Contribution of modification of a pressuremeter for an effective prediction of soil deformability

The difficulties, challenges and limitations faced in standard pressuremeter testing in the measurement of low soil deformations led a number of researchers to think about the possible modification of the equipment, and especially the replacement of the volumeter by a Hall Effect sensor. This article is a major contribution in this direction. It makes an attempt to detail the design, manufacture and operation of the new equipment. The calibration of the various components was carried out according to the rules presently in force. This proposal was applied, on an exploratory basis, to the data of a real site located in France. The authors present the preliminary results of some cyclic pressuremeter tests, previously carried out in the laboratory, on a sandy material, and they then provide a basic interpretation of these results. The findings indicated that the proposed apparatus is capable of providing high-quality information about constraints and deformations. Although these tests were performed within the laboratory, it was possible to analyze the power, quality, performance and insufficiencies of the proposed equipment.