TEXAM Pressuremeter: Ground Engineering Problems Evaluation

The Texam pre-boring pressuremeter is a reliable instrument for the evaluation of various ground engineering problems. Its used to run routine in-situ loading tests at various depths.

The probe

• A cylindrical hollow body fitted with an inflatable sheath.

The control unit

• A metal case that houses the main cylinder, four quick connectors and the control valve.
• A manual actuator (screw jack) to operate the piston.
• A digital pressure gauge.

The tubing

• A high-pressure single conduit fitted with a shut-off quick connect to keep the probe and tubing saturated.

Test Procedure

The probe is placed at the test depth in a pre-drilled borehole obtained by a method adapted to the soil conditions: wet rotary drilling, augering, shelby tube pushing, etc. In granular soils below the water table, the probe can be driven directly within a slotted casing. The test is run either with a constant rate of deformation by using a uniform rate of rotation of the actuator, or with equal increments of pressure as for the Menard pressuremeter test.

Test Results

An in-situ stress-strain curve is obtained by plotting the injected volume against pressure. The main parameters yielded from the test readings are the Pressuremeter Modulus E_p, Creep Pressure P_f, and the Limit Pressure P_L.