A penetrometer is a device to test the strength of a material such as soil. There are many types of penetrometer.

They are usually round or cone shaped. The penetrometer is dropped on the test subject or pressed against it and the depth of the resulting hole is measured. The measurements determine whether the soil is strong enough to build a road on. Scientists also use a penetrometer to measure how much moisture is in soil. Penetrometers are used on space probes such as the CassiniHuygens probe, to measure the amount of moisture in soil on other planets. Geotechnical investigations are performed by geotechnical engineers or engineering geologists to obtain information on the physical properties of soil and rock around a site to design earthworks and foundations for proposed structures and for repair of distress to earthworks and structures caused by subsurface conditions. Additionally, Geotechnical investigations are also used to measure the thermal resistivity of soils or backfill materials required for underground transmission lines, oil and gas pipelines, radioactive waste disposal, and solar thermal storage facilities. A geotechnical investigation will include surface exploration and subsurface exploration of a site. Sometimes, geophysical methods are used to obtain data about sites. Subsurface exploration usually involves soil sampling and laboratory tests of the soil samples retrieved.

Surface exploration can include geologic mapping, geophysical methods, and photogrammetry, or it can be as simple as a geotechnical professional walking around on the site to observe the physical conditions at the site.

To obtain information about the soil conditions below the surface, some form of subsurface exploration is required. Methods of observing the soils below the surface, obtaining samples, and determining physical properties of the soils and rocks include test pits, trenching (particularly for locating faults and slide planes), boring, and in situ tests A Standard Penetration Test (SPT) is an in-situ dynamic penetration test designed to provide information on the properties of soil, while also collecting a disturbed soil sample for grain-size analysis and soil classification. Dynamic Cone Penetrometer (DCP) is a insitu test in which a weight is manually lifted and dropped on a cone which penetrates the ground. the number of mm per hit are recorded and this is used to estimate certain soil properties. This is a simple test method and usually needs backing up with lab data to get a good correlation. A Cone Penetration Test (CPT) is performed using an instrumented probe with a conical tip, pushed into the soil hydraulically at a constant rate. A basic CPT instrument reports tip resistance and shear resistance along the cylindrical barrel. CPT data has been correlated to soil properties. Sometimes instruments other than the basic CPT probe are used, including:

CPTu - Piezocone Penetrometer. This probe is advanced using the same equipment as a regular CPT probe, but the probe has an additional instrument which measures the groundwater pressure as the probe is advanced. There are two major manufacturers of CPTu equipment in the United States. They are Hogetogler and Vertek, A Division of Applied Research Associates. SCPTu - Seismic Piezocone Penetrometer. This probe is advanced using the same equipment as a CPT or CPTu probe, but the probe is also equipped with either geophones or accelerometers to detect shear waves and/or pressure waves produced by a source at the surface. Full Flow Penetrometers - T-bar, Ball, and Plate: These probes are used in extremely soft clay soils (such as sea-floor deposits) and are advanced in the same manner as the CPT. As their names imply, the T-bar is a cylindrical bar attached at right angles to the drill string forming what look likes a T, the ball is a large sphere, and the plate is flat circular plate. In soft clays, soil flows around the probe similar to a viscous fluid. The pressure due to overburden stress and pore water pressure is equal on all sides of the probes (unlike with CPT's), so no correction is necessary, reducing a source of error and increasing accuracy. Especially desired in soft soils due to the very low loads on the measuring sensors. Full flow probes can also be cycled up and down to measure remolded soil resistance. Ultimately the geotechnical professional can use the measured penetration resistance to estimate undrained and remolded shear strengths. Flat Plate Dilatometer Test (DMT) is a flat plate probe often advanced using CPT rigs, but can also be advanced from conventional drill rigs. A diaphragm on the plate applies a lateral force to the soil materials and measures the strain induced for various levels of applied stress at the desired depth interval.

