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Pressuremeters in
Geotechnical Design
B.G. CLARKE
Department of Civil Engineering
University of Newcastle upon Tyne
Taylor &Francis
LONDON AND NEW YORK
Published by Taylor & Francis
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon, OX14 4RN
270 Madison Ave, New York NY 10016
First edition 1995
Transferred to Digital Printing 2007
@ 1995 Taylor & Francis
Typeset in 10/12 pt Times by AFS Image Setters Ltd, Glasgow
ISBN 0 7514 0041 6
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The publisher makes no representation, express or implied, with regard
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A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 94-71805
Publisher's Note
The publisher has gone to great lengths to ensure the quality of this reprint
but points out that some imperfections in the original may be apparent
In the 1950s, independent developments of pressuremeters took place in
France and Japan which led to the successful use of these probes in ground
investigation for foundation design. Design rules were developed from obser-
vations of full scale structures which are continually being updated and
expanded as greater use is made of pressuremeters. In the 1970s, self-boring
pressuremeters were developed in France and the UK to determine ground
properties directly, especially in-situ stress, stiffness and strength. This led to
significant developments in the analysis and interpretation of pressuremeter
tests. The third major technological advance took place in the 1980s with the
development of the cone pressuremeter.
The principal attraction of the pressuremeter test is that it most closely
models an ideal condition in which the ground is positively loaded from the
in-situ stress conditions. By observing the deformation with applied pressure,
the in-situ stress-strain response of the ground can be obtained. The par-
ameters obtained from a pressuremeter test, which include in-situ stress,
stiffness and strength, are a function of the probe, the method of installation
and the method of testing, as well as the chosen method of analysis and
interpretation.
The aim of this book is to explain how pressuremeters can be used in
geotechnical design. A form of pressuremeter can be used in all ground
conditions, from soft clays to hard rocks. The parameters obtained, either
directly, theoretically or empirically, represent realistic estimates of ground
properties. Detailed descriptions are given of the major developments in
pressuremeter technology, highlighting the most common and significant
probes. Site operations, including calibrations, installation, testing and data
reduction, are described, highlighting national standards. Attention is drawn
to the need for careful installation and correct calibrations if the results are to
be of value. A brief summary of the theories of cavity expansion, as they apply
to pressuremeter tests, is given in order to describe the development and the
limitations of the theoretical or empirical methods of interpretation. Design
rules and examples of the use of interpreted values of horizontal stress,
stiffness and strength are described to show that foundation behaviour can be
predicted.
This book could not have been written without the considerable efforts of
all those involved in pressuremeter testing. I would like to make special
mention of a number of people who have had a significant input into my
interest in pressuremeter testing. The late Professor Wroth, who pioneered
vi PREFACE
much of the development in the 1970s and 1980s in the UK, was a source of
inspiration and encouragement. His vision led to the formation of research
teams at both Cambridge and Oxford, and their work on pressuremeters is
continuing throughout the world. M. Gambin and his colleagues of the
International Committee on Pressuremeters gave much debate to the inter-
national role of pressuremeter testing for design. The recent use of the
pressuremeter in the UK could not have taken place without the enthusiasm
of J.C.P. Dalton and his colleagues at Cambridge Insitu and the encourage-
ment of J. Scarrow and his colleagues at Soil Mechanics Ltd. Finally I would
like to thank N. Sugawara, Dr P. Allan and S. Tindale for their help and
encouragement.
