Essential Findings in Pressuremeter Theories

The pressuremeter, used for in situ soil testing, has undergone significant development both in its technical applications and in the interpretation methods employed for a range of parameters. Several methods have been developed to evaluate the undrained strength of a soil using a pressuremeter. Test results based on these methods show distinctive discrepancies. Different methods for evaluating the limit pressure are also presented. The values of these limit pressure evaluations vary based on the evaluation method used. In any given test, the limit pressure results also affect the values deduced for undrained shear strength. The discrepancies in the undrained shear strength values exceeded 80 % for the same test when evaluations were made with different interpretation methods. Because of the large discrepancies in the results of the undrained shear strength when using different analysis methods, the Gibson and Anderson method is recommended as being most reliable in deducing undrained shear strength values from pressuremeter tests, particularly for use in the design of foundations.