In-situ gas tests can be carried out in the boreholes on completion and in probe holes made in the sides of the trial pits as part of the site investigation. Testing is normally with a portable meter, which measures the methane content as its percentage volume in air. The corresponding oxygen and carbon dioxide concentrations are also measured. A more accurate method used to monitor over the longer term, consists of gas monitoring standpipes should be installed in boreholes. These typically comprise slotted uPVC pipework surrounded by single sized gravel. The top 0.5m to 1.0m of pipework is usually not slotted and is surrounded by bentonite pellets to seal the borehole. Valves are fitted and the installations protected by lockable stopcock covers normally fitted flush with the ground. Monitoring is again with a portable meter and is usually done on a fortnightly or monthly basis http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geotechnical_investigation http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penetrometer Standard penetration testFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaJump to: navigation, search

Standard penetration test N values from a surficial aquifer in south Florida. This article does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (November 2011)

The standard penetration test (SPT) is an in-situ dynamic penetration test designed to provide information on the geotechnical engineering properties of soil. The test procedure is described in the British Standard BS EN ISO 22476-3, ASTM D1586 and Australian Standards AS 1289.6.3.1.

Contents [hide] 1 Procedure 2 Purpose 3 Correlation with Soil Mechanical Properties 4 See also 5 References

[edit] ProcedureThe test uses a thick-walled sample tube, with an outside diameter of 50 mm and an inside diameter of 35 mm, and a length of around 650 mm. This is driven into the ground at the bottom of a borehole by blows from a slide hammer with a weight of 63.5 kg (140 lb) falling through a distance of 760 mm (30 in). The sample tube is driven 150 mm into the ground and then the number of blows needed for the tube to penetrate each 150 mm (6 in) up to a depth of 450 mm (18 in) is recorded. The sum of the number of blows required for the second and third 6 in. of penetration is termed the "standard penetration resistance" or the "N-value". In cases where 50 blows are insufficient to advance it through a 150 mm (6 in) interval the penetration after 50 blows is recorded. The blow count provides an indication of the density of the ground, and it is used in many empirical geotechnical engineering formulae.

[edit] PurposeThe main purpose of the test is to provide an indication of the relative density of granular deposits, such as sands and gravels from which it is virtually impossible to obtain undisturbed samples. The great merit of the test, and the main reason for its widespread use is that it is simple and inexpensive. The soil strength parameters which can be inferred are approximate, but may give a useful guide in ground conditions where it may not be possible to obtain borehole samples of adequate quality like gravels, sands, silts, clay containing sand or gravel and weak rock. In conditions where the quality of

the undisturbed sample is suspect, e.g. very silty or very sandy clays, or hard clays, it is often advantageous to alternate the sampling with standard penetration tests to check the strength. If the samples are found to be unacceptably disturbed, it may be necessary to use a different method for measuring strength like the plate test. When the test is carried out in granular soils below groundwater level, the soil may become loosened. In certain circumstances, it can be useful to continue driving the sampler beyond the distance specified, adding further drilling rods as necessary. Although this is not a standard penetration test, and should not be regarded as such, it may at least give an indication as to whether the deposit is really as loose as the standard test may indicate.

The usefulness of SPT results depends on the soil type, with fine-grained sands giving the most useful results, with coarser sands and silty sands giving reasonably useful results, and clays and gravelly soils yielding results which may be very poorly representative of the true soil conditions. Soils in arid areas, such as the Western United States, may exhibit natural cementation. This condition will often increase the standard penetration value.

The SPT is used to provide results for empirical determination of a sand layer's susceptibility to earthquake liquefaction, based on research performed by Harry Seed, T. Leslie Youd, and others.

[edit] Correlation with Soil Mechanical PropertiesDespite its many flaws, it is usual practice to correlate SPT results with soil properties relevant for geotechnical engineering design. The reason being that SPT results are often the only test results available, therefore the use of direct correlations has become common practice in many countries.

