate.

4. Two dial gauges are placed diametrically opposite ends of the plate to measure the
settlement.

5. The starting loading is 0.5 ton and the settlements are recorded by two dial gauges at
the time interval of 1, 2.25, 4, 6.25, 9, 16 and 25 min and therefore at hourly intervals
to the nearest 0.02 mm.

6. When the rate of settlement is less than 0.02 mm/min, then go for next loading of 1
ton (increment rate of loading is 0.5 ton).

7. Repeat the step 5-6 till 25 mm settlement or 3 ton which is reached earlier.

8. Then settlement verses load curve is drawn.

Observation table

Width of the plate = __________ mm

Thickness of the plate = __________ mm

Initial reading in dial gauge 1 = __________ div.

Initial reading in dial gauge 2 = __________ div.

Load time Settlement of dial gauge 1 Settlement of dial gauge 2

(kg) Dial Settlement Cumulative Dial Settlement Cumulative
gauge (mm) settlement gauge (mm) settlement
reading reading