B.G. Clarke
Contents
List of symbols
1 Introduction
1.1 Introduction
1.2 Definition of a pressuremeter
1.3 The development of the pressuremeter
1.4 The pressuremeter test
1.4.1 The probe
1.4.2 The expansion curve
1.5 Summary
3 Site operations
3.1 Introduction
3.2 Installation techniques
3.2.1 Introduction
3.2.2 Prebored pressuremeters
3.2.3 The self-boring pressuremeter
3.2.4 The pushed-in pressuremeter
3.3 Calibrations
3.3.1 Introduction
3.3.2 Pressure gauges
3.3.3 Displacement transducers
3.3.4 Total pressure transducers
3.3.5 Effective pressure and pore pressure transducers
3.3.6 Membrane stiffness
3.3.7 Membrane thinning
3.3.8 Membrane compression
.. . CONTENTS
Vlll
A.2 General
A.2.1 The equipment
A.2.2 The operator
A.3 Probes
A.3.1 General
A.3.2 Volume displacement type probes
A.3.3 Radial displacement type probes
A.4 Calibrations
A.4.1 Types
A.4.2 Total pressure transducer
A.4.3 Displacement transducer
A.4.4 Pore pressure transducers (if fitted)
A.4.5 System compression
A.4.6 Membrane stiffness
A.4.7 Membrane compression
A.4.8 Frequency
A.5 Installation
A.5.1 Prebored pressuremeters
A.5.2 Self-bored pressuremeter
A.5.3 Pushed-in pressuremeters
A.6 Testing procedure
A.6.1 Strain-controlled tests
A.6.2 Stress-controlled tests
A.6.3 Stress-controlled tests: Menard method
A.7 On-site data processing
A.7.1 Volume displacement type probes
A.7.2 Radial displacement type probes
A.8 Interpretation
A.9 Information to be submitted
A.9.1 Prior to commencing work on site
A.9.2 Preliminary results for each test
A.9.3 Report data processing and analysis
A.9.4 Information to be submitted in the report
A.10 Bill of quantities
Index
List of symbols
Experimental constants
Radius of the membrane
Constants
Angle for inclined loads and slopes
Cavity radius at end of reloading
Radius of probe during expansion
Cavity radius at yield pressure
Radius of cavity at p,,
Maximum displacement reached at the end of loading or
displacement of cavity wall at start of consolidation
Radius of the probe or cavity
Initial radius of pocket
Radius at the start of reloading
Cavity radius at the start of unloading
Width of foundation
Radius to solid rock
Corrected width to allow for load eccentricity
Equivalent dimension of foundation
Reference width or diameter
Constant
Cohesion
Coefficient of consolidation
Depth of foundation
Drainage path
Diameter of ground anchor
Equivalent embedment depth
Relative density
Modulus of elasticity
Eccentricity of load
Deviatoric stiffness
Pile stiffness
Menard modulus
Modulus of elasticity from a reloading curve
Modulus of elasticity from an unloading curve
Stiffness of soft soil layer and stiffness of layer above
Pile modulus
xii LIST OF SYMBOLS
1.1 Introduction
w tests
borehole
9
1
Field
!
! j
plle tests suriace
~nstrumented geophys~cs
embankments
Constant head
PIP plate
In situ tests
I
I
Indirect design
The term pressuremeter was first used by Menard to describe the testing
equipment he developed in 1955. Baguelin et al. (1978) referred to the
pressuremeter probe as a device that applies hydraulic pressure through a
flexible membrane to the borehole walls. Mair and Wood (1987) further
restricted the definition of a pressuremeter to a cylindrical device and this
definition is recognised internationally by the ISSMFE (Amar et ul., 1991).
The definition used here, and shown in Figure 1.3, is
A pressuremeter is a cylindrical probe that lzas an expandable .flexible
membrane designed to apply a uniform pressure to the walls of a borehole.
The pressuremeter can refer to the probe in the test pocket or to the probe,
drill rods and testing equipment. The latter definition is used here.
Others have used the term dilatometer to describe pressuremeters. Strictly
PRESSUREMETERS IN GEOTECHNICAL DESIGN
no of publications
Figure 1.4 The increase in the number of publications on pressuremeters
further, substantial developments took place until the 1960s following the
development of the MPM. Since then, there has been an increasing use of
pressuremeters both in design and research. This is reflected in the number of
publications shown in Figure 1.4.
The theories of cavity expansion do not always apply to PBP and PIP tests
because of the disturbance during installation. The results from SBP tests
cannot be used in the Menard design methods referred to below since the
installation and testing techniques are different. This is no different from
other tests since many soil parameters are a function of the sampling]
installation technique and the testing technique. The interpretation of
pressuremeter tests depends on the parameters required, the pressuremeter
used, the installation procedure and the test procedure. For these reasons it is
necessary, when considering a test, to specify clearly the purpose of the test
and the type of pressuremeter to be used.
Design rules, covering bearing capacity and settlement of shallow founda-
tions, pile foundations, caissons and grouted anchors were developed in the
1960s by Menard Techniques. In 1971 the Laboratoire Central des Ponts et
Chaussee (LCPC) produced a standard for the Menard test and in 1972
recommendations for design methods. This has since been superseded by
LCPC-Setra-1985.
Several countries, including France, Russia and America, have developed
national specifications, and recommended procedures have been published
by, for example, the International Society for Rock Mechanics (ISRM).
Institutions and companies have also developed specifications that have since
become recognised as good practice. There is, however, no international
standard but the International Society for Soil Mechanics and Foundation
Engineering is developing a statement on current international practice.
There have been three international conferences devoted to pressuremeters.