Different correlations are proposed for granular and cohesive soils http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Standard_penetration_test Cone penetration testFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaJump to: navigation, search A CPT truck operated by the USGS.The cone penetration test (CPT) is a cpt method used to determine the geotechnical engineering properties of soils and delineating soil stratigraphy. It was initially developed in the 1950s at the Dutch Laboratory for Soil Mechanics in Delft to investigate soft soils. Based on this history it has also been called the "Dutch cone test". Today, the CPT is one of the most used and accepted in soil methods for soil investigation worldwide.

The test method consists of pushing an instrumented cone, with the tip facing down, into the ground at a controlled rate (controlled between 1.5 -2.5cm/s Accepted). The resolution of the CPT in delineating stratigraphic layers is related to the size of the cone tip, with typical cone tips having a cross-sectional area of either 10 or 15 cm, corresponding to diameters of 3.6 and 4.4 cm.

Contents [hide] 1 History and development 2 Additional in situ testing parameters 3 Standards and use 4 References

[edit] History and development The result of a cone penetration test: resistance and friction on the left, friction ratio (%) on the right.The early applications of CPT mainly determined the soil geotechnical property of bearing capacity. The original cone penetrometers involved simple mechanical measurements of the total penetration resistance to pushing a tool with a conical tip into the soil. Different methods were employed to separate the total measured resistance into components generated by the conical tip (the "tip friction") and friction generated by the rod string. A friction sleeve was added to quantify this component of the friction and aid in determining soil cohesive strength in the 1960s (Begemann, 1965). Electronic measurements began in 1948 and improved further in the early 1970s (de Reister, 1971). Most modern electronic CPT cones now also employ a pressure transducer with a filter to gather pore water pressure data. The filter is usually located either on the cone tip (the so-called U1 position), immediately behind the cone tip (the most common U2 position) or behind the friction sleeve (U3 position). Pore water pressure data aids determining stratigraphy and is primarily used to correct tip friction values for those effects. CPT testing which also gathers this piezometer data is called CPTU testing. CPT and CPTU testing equipment generally advances the cone using hydraulic rams mounted on either a heavily ballasted vehicle or using screwed-in anchors as a counter-force. One advantage of CPT over the Standard Penetration Test (SPT) is a more continuous profile of soil parameters, with CPTU data recorded typically at 2cm intervals.

[edit] Additional in situ testing parametersIn addition to the mechanical and electronic cones, a variety of other CPT-deployed tools have been developed over the years to provide additional subsurface information. One common tool advanced during CPT testing is a geophone set to gather seismic shear

wave and compression wave velocities. This data helps determine the shear modulus and Poisson's ratio at intervals through the soil column for soil liquefaction analysis and low-strain soil strength analysis. Engineers use the shear wave velocity and shear modulus to determine the soil's behavior under lowstrain and vibratory loads. Additional tools such as laser-induced fluorescence, X-ray fluorescence[1], soil conductivity/resistivity, membrane interface probe and cameras for capturing video imagery are also increasingly advanced in conjunction with the CPT probe.

An additional CPT deployed tool used in Britain, Netherlands, Germany, Belgium and France is a piezocone combined with a tri-axial magnetometer. This is used to attempt to ensure that tests, boreholes, and piles, do not encounter unexploded ordnance (UXB) or duds. The magnetometer in the cone detects ferrous materials of 50 kg or larger within a radius of up to about 2 m distance from the probe depending on the material, orientation and soil conditions.

There are two manufacturers of cone penetrometer equipment in the United States. They are Hogentogler and the Vertek Division of Applied Research Associates.

