A New Approach for Interpretation Strength Sensitivity to Po in Pressuremeter Testing

Abstract

The pressuremeter testing received a great application in site investigation and foundation design. One major development of pressuremeter testing devoted to the methods of interpretation the undrained shear strength (Cu) of the tested soil, also the horizontal at rest pressure was evaluated using different methods of interpretation. In the present research it is intended to focus on the different theories for interpretation of the pressuremeter testing and the discrepancies in the values of undrained shear strengths when using different methods for evaluating the horizontal at rest pressure (Po). The results of Menard Pressuremeter tests that been conducted in sandy silt soil been evaluated using three methods for interpretation the undrained shear strength and five methods of analysis for deducing the horizontal at rest pressure (Po). The values of the deduced undrained shear strength of the soil showed great discrepancies between the three methods of analysis (Gibson and Anderson, Palmer and Ladanyi method). The new approach presented in this research, showed that when using different values of the horizontal at rest pressure (Po) evaluated from the five methods, a great differences in the values of the undrained shear strength obtained. The sensitivity of the undrained shear strength (Cu) to the evaluated values of the horizontal at rest pressure (Po) examined extensively. These new findings may need a great investigation to predict the represented undrained shear strength of the soil from pressuremeter testing.