The first two - in 1982 in Paris and in 1986 in Texas were concerned with
-
Figure 1.5 Types of prebored pressuremeters: (a) a tricell probe; (b) a monocell probe.
12 PRESSUREMETERS IN GEOTECHNICAL DESIGN
cells, known as guard cells, were designed to ensure that the central cell
remained a cylinder and, hence, ensured that a true cylindrical cavity expan-
sion was measured. Developments of this probe are still widely used.
In the 1950s, a single-cell or monocell probe (shown schematically in
Figure 1.5b) was developed by OYO Corporation of Japan. The expansion of
the membrane was measured directly using transducers. Many modern
pressuremeters, independent of the installation technique, include some form
of transducers, both pressure and displacement.
In the late 1960s and early 1970s self-boring probes were developed
independently in France (Jezequel et al., 1968) and the UK (Wroth and
Hughes, 1973). The main difference between these single-cell probes is the
measuring system. The French probe has a volume-measuring system like the
original Menard pressuremeter while the the UK probe has displacement
transducers. Figure 1.6 shows the principle of this instrument.
Pressuremeters specifically developed to be pushed into the ground were
first considered in the late 1970s in order to overcome the problems (a) of
installing prebored pressuremeters in ground that could collapse and (b) of
Figure 1.7 The pushed-in pressuremeter showing on the left an external cone for the full
displacement probe, and on the right an internal cone for the push-in thick-walled probe.
Group Name Symbol Manufacturer Pressure Strain Diameter Total Expand~ng L/D Displacement
capac~ly capacity length length measurement
(MPa) (mmJ (m) (mmJ system
Self-bored Cambridge sell-borlng presauremeler CSBP Cambridge Insilu Three displacement transducers
Weak rock self-bonng pressuremeter RSBP P M Insitu Techn~ques Three displacement transducers
Press~ometreautoforeur PAF-76 Mazier Surface volume
1 PRESSUREMETER I
SELF-BORED
-
VOLUME RADIAL VOLUME RADIAL PARTIAL FULL
VOLUME RADIAL
Menard
(1957)
1st tricell
LLT
(1958) Oyometer
1st monocell
(1968)
(1970)
Cam kometer
(1971)
3 radii
-
Stressprobe
(1979)
1st PIP
HPD
(1 980)
3 diameters
cone
(1 983)
Weak Rock
(1989)
Figure 1.8 The historical development of the pressuremeter showing categories according to the
method of installation and the method of measuring deformation.
app'
pressure
strain
- strain
Figure 1.9 Typical expansion curves for the three types of pressuremeters: (a) the prebored
pressuremeter; (b) the self-bored pressuremeter; and (c) the pushed-in pressuremeter (full
displacement).
The first part, OA on Figure 1.9a, is the expansion of the membrane within
the mud-filled borehole. The second part, AB, is the deformation of a zone
softened during drilling. The third part of the curve, BC, is a measure of elastic
behaviour. Point C marks the onset of yielding of the ground adjacent to the
membrane.
There are two parts to an SBP expansion curve. Point B (Figure 1.9b), the
point at which the membrane begins to move, is equal to the total horizontal
stress. Point C is the onset of yielding of the ground. There are also two parts
to a P I P expansion curve. Theoretically, during installation an infinite
expansion occurs so that there should be very little increase in pressure
needed to expand the membrane. This is not the case. As the probe is pushed
into the soil the soil is unloaded as it flows past the shoulder of the cone of a
full displacement pressuremeter. Thus point C, Figure 1.9c, represents a yield
point. A P I P that partially displaces the soil gives an expansion curve
between that of a SBP and a full displacement pressuremeter.
1.5 Summary
PBP SBP PIP PBP SBP PIP PBP SBP PIP PBP SBP PIP PBP SBP PIP PBP SBP PIP PBP SBP PIP
Oh A CE C A CE B C C N N N
Cu BE A BE BE A BE CE B N CE N N
c' BN N N
4' B B CE A CE CE A CE CE N N B N N N
G, A A A A NN B N N N
cur A A A A A A A A A A A A C N N A A N A N N
PI BE A BE BE A BE CE A CE CE A CE CE NN CE B N CE N N
Ch B A A B A A
A, excellent; B, good; C, possible; N, not possible; E, empirical
oh, total horizontal stress; s,, undrained shear strenth;c', cohesion; +', angle of shearing resistance; Gi, initial shear modulus; G,,, secant shear modulus from an
unload/reload cycle; p,, limit pressure; c,, coefficient of consolidation.
18 PRESSUREMETERS IN GEOTECHNICAL DESIGN
Contents
Index
..... .... .