Pressuremeter Testing: Methods and Interpretation the history, applications, and development of pressumeter devices and related test procedures. The book covers topics such as the general principles of pressuremeter testing; types of pressuremeters and their installation and calibration; and the estimation of soil from pressuremeter tests in clays, sands, and weak rocks. Also included are topics such as the application of pressuremeter testing to design and research in the improvement of the use of pressuremeters. An appendix is also included; Appendix A covers the analysis of pressuremeter tests, and Appendix B contains guidance notes for the specifications of pressuremeter tests. The text is recommended for engineers and geologists who would like to know more about the applications of the pressuremeter and the interpretation of its results.

This classic title deals presents all one needs to know about pressuremeter test, a soil and rock test used in civil engineering. It consists of placing a cylindrical probe in the ground and expanding the probe to pressurize the soil or the rock horizontally. The pressure on the soil and the relative increase in cavity radius are obtained and give an in situ stress strain curve. The pressuremeter test is repeated at various depths in order to obtain profiles of soil parameters. The design applications of the preboring pressuremeter test include: shallow foundations under vertical loads, deep foundations under vertical and horizontal loads, ground anchors, cantilever drilled shaft walls and anchored bulkheads, pavements, stone columns, ground improvement and compaction control.

Pressuremeter testing activities are of great interest for scientists and engineers concerned with the mechanical behaviour of civil engineering materials. The proceedings include the first Menard Lecture presented by Professor Branko Ladanyi and 57 technical papers from 16 countries. They are related to the application of pressuremeter testing to granular and alluvial soils, clay, rock, concrete and permafrost, and geotechnical design. It also includes a session on technological developments in the design, fabrication and installation of pressuremeters.

The pressuremeter is a versatile piece of ground investigation equipment that can be used to test any type of soil or rock in situ. It quantifies in-situ stress, stiffness, strength and permeability – the essential properties needed to design geotechnical structures. The results are used in pressuremeter specific design methods, empirical design methods and numerical analyses. This reference book covers the types of pressuremeter and the control equipment, methods of installation, test procedures, methods of analysis including direct and indirect methods of interpretation, and application in design. This is supported by an exemplar specification for field operations with the interpretation of the results. Engineers are given enough detail to apply the results confidently. This comprehensive and thorough discussion of pressuremeter testing in geotechnical design draws on over forty years’ experience in geotechnical engineering. It is essential for professional and academic engineering geologists and geotechnical, civil and structural engineers involved in ground investigation and geotechnical design.

The technology, data interpretation and applications of pressure meters have progressed rapidly. Covering the design and construction of pressure meters, this text also discusses their uses, including developments in the field.

This volume contains the 49 papers which form the proceedings of the Wroth Memorial Symposium. The themes of the symposium were soil properties and their measurement, especially means of in-situ tests, prediction and performance, and design methods.