ABSTRACT
The expansion of the pressuremeter probe is theoretically considered to be the expansion of an infinitely long cylinder in an infinite mass of soil. This first assumption has its limitations because of the finite length of the pressuremeter. The pressuremeter measures an in situ stress-strain curve for the soil. The radial stress in the soil at the borehole wall is obtained readily from the probe pressure. The elastic response of the soil extends up to a radial yield pressure of 400 kPa. The plasticity theory is helpful in that it gives expressions for the limit pressure and the pressure at which yield starts. The limit pressure, which corresponds to an infinite expansion of the probe, is the value of radial stress at the cavity wall when the plastic zone extends to infinity. For cohesionless soils, the pressuremeter test is considered to be a drained test.
