The Use of PENCEL Pressuremeter Test for Underground Structures

Abstract: this paper presents a description of the equipment, testing procedure, and methodology to obtain ground mechanical parameters. the p-y curves for laterally loaded piles are developed. methods for the development of p-y curves from pressure meter and dilatometer (dmt) test are described. p-y curves are used in the analysis to represent lateral soil-pile interaction. the pressure meter offers an almost ideal in-situ modeling tool for determining directly the p-y curves for the design of deep foundations. as the pressure meter can be driven into the soil, the results can be used to model a displacement pile. dmt tests were performed for comparisons with ppmt tests. correlations were developed between the ppmt and dmt results, indicating a consistency in soil parameters values. comparisons between ppmt and dmt p-y curves were developed based on the ultimate soil resistance, the slope of the initial portion of the curves, and the shape of the curves. the initial slope shows a good agreement between ppmt and dmt results. the predicted dmt and ppmt ultimate loads are not similar, while the predicted ppmt and dmt deflections within the elastic range are identical.