[edit] Standards and useCPT for geotechnical applications was standardized in 1986 by ASTM Standard D 3441 (ASTM, 2004). ISSMGE provides international standards on CPT and CPTU. Later ASTM Standards have addressed the use of CPT for various environmental site characterization and groundwater monitoring activities.For geotechnical soil investigations, CPT is more popular compared to SPT as a method of geotechnical soil investigation.Its increased accuracy, speed of deployment, more continuous soil profile and reduced cost over other soil testing methods. The ability to advance additional in situ testing tools using the CPT direct push drilling rig, including the seismic tools described above, are accelerating this process http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cone_penetration_test At rest lateral earth pressure, represented as K0, is the in situ lateral pressure. It can be measured directly by a dilatometer test (DMT) or a borehole pressuremeter test (PMT). As these are rather expensive tests, empirical relations have been created in order to predict at rest pressure with less involved soil testing, and relate to the angle of shearing resistance. Two of the more commonly used are presented below.

Jaky (1948)[1] for normally consolidated soils:

Mayne & Kulhawy (1982)[2] for overconsolidated soils:

The latter requires the OCR profile with depth to be determined.

To estimate K0 due to compaction pressures, refer Ingold (1979) Soil Pressuremeter Test Benefits of the Pressuremeter Test: Can be conveniently used with drilling equipment or pushed in with direct push equipment. While tests can be done in soft clay or loose sands, the test is best used in dense sands, hard clays and weathered rock which cannot be tested with push equipment. An extensive database of load test results allows the geotechnical engineer to accurately design for shallow foundations and for lateral and vertical capacity of deep foundations. Figure 1: Texam Control Unit and Probe

Pressuremeter Test (PMT), ASTM D 4719: Louis Menard began his work with the pressuremeter test in 1954 while still a college student, studying first under Professor Kerisel in France, and later under Professor Ralph Peck at the University of Illinois. Menard improved and advanced a foundation test concept begun by Kogler in 1933, and then returned to France in 1957 where he started a company to build and use the PMT. He compiled a large data base of load tests and companion pressuremeter tests to refine his empirical design formulas and persuade other engineers to use the PMT. To show his confidence and encourage acceptance of the test, Menard guaranteed foundation designs based on the PMT with $10,000,000 of professional liability insurance from Lloyds of London (Hartmann, 2008).

Figure 2: Typical Texam Strain Controlled Pressuremeter Test

The PMT is typically performed by inserting a cylindrical probe into an open borehole, supporting it at the test depth, and then inflating a flexible membrane in the lateral direction to a radial strain of as much as 40% depending on the probe design. The PMT operator may expand the pressuremeter probe in equal pressure increments (stress controlled test) or in equal volume increments (strain controlled test) (Figure 2), typically stopping the test when initial volume of the probe has doubled or when reaching the maximum allowable pressure. About 40 data points are obtained from a strain controlled test versus and about 10 data points from a stress controlled test, thus a better defined curve can Figure 3: Typical Creep Test Results

be obtained from strain controlled tests. Creep tests can be performed near the yield point of the test to evaluate time effects of the modulus (Figure 3). Ideally the PMT provides an axisymmetric, plane strain test (the horizontal plane), typically drained in sands and silts, and undrained in cohesive soils. Early PMT probes employed guard cells at their top and bottom to force the measurement cell located between them to expand only in the lateral direction. Briaud (1992) showed that the error in test results did not exceed 5% for single-cell probes (Texam in Figure 1) with a length at least six times its diameter. Researchers have also used selfboring and push-in probes with some success in specific types of soils. Probes may also be designed with very stiff membranes for testing at high pressures and lower strain in soft rock. Figure 4: Ronald Stidham (GeoServices) Drilling Pressuremeter Test Hole

The PMT results include the at-rest horizontal earth pressure, the pressuremeter elastic modulus, the reload modulus, and the pressuremeter limit pressure (plastic failure), but generally require an empirical approach for foundation design or for correlation with classic geotechnical parameters such as the shear strength or Youngs modulus. While the PMT stress path can be modeled theoretically, the effects of stress history and anisotropy, testing in the direction of the minor principal stress (usually) in a material with behavior controlled

Figure 5: 3-inch Tri-Cone Bit next to PMT Probe

by confining stress, and the disturbance of stress release and softening at the borehole wall (or stress increase for push-in probes), usually lead to an empirical approach. Good test results begin with a high quality borehole having minimal disturbance to its side walls, typically requiring mud wash rotary techniques (Figures 4 and 5). Maintaining the drilling mud level at or near the top of the borehole minimizes the horizontal stress release from drilling. During drilling, the operator should carefully monitor the rotation rate, advance rate, and mud flow rate to obtain a high quality borehole.

