Boundary corrected calibration of tactile pressure sensors

Assessing the forces generated in soil is an important step in geotechnical engineering and it provides valuable insight into local and global behaviour of foundation systems. Capturing this type of data in a physical model is challenging due to a physical limitations of traditional diaphragm-based pressure sensors. Tactile pressure sensors produce a matrix of force readings and have been used extensively in physical modelling over the last decade. In order to produce accurate results, the sensors must be calibrated using a known applied force through a material with similar compliance to the testing medium. Improperly matched compliance will produce severe under- or over-reading of the applied pressures. Furthermore, since many applications will involve particulate soil, the number of contacts per sensel must be simulated properly. The sensors are statically calibrated using a simple technique that replicates the exact boundary conditions that they will experience in a model. The results are compared to calibrations performed in-situ on a geotechnical centrifuge.