Interpretation procedure for pressuremeter tests in sand

A new approach for the interpretation of pressuremeter tests in sands is proposed that permits the determination of shear strength characteristics, dilatancy properties, and shear modulus from the anlaysis of pressuremeter test results. A relatively simple soil model has been developed that takes into account the contracting or dilating behavior of the soil, or both, during the pressuremeter cavity expansion. The soil is assumed to be an elasto-plastic material with a nonassociated flow rule. To evaluate the proposed interpretation procedure, laboratory cavity expansion tests on Fontainbleau sand specimens have been conducted in a specially designed hollow-cylinder cell. The comparison between the sand properties (shear modulus, peak friction angle, dilation angle) derived from the cavity expansion tests and those obtained from conventional tests illustrates the applicability of the proposed interpretation procedure.