Modern data acquisition systems speed field testing and computer programs relieve the drudgery of data analysis, but the PMT remains one of the most laborintensive and timeconsuming in-situ tests. Pressuremeter tests are particularly valuable in dense sands, hard clays and weathered rock, if the DMT and CPT cannot penetrate those formations. Pressuremeter tests can also be used in remote sites that only skid rigs can access.

Design of Shallow Foundations With pressuremeter data, the engineer can design shallow foundations using bearing capacity and settlement criteria. For bearing capacity criteria the design is based on an equivalent net limit pressure within 1.5 times the footing width above and below the footing depth. Settlement computations consider the immediate and consolidation components and are based on the pressuremeter modulus. A more refined settlement analysis can be performed using Briaud (1994) method that considers the entire pressuremeter curve. Moduli values are selected based on the applied stress at the layers depth. Both bearing capacity and settlement analyses use empirical equations based on a large data base of load test data. Adjustment factors assume that minimal disturbance occurs along the boreholes sidewall.

Design of Deep Foundations The design for vertical capacity of a deep foundation is based on the pressuremeter limit pressure. Tip resistance and frictional resistance are computed separately using correlation charts. The lateral load capacity of a deep foundation can be accurately designed by determining the P-y curve from pressuremeter data. Further, cyclic loading due to wind or other loads can be evaluated through cyclic loops with the pressuremeter test. Briaud (1997) developed a simple approach to lateral load analysis which can serve as a useful check for the more rigorous P-y analysis. Like shallow foundation design

with PMT, deep foundation design uses empirical equations and requires minimal borehole wall disturbance. http://www.insitusoil.com/soilpress.html Dilatometer Test Technical Bulletins : Settlement | Shear Strength | Soil Liquefacation Benefits of the Dilatometer Test Determine accurate values for strength or compressibility of the soil strata Provides accurate parameters for P-y analyses for lateral loads on deep foundations Accurately measures the low strain shear wave velocity using the true interval method Accurately evaluates ground improvement by performing before and after DMT To assure high quality control, all dilatometer tests are performed by a registered professional engineer. We have performed the deepest dilatometer test in the world at Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant at a depth of 398 feet. We were the organizers of the Second International Conference on the Flat Dilatometer Test (2006).

Dilatometer Test (DMT), ASTM D 6635: In 1975, Dr. Silvano Marchetti invented the Flat Dilatometer, consisting of sharpened blade with a circular membrane located on one side, to investigate H-pile behavior for lateral loads. He performed tests

Figure 1: DMT Blade

at ten well-documented research sites and developed empirical correlations with classical soil properties. In 1980, he published a classic paper presenting those correlations; most of which are routinely used today. (Marchetti, 1980) In 1981, Marchetti traveled to the United States on sabbatical and worked with Drs. John Schmertmann and David Crapps. While they were initially skeptical of Dr. Marchettis invention, they were convinced by the impressive speed and accuracy of the results.

Figure 1 shows a photograph of the stainless steel Dilatometer blade under a direct push rig. The blade, 15 mm thick and 96 mm wide in cross-section, is pushed into the soil at a constant rate of 2 cm/sec, preferably using a load cell to measure the penetration thrust as shown in Figure 2. Generally the operator stops penetration at 20 cm depth intervals, records the thrust at the test depth using a load cell, and then inflates the membrane.

