The primary benefit of pressuremeters and dilatometers is their ability to measure the stiffness and strength of the ground by establishing a direct relationship between radial pressure and the resulting deformation. These in-situ tests provide data that is highly representative of future foundation behaviour.
Understanding Ground Strength: They measure how much weight the ground can safely hold which helps reduce (sometimes significantly) overdesign and construction costs.
Predicting Sinking: These tools help predict if a building will sink or settle too much over time.
Testing in the Real World: Because the tests happen directly in the ground rather than in a lab, the results are often much more representative of how the ground will actually behave.
Handling Tricky Materials: They are useful in tough spots where it is hard to get undisturbed soil samples, such as in weakly cemented soils and weathered rock.
Side-to-Side Support: They provide essential data for structures that have to deal with lateral (side-to-side) weight, such as pylons, sheet piles, and walls.
Instant Results: Modern digital versions allow engineers to see the test results on a tablet in real time, which helps them make quick and informed decisions on-site.
Easier Access: Portable models can be used in tight spaces where big drilling rigs cannot reach, saving time and money.
Types of Pressuremeters
| Instrument | Instrument Type | Primary Application | Installation Method | Unique Feature |
| BOREMAC | Self-Boring Pressuremeter | Silt and sands | Self-boring (bores its own way into place) | May reduces soil disturbance to provide more accurate “at-rest” ground parameters. |
| DMP / DMPe | Flexible Dilatometer | Rock mass deformability | Pre-bored | Solid metallic inserts in the membrane provide direct contact with borehole walls for high reliability. |
| GAM-II | Ménard Pressuremeter | Soils and very soft rock | Pre-bored or driven into slotted casing | Direct readout of guard cell pressure, eliminating the need for delicate differential gauges. |
| TEXAM/TEXAMe | Pre-boring Pressuremeter | Soil and soft rock | Pre-bored or driven into slotted casing | Manual screw jack operation provides real-time tactile feedback; requires no compressed gas. |
| PROBEX/PROBEXe | Rock Pressuremeter/Dilatometer | Rock deformability and creep properties | Pre-bored | Internal piston measures volume change at the probe, eliminating errors from surface tubing expansion. |
| PENCEL | Full-Displacement Pressuremeter | Loading tests in soils | Driven or pushed directly into the ground | Highly portable and lightweight; can be used in tight spaces where heavy drill rigs cannot reach. |
| TRI-MOD-S | Rock Pressuremeter/Dilatometer | Stiff soil and rock mass | Pre-cored borehole | Uses six internal strain followers to measure the anisotropy (directional differences) of the ground. |
Applications:
- Bearing capacity and settlement estimation of all types of foundations
- Deformation estimation of laterally loaded piles and sheet piles
- Generating soils parameters for elastic or numerical analysis in soil or rock
- Controlling ground improvement works