Figure 2: Push Clamp using Four Load Cells to Measure Thrust

The surrounding soil usually collapses the 60-mm-diameter stainless steel membrane flush against the blade during the penetration. (In very weak soils, a vacuum must be applied prior to pushing.) Electrical conductivity between the center of the membrane and the underlying body of the blade completes a circuit that activates a buzzer and a light on the dilatometer control unit. To run the test, the operator slowly inflates the membrane with nitrogen gas supplied from the control unit. When the membrane center moves away from the blade, the electrical continuity is lost and the light and buzzer go off. At that instant the operator reads the gas pressure at the control unit and records the membrane lift-off pressure as the Apressure" on the data sheet. The operator then continues to inflate the membrane. When the membrane has inflated an additional 1.1 mm at its center, an electrical switch inside the blade reestablishes the electrical circuit and reactivates the buzzer and light, prompting the operator to record the corresponding gas pressure as the "Bpressure". When below the water table, the operator can slowly deflate the membrane, and record the water pressure that pushes the membrane back in contact with the blade as the "Cpressure". Nearly all of the correlations are based on the thrust, Apressure and B-pressure. The "Cpressure" can be used to determine the groundwater table in clean sands and to determine the undrained shear strengths of soft clay (Lutenegger, 2006).

The dilatometer blade has a cross-sectional area of about 14 cm2 and can be pushed with a direct push rig into soil with an N60-value of about 45 blows per foot or with a heavy drill rig into soil with an N60value of about 35 blows per foot. Tests can be successfully performed in all penetrable soils, including clay, silt, and sand. If the soil contains a significant amount of gravel, there may be point contacts against the membrane instead of a continuous medium, causing inaccurate results. Furthermore, the gravel will often tear a hole in the membrane.

DMT results have been correlated with the parameters that geotechnical engineers need the most -- soil shear strength and deformation properties. The computer program for the dilatometer data reduction evaluates and outputs the following soil properties and parameters:

Tangent vertical constrained modulus [M], Undrained shear strength for clays [cu], Drained friction angle for sands [], Total unit weight of soil [t], Coefficient of lateral earth pressure at rest [ko], Preconsolidation pressure [pc], and Over consolidation ratio [OCR].

Figure 3: Comparison of Predicted and Measured Settlement(Data from Schmertmann, 1986 and Hayes, 1986)

In-Situ Soil Testing, L.C. specializes in dilatometer tests to support geotechnical engineering and ground improvement firms. As engineers, we know that one of the most important challenges the geotechnical engineer faces is determining accurate values for the strength or compressibility of the soil strata at the project site. The weaker the soils are, the more critical they are to the geotechnical engineering design. We generally perform dilatometer tests at 20 centimeter (8 inch) depth intervals. From the high quality test data at close depth intervals, the soil profile and the soils strength and deformation properties can be accurately defined. By having sufficiently high quality test data, your engineers can confidently perform design computations and safely optimize the design. Additionally, the data can be analyzed using probablistic methods.

The accuracy of settlement computations (Schmertmann, 1986 and Monaco, 2006) based on dilatometer test data has been demonstrated by many researchers, as shown in Figure 3. From a data base of various projects in a wide variety of soil types, the average ratio of predicted settlement from dilatometer analysis versus actual

Figure 4: P-y Curves from DMT and Lateral Load Capacity Predictions (Marchetti, 1991)

measured long-term settlement is 1.07 with a standard deviation of 0.22. We provide our clients with an Excel spreadsheet template that is used to compute settlement beneath a spread footing from dilatometer test data.

Dr. Silvano Marchetti originally developed the dilatometer to predict the lateral load capacity of piles. Because the DMT tests the soil horizontally, it is an excellent method to evaluate lateral capacity (Marchetti, et al., 1991 and Robertson, et al., 1989). The engineer can determine accurate P-y curves and continuous P-y profiles from those methods and use them with numerical computer programs such as LPILE and COM624. (Figure 4)

For ground improvement projects, we recommend performing dilatometer tests before, during and at completion of the improvement. By performing tests during the improvement phase, the amount of improvement achieved can be evaluated.

Figure 5: Better measurements of ground improvement using DMT instead of CPT (Marchetti, 1998)

In cohesionless soils, ground improvement techniques often both increase lateral stresses and compact the soil. These changes lead to both a greater friction angle and increased stiffness as any excess pore pressures rapidly dissipate. They also may encourage an "ageing" process that further increases the shear strength and stiffness. The amount of improvement that occurs depends on the dynamic effort and the distance away from the dynamic source. The improved soils will be fairly heterogeneous in both the vertical and horizontal directions. A large number of tests are needed to confirm that the soils have been adequately improved at all desired locations. In-situ tests with high shear strain and disturbance effects measure ground improvement poorly because they destroy the improvement during the test. Because the DMT accurately measures both the soils deformation modulus and the at rest lateral pressure with minimal ground disturbance, they

provide an excellent choice to determine whether sufficient ground improvement has been performed (see Figure 5). As documented at the St. Johns River Power Plant near Jacksonville, Florida, the dilatometer M values were found to be more accurate in evaluating soil improvement than relative density correlations based on electronic cone qc values. (Schmertmann, et al., 1986).

Photo 7: DMT True Interval Shear Wave Measurements and Calculations

At the Second International Conference on the Flat Dilatometer in April 2006, the true interval seismic test was unveiled. The geophones are spaced exactly 0.50 meters apart in a module located directly above the blade. When a plate is struck horizontally at the ground surface, a shear wave is sent through the soil and received at the upper geophone first and later at the lower geophone. Both waves are recorded, digitally processed, and transmitted serially through the single wire DMT cable to the computer at the surface. The second wave is shifted to the left by a delta time until it is superimposed on the first wave. The shear wave velocity is easily computed as the difference in the shear wave travel distances between the upper and lower geophones by this computed delta time. Photo 6 shows the seismic module, control unit and computer and Photo 7 shows the shear waves before and after superimposition.

Figure 6: Seismic Module, Control Unit and Computer

Pressuremeter Test Updated 16 Nov. 2010 Outline

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The pressuremeter test is an in-situ testing method which is commonly used to achieve a quick and easy measure of the in-situ stress-strain relationship of the soil which provides parameters such as the elastic modulus.

Description and test procedure

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The pressuremeter test is an in-situ testing method used to achieve a quick measure of the in-situ stress-strain relationship of the soil. In principle, the pressuremeter test is performed by applying pressure to the sidewalls of a borehole and observing the corresponding deformation.

The pressuremeter consists of two parts, the read-out unit which rests on the ground surface, and the probe that is inserted into the borehole (ground). The original Mnard-type pressuremeter was designed to be lowered into a performed hole and to apply uniform pressure to the borehole walls by means of inflatable flexible membrane. As the pressure increases, the borehole walls deform. The pressure is held constant for a given period and the increase in volume required for maintaining the constant pressure is recorded. A load-deformation diagram and soil characteristics can be deduced by measurement of the applied pressure and change in the volume of the expanding membrane.

The major difference between categories of pressuremeter lies in the method f installation of the instrument into the ground. Three main types of pressuremeters are: The borehole pressuremeter: The instrument is inserted into a performed hole. The self-boring pressuremeter: The instrument is self-bored into the ground with the purpose of minimizing the sol disturbance caused by insertion.

Displacement pressuremeters: The instrument is pushed into the ground from base of a borehole. The soil displaced by the probe during insertion enters the body of instrument, reducing the disturbance to the surrounding soil (see Cone-pressuremeter). There are different approaches the interpretation of results and the determination of material properties from pressuremeter tests. In general, these approaches rely either on empirical correlations to allow measured co-ordinates of pressure and displacement to be inserted directly into design equations, or on solving the boundary problem posed by the pressuremeter test.

Test Standards

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BSI BS 5930 Code of practice for site investigations ASTM D4719 - 07 Standard Test Method for Prebored Pressuremeter Testing in Soils